Muharram in Multan

This chapter describes Muharram Ali's observations of the drumming and other music traditions of Multan during his journey to the Pakistani city. Ali's journey begins when he attended a majlis at Imambarah Māsumīn, Haweli Murīd Shah, followed by his experience with Muharram; the seventh of Muharram is traditionally associated with rituals commemorating the wedding of Qasim, and special music was often central to these rituals. The Tenth of Muharram, the climax in remembrance of Imam Husain's martyrdom. Ali also encountered mārū; the drumming on the battlefield; and the so-called bāzār-e-husn—the “bazaar of beauty”—in the Lodhipura neighborhood, where the families of the reputed courtesans were the custodians of a rich and varied repertoire of classical music.