Coordinates	39°30′″N3°00′″N
name	Bari
official name	Comune di Bari
image shield	Bari-Stemma.png
coordinates display	title
region	Puglia
province	Bari (BA)
mayor party	Democratic Party
mayor	Michele Emiliano
area total km2	116
population total	320.475
population as of	31 December 2010
population demonym	Baresi
elevation m	5
saint	Saint Nicholas
day	May 8
postal code	70121-70132
area code	080
website
footnotes	}}

Bari (Bari dialect: ''Bàre''; from Latin: ''Barium'') is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia (or, in Italian, ''Puglia'') region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas. The city itself has a decreasing population of about 320,000, as of 2009, over 116 km², while the fast-growing urban area counts 653,028 inhabitants over 203 km². The metropolitan area counts 1,000,000 million inhabitants over .

Bari is made up of four different urban sections. To the north is the closely built old town on the peninsula between two modern harbours, with the splendid Basilica of Saint Nicholas, the Cathedral of San Sabino (1035–1171) and the Swabian Castle built for Frederick II, which is now also a major nightlife district. To the south is the Murat quarter (erected by Joachim Murat), the modern heart of the city, which is laid out on a rectangular grid-plan with a promenade on the sea and the major shopping district (the ''via Sparano'' and ''via Argiro'').

Modern residential zones surround the centre of Bari, the result of chaotic development during the 1960s and 1970s replacing the old suburbs that had developed along roads splaying outwards from gates in the city walls. In addition, the outer suburbs have developed rapidly during the 1990s. The city has a redeveloped airport named after Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyła Airport, with connections to several European cities.

History

Ancient

The city was probably founded by the Peucetii. Once it passed under Roman rule in the 3rd century BC, it developed strategic significance as the point of junction between the coast road and the Via Traiana and as a port for eastward trade; a branch road to Tarentum led from Barium. Its harbour, mentioned as early as 181 BC, was probably the principal one of the district in ancient times, as it is at present, and was the centre of a fishery. The first historical Bishop of Bari was Gervasius who was noted at the Council of Sardica in 347. The bishops were dependent on the Patriarch of Constantinople until the 10th century.

Middle Ages

After the devastations of the Gothic Wars, under Lombard rule a set of written regulations was established, the ''Consuetudines Barenses'', which influenced similar written constitutions in other southern cities.

Until the arrival of the Normans, Bari continued to be governed by the Byzantines, with only occasional interruption. Throughout this period, and indeed throughout the Middle Ages, Bari served as one of the major slave depots of the Mediterranean, providing a central location for the trade in Slavic slaves. The slaves were mostly captured by Venice from Dalmatia, the Holy Roman Empire from what is now Prussia and Poland, and the Byzantines from elsewhere in the Balkans, and were generally destined for other parts of the Byzantine Empire and (most frequently) the Muslim states surrounding the Mediterranean: the Abbasid Caliphate, the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba, the Emirate of Sicily, and the Fatimid Caliphate (which relied on Slavs purchased at the Bari market for its legions of Sakalaba Mamluks).

For a brief period of 20 years, Bari was captured by Islamic invaders and became the Emirate of Bari under the emir Kalfun in 847. The city was soon reconquered by the Byzantines in 871. In 885, it became the residence of the local Byzantine ''catapan'', or governor. The failed revolt (1009–1011) of the Lombard nobles Melus of Bari and his brother-in-law Dattus, against the Byzantine governorate, though it was firmly repressed at the Battle of Cannae (1018), offered their Norman adventurer allies a first foothold in the region. In 1025, under the Archbishop Byzantius, Bari became attached to the see of Rome and was granted "provincial" status.

