Photos by Ehtisham Uddin Hussa… : on the map, in Google Earth (KML)

What a lovely photo in b&w !!! - Best regards from Athens

Très belle photo N & B très graphique, bravo! J'ai voté. Corine Margueritat France

dats da gayest pik ive seen in my whole entire life..it looks lyk a hairy hobo...not even kidding...ahahaha

Hi Jeff, thank you for sharing that nice row of "zeros" ... very nice composed details.

mene

wao wao wht a nice pic

lolajuice is right great great great

how nce very very nice

great great great

Ustad Qawal Bahauddin Khan , a household name in Pakistan and abroad, including India and foreign lands, descends from an illustrious family of musicians whose history commence from the days of Hazrat Amir Khusrou who banded together twelve (12) elite youngsters and personally imparted special instructions regarding Sufiana style of music, namely Qawali to them and appointed Mian Saamat as its leader. This group named as Qawal Bachche Gharana of Delhi and afterwards as Delhi Gharana. The Delhi Gharana achieved further acclaim through AI-Haj Mir Qutab Bukhsh, famous as Mian Tanrus Khan, who went on to become the royal tutor to Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last of the mughal emperors.

Bahauddin Qawal, grand grandson of Ustad Mian Tanrus Khan Sahab and grandson of Ustad Ghulam Ghous Khan Sahab, born in 1934, took formal musical training from his father Ustad Haji M. Suleman Khan Sahab and uncle Ustad Sardar Khan Sahab, began giving public performances and won prizes & acclaim such as Nunhay Ragi in 1947, Certificate of Performance in 1949, Nunhay Hind Ragi in 1951, title & crown of Ashraf-ul-Mousiqaraan in 1969, Portrayed on wall mounted carpet in 1980, Certificate of Affiliation in 1981 by the descendants of Mehboob-e-Elahi, Tamgha-i-Imtiaz In 2000 by the President-Islamic Republic of Pakistan, title of Ustad, Gold Medal & Commemorative Shield in 2002 from the Vice President of Mauritius and Minister of Arts & Culture and in 2003 In the name of Allah Award.

In 1955, he migrated to Pakistan where he started afresh as partner to his cousins Munshi Raziuddin A. Khan and Manzoor A. Khan Niazi. In late 1965 he, alongwith his brother Qutbuddin, went solo under his own name. Right from his start uptil now he has regularly been invited by various Government and Local departments, including Armed Forces, to perform in about all their programmes as well as seminars, festivals and symposiums specially arranged on specific occasions.

Bahauddin, as a true disciple of the school of Hazrat Amir Khusrou, having the desire to propagate Islam beyond the confines of the sub-continent, has exhibited his art & command on different styles of Qawali, especially classical style, all over the world. He has toured Europe, Middle East, East & South Africa and Asia several times.

Recorded by the National Centre for the Performing Arts-India in 1981, for safe-keeping upto 200 years, on the Golden Tape, as reference and guide on Hazrat Amir Khusrou and his work especially the art of Qawali, for researchers and scholars as well as by Dr. Zoe Ansari, for release of two cassette's Audio-biography of Hazrat Amir Khusrou. Even today the BBC and other European & Asian Broadcasting Authorities continue to record as well as interviewed Bahauddin for research and references regarding the music of the East. His Qawalis in Urdu, Persian and Arabic are regularly telecasted both in Pakistan and abroad as well as have been sent to Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Central Asian Countries on special requests.

Bahauddin Qawal and his family have been continuously and regularly attached with the sufi orders since last seven (7) centuries. The tombs of Mian Nigahi and Mian Dargahi, his ancestors, mureed and Sama Khwaan of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (Khwaja Ghareeb Nawaz), adjacent to his shrine and Nigahi Dargahi Masjid at Dargah Bazar as well as their permanent rooms adjacent to the shrines of Khwaja Ghareeb Nawaz, Hazrat Mehboob-e-Elahi and Hazrat Alauddin Ali A. Sabir Kalyari (Sabir Pak) in Ajmer, Delhi and Kalyar are examples of their spiritual affiliation.

Bahauddin held many positions at different organisations for revival and development of Qawali. Now his children are following his footsteps and are assisting him in his performances and his mission as well as working at their own under the name and style Najm, Saif Bahauddin & Group. So far, his nine VCDs/CDs and thirty-nine Video/Audio Cassettes & LPs EPs are released in Pakistan & abroad. In 1978, Hilton Movies has recorded his Qawali for their film Gardish.

Bahauddin contemporaries like, love and admire him and his art of Qawali. They all derive great solace and comfort from him who fulfills their yearning to enrich their souls. Although past the ripe age of 70 Bahauddin soldiers on unceasingly and relentlessly in his mission both at home and abroad. www.qawalbahauddin.net / com

Ustad Qawal Bahauddin Khansahab belongs to the Qawwal Bachchay Gharana of Delhi or Delhi Gharana. In the 13th Century Hazrat Abul-Hasan Yameenuddin Amir Khusrou - a Legendary Musician, Unparalleled Poet, Soldier, Sufi and a Philosopher - took upon him to train a group of elite youngsters of this Gharana in the art of Qawali. The prominent names of this Gharana and the the imminent torchbearer of this mystical style of performance are Mian Saamat, AI-Haaj Meer Qutab Bukhsh famous as Mian Tanrus Khansahab, Ustad Ghulam Ghous Khansahab, Ustad Haji Suleman Khansahab.

