Düa

Palestinian artist Reem Anbar and Pakistan’s Imran Rahat Ali Khan will close the Salaam Festival with a specially curated and unique evening.

Reem Anbar begins the evening with rhythms and chords that whisper desires of hope for those who seek freedom. This performance connects us with the past, present and future hopes through the Oud, tabla and songs of poetry-whispering praise.

Exceptional voices and devotional echoes recall the illustrious predecessor Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who made Qawwali known to the world. Imran Rahat Ali Khan and his party take us on a painful journey of migration, the music weaving ancient poetry and intense rhythms with complex melodies to invoke a deeply-moving spiritual atmosphere.

Reem Anbar
Raised in Gaza, occupied Palestine, Reem rose to prominence as a young musician in the early 2000s, and was quickly heralded as the city’s first female oud player. With an affinity for tarab – the ecstatic traditions of Arab regional music – and the Palestinian heritage of song, Reem absorbed the lessons of older generations of oud players and forged her own path as a self-taught player.

Reem performs with Gazelleband, as a solo artist and as a guest with other leading musicians. Since late 2023, she has performed in eight countries on three continents, and recently brought her music and stories to the refugee camps of Lebanon. After a year developing her musicianship with leading Egyptian maestros, Reem and Gazelleband return to Britain in summer 2025 for new concert dates and recordings.

Imran Rahat Ali Qawwal

Imran Rahat Ali Qawwal is an artist dedicated to carrying forward the timeless tradition of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis. With a voice that is both powerful and expressive, he has earned recognition as one of the rising talents of his generation, performing across Pakistan and abroad. His style balances respect for the golden era of Qawwali with a fresh energy that connects with today’s audiences.

Imran has refined his craft under the guidance of Ustaad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, from whom he has learned the depth of raag, the intricacy of rhythm, and the emotional expression needed to move audiences. This training has given him both technical mastery and the ability to perform with genuine feeling and devotion.

Today, Imran Rahat Ali Qawwal is building on his family’s proud legacy while forging his own path as a performer. His aim is simple yet profound: to share the message of love, unity and devotion through Qawwali, keeping alive a tradition that has inspired hearts for centuries.