In 1071, Bari was captured by Robert Guiscard, following a three-year siege. Maio of Bari (d. 1160), a Lombard merchant's son, was the third of the great admirals of Norman Sicily. The Basilica di San Nicola was founded in 1087 to receive the relics of this saint, which were surreptitiously brought from Myra in Lycia, in Byzantine territory. The saint began his development from Saint Nicholas of Myra into Saint Nicholas of Bari and began to attract pilgrims, whose encouragement and care became central to the economy of Bari. In 1095 Peter the Hermit preached the first crusade there. In October 1098, Urban II, who had consecrated the Basilica in 1089, convened the Council of Bari, one of a series of synods convoked with the intention of reconciling the Greeks and Latins on the question of the filioque clause in the Creed, which Anselm ably defended, seated at the pope's side. The Greeks were not brought over to the Latin way of thinking, and the Great Schism was inevitable.

A civil war broke out in Bari in 1117 with the murder of the archbishop, Riso. Control of Bari was seized by Grimoald Alferanites, a native Lombard, and he was elected lord in opposition to the Normans. By 1123, he had increased ties with Byzantium and Venice and taken the title ''gratia Dei et beati Nikolai barensis princeps''. Grimoald increased the cult of St Nicholas in his city. He later did homage to Roger II of Sicily, but rebelled and was defeated in 1132.

Bari was occupied by Manuel I Komnenos between 1155–1158. In 1246, Bari was sacked and razed to the ground; Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, repaired the fortress of Baris but it was subsequently destroyed several times. Bari recovered each time.

Early modern period

Isabella di Aragona, princess of Naples and widow of the Duke of Milan Gian Galeazzo Sforza, enlarged the castle, which she made her residence, 1499–1524. After the death of Bona Sforza, Queen of Poland, Bari came to be included in the Kingdom of Naples and its history contracted to a local one, as malaria became endemic in the region. Bari was wakened from its provincial somnolence by Napoleon's brother-in-law Joachim Murat. As Napoleonic King of Naples, Murat ordered the building in 1808 of a new section of the city, laid out on a rational grid plan, which bears his name today as the ''Murattiano''. Under this stimulus, Bari developed into the most important port city of the region. The legacy of Mussolini can be seen in the imposing architecture along the seafront.

The 1943 chemical warfare disaster

Through a tragic coincidence intended by neither of the opposing sides in World War II, Bari gained the unwelcome distinction of being the only European city to experience chemical warfare in the course of that war.

On the night of December 2, 1943, German Junkers Ju 88 bombers attacked the port of Bari, which was a key supply centre for Allied forces fighting their way up the Italian Peninsula. Several Allied ships were sunk in the overcrowded harbour, including the U.S. Liberty ship ''John Harvey'', which was carrying mustard gas; mustard gas was also reported to have been stacked on the quayside awaiting transport. The chemical agent was intended for use if German forces initiated chemical warfare. The presence of the gas was highly classified, and authorities ashore had no knowledge of it. This increased the number of fatalities, since physicians—who had no idea that they were dealing with the effects of mustard gas—prescribed treatment proper for those suffering from exposure and immersion, which proved fatal in many cases. Because rescuers were unaware they were dealing with gas casualties, many additional casualties were caused among the rescuers through contact with the contaminated skin and clothing of those more directly exposed to the gas.

On the orders of allied leaders Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower, records were destroyed and the whole affair was kept secret for many years after the war. The U.S. records of the attack were declassified in 1959, but the episode remained obscure until 1967. Indeed, even today, many ''"Baresi"'' are still unaware of what happened and why. Additionally, there is considerable dispute as to the number of fatalities. In one account: "[S]ixty-nine deaths were attributed in whole or in part to the mustard gas, most of them American merchant seamen;" Others put the count as high as, "more than one thousand Allied servicemen and more than one thousand Italian civilians." Part of the confusion and controversy derives from the fact that the German attack, which became nicknamed "The Little Pearl Harbor" after the Japanese air attack on the American naval base in Hawaii, was highly destructive and lethal in itself, apart from the effects of the gas. Attribution of the causes of death to the gas, as distinct from the direct effects of the German attack, has proved far from easy.

