26 Facts About Ahmad Zahir

Ahmad Zahir was an Afghan singer, songwriter and composer.

Ahmad Zahir's music blended folk music, Persian literature, Indian classical music and Western pop and rock styles.

Ahmad Zahir has become an icon of peacetime pre-war Afghanistan.

Ahmad Zahir was born on 14 June 1946 in Kabul, Afghanistan, to an ethnic Pashtun family from Laghman Province.

Ahmad Zahir's father, Abdul Zahir, was a royal court doctor who served as Minister of Health followed by Prime Minister of Afghanistan between 1971 and 1972.

Ahmad Zahir was a speaker of the parliament and an influential figure in King Zahir Shah's era who helped write the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan.

Ahmad Zahir had an older sister, Zahira Zahir, who would later be known as the hairdresser of US President Ronald Reagan and others.

Ahmad Zahir gained considerable popularity in Kabul as a talented singer with a soulful voice.

Ahmad Zahir attended and graduated from the Daru'l-Malimeen in Kabul, and studied for two years in India to get a degree as an English instructor.

Ahmad Zahir worked closely with Afghan composers Nainawaz and Taranasaz.

Ahmad Zahir's first recorded song, Gar Kuni Yak Nizara, was his own composition, blending Indian raga with western pop rhythms.

Ahmad Zahir worked with mentors such as Ismail Azami, Nangalai, Abdullah Etemadi, and other musicians including Salim Sarmast, Nainawaz, Taranasaz and Mashour Jamal.

Ahmad Zahir's songs were noted for their mellifluous tone, poetic style, compelling depth, and passionate emotional evocation.

Ahmad Zahir was on the scene of Afghan music for only 10 years at the most; yet, managed to record more than 30 albums.

Highly educated, well-travelled, and an extraordinarily gifted musician, Ahmad Zahir had an overwhelming passion for music and arts since his early childhood.

Ahmad Zahir learned to play various musical instruments including the harmonium, guitar, and accordion by the time he was 16 years old.

Ahmad Zahir was an avid listener of all genres of music and he incorporated elements of western, Indian, Middle Eastern, European, and Afghan Folk in his songs.

Ahmad Zahir simplified the lyrical, compositional, and orchestral aspects of Sarban and Sarmast's musical tradition.

For instance Ahmad Zahir's song "Khoda Buwat Yaret" is a great example of an unmistakably Afghan musical sound.

Ahmad Zahir was one of the first Afghan musicians not to shy away from covering great songs of other artists.

Ahmad Zahir considered covering music of other artists as paying homage to their artistic brilliance.

Ahmad Zahir covered a playback of the famous Indian film Bobby, Iranian songs, and even some of the greats of the west Enrico Macias, Elvis Presley.

Ahmad Zahir was assassinated by unknown gunman from the top of a mountain on 14 June 1979, on his 33rd birthday.

Ahmad Zahir left behind a son, Rishad, from his first wife Najia, who he eventually divorced.

Ahmad Zahir's tomb was destroyed by members of the Taliban in the late 1990s, but was later rebuilt by loving fans.

Ahmad Zahir was listed as one of 50 golden voices in history who have made their mark internationally, according to National Public Radio.