Sahib Pashazade duo brings haunting strings, dreamy rhythms to World Culture Festival

With their haunting strings and dreamy rhythmic beats, Azerbaijan’s acclaimed musical duo, Sahib Pashazade and Kamran Karimov, transported Karachi's music enthusiasts into surreal realms of enchantment at the ongoing 35-day World Culture Festival.

The glorious event, held in media partnership with Geo and Jang, recently showcased the duo’s captivating blend of tradition and innovation at the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP).

Bringing global cultures together, the festival has already tranced the city, but the performance of Pashazade, who plays Tar — a traditional short-necked, double-chambered lute — and his equally talented percussionist partner Karimov, the master of Nagara — barrel drum — stole the show

In an exclusive chat with Geo.tv, Pashazade couldn’t help but gush over Pakistan’s charm and hospitality.

“Pakistan is incredibly beautiful—so, so beautiful!” he exclaimed.

“People here greet you with a smile, and some even stepped outside to ask if we needed anything or if they could help us.

"Since we’re also Muslim, they welcomed us in their own special way, saying things like ‘God bless you,’ ‘Mashallah,’ and ‘thank you very much.’ It’s heartwarming.”

The highlight of his visit was undoubtedly his performance at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, where he stunned the audience with both Azerbaijani traditional music, ‘Mugham,’ and a delightful rendition of Pakistan’s iconic ‘Mast Qalandar.’

“We played the ‘Mugham’ for the Pakistani audience. It’s usually a long form of music, but we kept it short, and also performed the traditional ‘Yalli’ dance, which the audience seemed to enjoy a lot.”

According to UNESCO, the Azerbaijani Mugham is a traditional musical form, characterised by a large degree of improvisation. 

The Mugham, though a classical and academic art, draws upon popular bard melodies, rhythms and performance techniques and is performed in many venues throughout the Central Asian country.

And then came the big surprise—a tune that made every Pakistani sit up and cheer. “We played the tune of ‘Mast Qalandar,’ which is a famous qawwali by the legendary music maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,” Pashazade said. “We know Nusrat is a huge icon here—and honestly, we’re big fans too!”

The Azerbaijani artist also spoke about an exciting cultural blend they performed — combining Pakistani and Azerbaijani traditional music in one seamless act. The audience couldn’t get enough.

“Pakistan and Azerbaijan are both Muslim countries, and there’s a lot of mutual respect and love for each other’s culture,” he remarked. “Being part of this cultural celebration has been such a joy.”

About his experience of Karachi, Pashazade revealed that while he’d been to Islamabad before, this was his first visit to the bustling city by the sea. “Karachi’s culture and its people are truly fascinating. They are so hospitable and big-hearted — it left a lasting impression on me,” he said.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a trip to Karachi without sampling its most famous culinary treasure — biryani. “I had heard a lot about biryani, and I finally got to try it here,” he said with a smile.

“I know there are different types, but I loved the chicken version — it was so delicious. Back home, we have a Pakistani restaurant that serves a milder version of Biryani because people in Azerbaijan aren’t used to very spicy food. But here, I tried it with Chapli Kebab too, and wow — it was spicy but absolutely fantastic!”

Before signing off, Pashazade was all praise for Pakistani people and culture and hoped for more opportunities to merge the musical traditions of both countries in the future.

The World Culture Festival at ACP will run for nearly a month, featuring over 400 international artists from 40 different countries. And with such resonant performances like that of Pashazade’s, it’s shaping up to be an unforgettable celebration of art, music, and unity.