The affair is the subject of two books: ''Disaster at Bari'', by Glenn B. Infield, and ''Nightmare in Bari: The World War II Liberty Ship Poison Gas Disaster and Coverup'', by Gerald Reminick.

The Balkan Air Force supporting the partisans in Yugoslavia was based at Bari.

Language

Bari, while today an industrialised port and university city, still maintains strong traditions based on its patron Saint Nicholas. Bari is known throughout Italy for its unique, often crude, spoken dialect, particularly in the Old Town, parts of which originated from a pidgin between Italian and Greek fishermen in the past, and which fishermen in Greece can still understand today.

Main sights

Basilica of Saint Nicholas

The ''Basilica di San Nicola'' (Saint Nicholas) was founded in 1087 to receive the relics of this saint, which were brought from Myra in Lycia, and now lie beneath the altar in the crypt, where are buried the Topins, which are a legacy of old thieves converted to good faith. The church is one of the four Palatine churches of Apulia (the others being the cathedrals of Acquaviva delle Fonti and Altamura, and the church of Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano).

Bari Cathedral

Bari Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Sabinus of Canosa (''San Sabino''), was begun in Byzantine style in 1034, but was destroyed in the sack of the city of 1156. A new building was thus built between 1170–1178, partially inspired by that of San Nicola. Of the original edifice, only traces of the pavement are today visible in the transept.

An important example of Apulian Romanesque architecture, the church has a simple Romanesque façade with three portals; in the upper part is a rose window decorated with monstruous and fantasy figures. The interior has a nave and two aisles, divided by sixteen columns with arcades. The crypt houses the relics of Saint Sabinus and the icon of the ''Madonna Odigitria''.

The interior and the façade were redecorated in Baroque style during the 18th century, but these additions were removed in a 1950s restoration.

Petruzzelli Theatre

The Petruzzelli Theatre is one of the grandest opera houses in Italy after La Scala in Milan and the San Carlo Theatre in Naples. Host to many famous opera and ballet greats throughout the 20th century, before the big arson of 27 October 1991, which destroyed it nearly all. The last 4 October 2009, after 18 years, the theatre was reopened.

Swabian Castle

The Norman-Hohenstaufen Castle, widely known as the ''Castello Svevo'' (Swabian Castle), was built by Roger II of Sicily around 1131. Destroyed in 1156, it was rebuilt by Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. The castle now serves as a gallery for a variety of temporary exhibitions in the city.

Pinacoteca Provinciale di Bari

The Pinacoteca Provinciale di Bari (Provincial Pinacotheca in Bari) is the most important paintings museum in Puglia. It was established in 1928 and there are kept many important paintings from the 15th century to the contemporary art.

The Russian Church

The Russian Church, in the Carrassi district of Bari, was built in the early 20th century to welcome Russian pilgrims who came to the city to visit the church of Saint Nicholas in the old city where the relics of the saint remain.

Built on a large area of council-owned land, the city council and Italian national government were recently involved in a trade-off with the Putin government in Moscow, exchanging the piece of land on which the church stands, for, albeit indirectly, a military barracks near Bari's central railway station. The hand over was seen as building bridges between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches.

''Barivecchia''

''Barivecchia'', or Old Bari, is a sprawl of streets and passageways making up the section of the city to the north of the modern Murat area. Barivecchia was until fairly recently considered a no-go area by many of Bari's residents due to the high levels of petty crime. A large-scale redevelopment plan beginning with a new sewerage system and followed by the development of the two main squares, Piazza Mercantile and Piazza Ferrarese has seen the opening of many pubs and other venues. This has been welcomed by many who claim that the social life of the city, and in particular the experience for tourists in Bari, has been improved and that jobs and revenue have been created. Others point out the effects of late-night noise in the enclosed squares and criticise development based mainly on pubs and other such premises.

