Awalmir

{{short description|Afghan musician}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Awalmir

| native_name = {{Lang|ps|استاد اولمیر}}

| image =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth-date|May 8, 1931}}

| birth_place = Peshawar

| death_date = {{death-date|April 24, 1982}} (aged 50-51)

| death_place = Kabul, Afghanistan

| genre = Ghazals{{-}}Classical music

| occupation = Singer

| instrument = Harmonium, guitar

| years_active = 1949 – 1982

| label = Various

}}

Ustad Awalmir ({{langx|ps|استاد اولمیر}}) (May 8, 1931 – April 24, 1982){{cite book |last1=Joya |first1=Malalai |title=Raising My Voice |date=2009 |publisher=Pan Australia |isbn=9781741987386 |page=194 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=woAcVOa7eOcC&q=%22Awalmir%22+1982&pg=PA194 |accessdate=26 December 2018 |quote=We made a contribution to help restore the site of the grave of the beloved singer of the Afghan nation, Ustad Awalmir, who died, impoverished, on 4 May 1982.}} was an Afghan composer, musician, singer, and poet who wrote and sang in the Pashto language.{{cite book |last1=Miller |first1=Lloyd |title=Aspects of Afghan music: with special emphasis on the music of Herat from 1970 to 1975 |date=1979 |publisher=University of Utah, Department of Languages |page=103 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ewHAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Awalmir%22 |accessdate=26 December 2018}}

He began learning music as a teen from various music teachers and began to perform for radio broadcasts. His first song was My Heart Has Broken To Pieces. At the age of 18, he performed at the Afghan Independence Day in Kabul.

He made a breakthrough into performing on the Afghan radio station with help from Malang Jan, a local poet. Awalmir's output consists of over 250 songs. His contribution to Afghan music led him the honor of the title Ustad from the Ministry of Culture and Information.

His songs include "Da Zamong Zeba Watan", meaning "this is our beautiful homeland", referring to Afghanistan.{{cite book |last1=Schramm |first1=Michael |title=Funktionalisierung und Idealisierung in der Musik: Dokumentation zum Symposium |date=2008 |publisher=Militärmusikdienst der Bundeswehr |isbn=9783000251467 |page=142 (fn) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qw44AQAAIAAJ&q=%22Awalmir%22 |accessdate=26 December 2018 |language=German}}{{cite web|url=http://www.virtualafghans.com/music/awal_mir/watan/ |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2014-02-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203124142/http://www.virtualafghans.com/music/awal_mir/watan/ |archivedate=2014-02-03 }}