Usatd Qawal Bahauddin Khansahab, a maestro in the Khusrou tradition of Qawali, after enchanting the audience with his knowledge, voice and command on different styles of Qawwal all over the world has successfully transferred this spiritual art and style to his sons, namely Qawal Najmuddin, Saifuddin & Brothers, who have demonstrated great sense of commitment in learning the Sufi's poetic verses, the. vocal notes and instruments from their father and apart from accompany him are performing, since 1993, under his guidance and blessing, at their own for general public, elites & government dignitaries.. They are also benefited from other masters in the field including their Uncles and Cousins.

Apart from belonging to a prominent musical gharana, all his children are educated and have command on presenting qawalis in Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Punjabi, Sindhi, Saraiki, Birj Bhasha, Poorbi, Sunskirt as well as in English languages. In October 1994, they performed in the First International Islamic Artisan-at-Work Festival-Islamabad on invitation of Lok Virsa, Ministry of Culture, Government of Pakistan who organized that festival in joint collaboration with the OIC Research Center of Islamic History, Art & Culture (IRICA), Istanbul, Turkey.

In April 1997, Pakistan National Council of Arts, (PNCA), invited them to perform at Lahore in the symposium Living Traditions of Music in Asia and Muslim World. This symposium was organized in relation to Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Pakistan's Independence, in joint collaboration with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) and was attended by Twenty Nine (29) countries of Asia. In December 1997, Department of Archives and Culture, Ministry of Culture, Government of Sindh, invited them to perform publicly, in Karachi, at the arrival of Golden Jubilee Train during Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Pakistan's Independence.

In April 1998, Societe Generale Bank of France invited them to perform, at Islamabad, in the launching ceremony of their new brand name SG Bank. Among the others elites and dignitaries of the country, this program was attended by French, American, German Ambassadors and British High Commissioner. In June 1998, they were invited by Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation to perform at Karachi in the live transmission during a seminar organized in relation to Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Pakistan’s Independence and of themselves as well.

In May 1999, Lok Virsa invited them to perform at Islamabad in the National Youth Arts & Crafts Festival organised at the anniversary of Pakistan's becoming of 7th World and 1st Islamic Nuclear Power specially to present qawalis in Arabic & Persian languages.

They have traveled abroad several times with their father as well as on their own name and has exhibited their art & command all over the world.

In 1997, House of World Cultures, Berlin invited them to perform in the Pakistan Soul Music Festival.

In 2000, visited Iran on Invitation of Moosasa-i-Alvi (Alvi Institute), Zahidaan, to present Qawalis in Persian Languag, and has exhibited their art in more or less 20 Programmes organized in relation to One Year Long Birth Celebrations of Hazrat Ali (May God be pleased with him). It may be keep in mind that after the revolution of Imam Khumaini in Iran this was the first time when Qawali Programmes were arranged on such huge scale and were attended by government departments as well as by general public.

In 2001, having invited by House of World Cultures, Berlin and several other European Cultural Organisations toured United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Belgium and Germany to perform in the World Festival of Sacred Music and Other Festivals.

In December 2002, having invited by National Urdu Institute, toured Mauritius to perform in the Eid-ul Fitr Festivations in 9 different cities there organized by them in collaboration with Ministry of Arts & Culture and Islamic Cultural Centre.

In November-December 2005 UK Tour, they give 13 Concerts at 10 different cities and in January, 2006 Switzerland Tour performed in 6 cities. One of these performances was for WTO Head Quarters, Geneva organized by Pak-Swiss Association. All these performances were in aid of Pakistan Earthquake Relief Fund and ARY Digital was the Official Media Partner of them.

Recently, in June 2007, they performed in Bahrain on invitation from Urdu Literary Society and Embassy of Pakistan, Bahrain and in September 2007 RASA Wereldculturencentrum and Sangeet Premee-Indian Association invited them to perform in Utrecht-Netherlands and Canari Islands and exhibit their art in front of huge audiences. ` Furthermore, they visited India several times and during their last 2005 India Tour the descendants of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia (Mehboob-e-Elahi) turbaned them alongwith their father in recognition of their family attachment with Silsilah of Hazrat Mehboob-e-Ilahi.

Also, Najmuddin, the eldest son of Qawal Bahauddin and now the Leader of group, is doing research work on eastern music specially qawwali and its background, history and wrote an article name Qawali-In The Light of History. He is crowned, in 1999, and turbaned, in 2004, as well as appointed as caliph/successor in Chishti Sufi Order to carry on the spiritual sufi tradition as well as propagate their message of love, peace and humanity in addition to his performances all over the world.

They have been recorded by Pakistan Television and several Private TV Channels and by several Foreign TV & Radio Channels during their foreign tours. They were crowned and have so far received various awards, medals & shields in Pakistan & abroad for their outstanding performances. Their Audio/Video Albums, of Sufi Music/Traditional Qawali are receiving appreciation and applause from every segment of life.

Qawal Bahauddin Sons following their father’s footsteps, excel and are world famous in the Hazrat Amir Khosrou tradition of Qawwali and having belong to a prominent family of musicians are doing their level best to achieve the goal.