Se Parigi avesse il mare, sarebbe una piccola Bari’ (if Paris had the sea, it would be a little Bari). This popular saying tells you more about the local sense of humour than it does about the city, but Bari has a surprising amount of charm, particularly Barivecchia, its increasingly chic medieval old town.

Other

''Teatro Petruzzelli''.

''Teatro Margherita''.

''Teatro Piccinni''.

''Orto Botanico dell'Università di Bari'', a botanical garden.

''Santa Chiara'', once church of the Teutonic Knights (as ''Santa maria degli Alemanni'') and now closed. It was restored in 1539.

The build of Acquedotto Pugliese

The medieval church of San Marco dei Veneziani, with a notable rose window in the façade.

''San Giorgio degli Armeni''.

''Santa Teresa dei Maschi'', the main Baroque church in the city (1690–1696).

''Pane e Pomodoro ''Beach is the main beach within reach of the city. Its reputation has for several years suffered from the apparent presence of asbestos from nearby industrial plants.

The eastern seafront skyline of Bari had, until spring 2006, been dominated by the monsterous apartment complex known as ''Punta Perotti'' – a creation of the Matarrese construction empire. Clearly in violation of several fundamental Italian building regulations, Punta Perotti became the focus of a political and environmental movement calling for its demolition. After years of legal wrangling between the Matarrese firm, Bari Council and environmental groups such as Save the Earth, the court ruled in favour of its demolition and thousands gathered on the Bari seafront in April 2006 to see the event.

The grid-shaped Murat city Centre of Bari is said to be the largest shopping centre in all of Italy and contains a large number of high street stores and smaller shops with particular attention to high fashion and tailoring. Bari has recently seen a proliferation of out of town hypermarkets with all manner of shops and superstores attached to them.

Bari features two sea harbours: the Old Port as well as the New Port. The latter was constructed in 1850 and can accommodate any kind of ship—including large cargo laden vessels. It can also handle any type of traffic.

Geography

Quarters

{| style="width:70%;" class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! width=10% | Municipality ! width=60% | Quarters |- |align="center"|I||align="center"|Palese Macchie & Santo Spirito-Catino-San Pio |- |align="center"|II||align="center"|San Paolo & Stanic |- |align="center"|III||align="center"|Picone & Poggiofranco |- |align="center"|IV||align="center"|Carbonara-Santa Rita, Ceglie del Campo & Loseto |- |align="center"|V||align="center"|Japigia, Torre a Mare & San Giorgio |- |align="center"|VI||align="center"|Carrassi, San Pasquale & Mungivacca |- |align="center"|VII||align="center"|Madonnella |- |align="center"|VIII||align="center"|Libertà & Marconi-San Girolamo-Fesca |- |align="center"|IX||align="center"|Murat & San Nicola |} Shown above are the twenty quarters of Bari: these twenty neighbourhoods or "quartiere" as they are known, are further divided into nine governmental community boards.

Climate

Bari enjoys a semi-arid Mediterranean climate with mild winters and warm to hot, dry summers. Snowfall in winter is possible. During the summer of 2008 temperatures reached as high as .

Fiera del Levante

The Fiera del Levante is said to be the largest trade fair in the Adriatic and involves exhibitions from many sectors and industries. Held in September in the Fiera site on the west side of Bari city center, the Fiera attracts many exhibitors from Italy, around the Mediterranean, its trade corridors to the east and beyond. Mainly focused on agriculture and industry, there are also stalls, exhibitions and presentations by a wide variety of companies and organizations in many fields. There is also a "Fair of Nations" which displays handcrafted and locally produced goods from all over the world.

This year's Fiera also saw an "Expo Fishing" which brought together fishing methods, tackle and know-how from across the Mediterranean.

