Sayed Shah Ewaz

Sayed Shah Ewaz (1935 – 2019), also known as Ustad Shah Ewaz, was an Afghan singer and dambura player from Bamyan Province. A recording of his performance appears on Afghanistan: Music During the Civil War (1979–2001), a 2015 Smithsonian Folkways album in the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music.

Life and career

Shah Ewaz was born in 1935 in Tay-e Siasang, in the Shunbol area of Shibar District, Bamyan Province. He lost his parents at an early age and was raised by his grandfather, who taught him to read and write.

His father played the dambura, and Shah Ewaz became familiar with the instrument during childhood. He received no formal musical training and developed his singing and playing largely through independent practice. He later performed at private events and community gatherings.

His repertoire included Persian poetry and folk verses from Bamyan and the wider Hazarajat region. He also performed religious and seasonal songs and adapted some Indian melodies for performance in Dari.

Liner notes published as part of the UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music describe Shah Ewaz as a "professional, hereditary musician" who played in the orchestra of Radio Kabul.

Smithsonian Folkways recording

A performance by Shah Ewaz, credited as Sayyid Shâh Ewaz, appears on Afghanistan: Music During the Civil War (1979–2001), released by Smithsonian Folkways in 2015.

The recording, titled "Saram qurbânat, ay mâh-e yagâna" ("I give up everything for you, my one and only moon"), was made in Kayan, Baghlan Province. Shah Ewaz sang and accompanied himself on the dambura. The liner notes identify it as a Hazara dubayti about unrequited love.

A photograph of Shah Ewaz taken in Kayan on 6 August 1998 was used as the cover image for the album booklet.

Later life and death

Shah Ewaz moved with his family to Pakistan during the civil war of the 1990s. He settled in the United Kingdom in 2001 and later performed for Afghan audiences there and in Canada. He died on 13 February 2019 at the age of 84.

In a 2024 profile published by Farhang Press, dambura player Sayed Anwar Azad named Shah Ewaz among several musicians whom he considered masters of dambura playing.

In July 2026, the Sayed Nadir Shah Al-Hussaini Cultural and Social Association organized a program in Canada about Shah Ewaz's life and music. The program included a documentary and performances by Afghan musicians.