Islamabad: The whirling dervishes from Turkey performed late on Sunday at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA). Specially flown from Istanbul to participate in the 70th Independence Day celebrations of Pakistan, the Istanbul Historical Turkish Music Ensemble attracted a huge crowd to the Grand Music Show. The event was part a month-long series being organised by the PNCA to mark the Independence Day. A 30-minute performance was an unusual experience of spiritual journey of tranquillity, peace and fulfilment. The presentation included naat, reed flute improvisations, peshrev, the sultan veled cycle, four selams and a prayer. The ensemble, which was started in 1991 by Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture, has been founded to present the original style and performance characteristics of the Classical Turkish Music especially the Sufi Music (Tasavvuf) and Military Music (Mehter), which are of the outstanding values of Turkish culture. The ensembles, following this goal, first establish the community of the artists and the other equipment, repertory studies and style performances, now they perform to the audience by giving concerts. The music from all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK was also presented. The singers included renowned Shaukat Ali, Ghulam Abbas, Akhtar Channal Zahri group from Balochistan, Zafar Ali group from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Bano Rehmat from AJK, Gulshan Jehan, Usman Ali Raees and Raga Boys. A 16-member National Performing Arts Group (NPAG) also presented a thrilling performance on the song ‘Pakistan banana hae’. Clad in various regional and national attires, the young artistes enthralled the theatre with their synchronised moves and spontaneous expressions. Earlier, PNCA Director General Syed Jamal Shah thanked the Turkish Ambassador S Babür Girgin for bringing the ensemble to Pakistan. He said that both the countries had deep-rooted friendly and brotherly relations for three decades. Both countries can learn from each other through the exchange of art and cultural and joint initiatives, he said. Turkish Ambassador S Babür Girgin thanked Pakistan for its support in the hour of need. He said that Turkey would prove to be a sincere friend to Pakistan in all times. He said there were many spheres where both countries could cooperate to boost mutually beneficial ties. Devcom-Pakistan Director Munir Ahmed said that the music show was a great experience of the cultural bouquet where every colour was evident of its regional identity that assembled Pakistan’s fragrance. The cultural harmony among the regional identities can bring the cohesive national life that can avert any conflict of any sort, he said. Fahmida Gul, a poetess, termed the show a unique experience of musical diversity from all parts of the country. The Raga Boys recaptured the tunes of old masters such as Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and Asad Amanat Ali Khan besides singing some popular numbers of their father Ustad Hamid Ali Khan. Published in Daily Times, August 15th 2017.