Cuisine and gastronomy

Bari's cuisine, one of Italy's most traditional and noteworthy, is based on three typical agricultural products found within the surrounding Puglia region, namely wheat, olive oil and wine. Bari cuisine is also enriched by the wide variety of fruit and vegetables produced locally. Local flour is used in homemade bread and pasta production including, most notably, the famous ''orecchiette'' hat-shaped pasta, ''recchietelle'' or ''strascinate'', ''chiancarelle'' (orecchiette of different sizes) and ''cavatelli''.

Homemade dough is also used for baked ''calzoni'' stuffed with onions, anchovies, capers and olives; fried ''panzerotti'' with mozzarella, simple ''focaccia alla barese'' with tomatoes, little savoury ''taralli'', friselle and ''sgagliozze'', fried slices of polenta all make up the Bari culinary reportoire.

Olive oil and garlic are widely in use. Vegetable minestrone, chick peas, broad beans, chickory, celery and fennel are also often served as first courses or side dishes.

Meat dishes and the local Barese ''ragù'' often include lamb, pork and often horse meat, considered something of a local delicacy.

Pasta ''al forno'', a baked pasta dish, is very popular in Bari and was historically a Sunday dish, or a dish used at the start of Lent when all the rich ingredients such as eggs and pork had to be used for religious reasons. The recipe commonly consists of ''penne'' or similar tubular pasta shapes, a tomato sauce, small beef and pork meatballs and halved hard boiled eggs; but different families have variations. The pasta is then topped with ''mozzarella'' or similar cheese and then baked in the oven to make the dish have its trademark crispy texture.

Bari, being the capital of an important fishing area, offers a range of fresh fish and seafood, often eaten raw. Octopus, sea urchins and mussels feature heavily. Indeed, perhaps Bari's most famous dish is the oven-baked ''Riso, patate e cozze'' (rice, with potatoes and mussels).

Bari and its province, not to mention the Puglia region, have a range of notable wines including Primitivo, Castel del Monte and Moscato di Trani.

Administrative divisions

Bari is separated into nine administrative divisions:

I: Palese Macchie, Santo Spirito, Catino, San Pio

II: San Paolo, Stanic

III: Picone, Poggiofranco

IV: Carbonara, Santa Rita, Ceglie del Campo, Loseto

V: Japigia, Torre a Mare, San Giorgio

VI: Carrassi, San Pasquale, Mungivacca

VII: Madonnella

VIII: Libertà, Marconi, San Girolamo, Fesca

IX: Murat, San Nicola

Sport

Local football club A.S. Bari, currently competing in Serie A, plays in the impressive Stadio San Nicola, an architecturally innovative 58,000-seater stadium purpose-built for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The stadium also hosted the 1991 European Cup Final.

Demographics

In 2007, there were 325,052 people residing in Bari (in which slightly 1.6 million live in the greater Bari area), located in the province of Bari, Puglia, of whom 48.1% were male and 51.9% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 17.90 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 19.08 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of Bari residents is 42 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Bari grew by 2.69 percent, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.56 percent. The current birth rate of Bari is 8.67 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births.

As of 2006, 98.34% of the population was of Italian descent. The largest immigrant group came from other European nations (particularly those from Albania and Greece): 0.68% and East Africa: 0.42%. Immigrants from North Africa and East Asia make up an even smaller portion of the population.

People associated with Bari

Giovanni Alemanno

Anna Dello Russo

Emanuele Arciuli

Lino Banfi

Pope Benedict XIII

Gianrico Carofiglio

Antonio Cassano

Riccardo Cucciolla

Niccolò dell'Arca

Franco Giordano

Ivan Iusco

Gaetano Latilla

Michele Antonio Iannuzzi

Guido Marzulli

Antonio Matarrese

Gianvito Amoruso

Domenico Modugno

Aldo Moro

Joe Orlando

Anna Oxa

Pino Pascali

Nico Perrone

Niccolò Piccinni (1728–1800)

Fabio Mastrangelo

Sergio Rubini

Gaetano Salvemini

Bona Sforza

Pope Urban VI

Nichi Vendola

Mario Nuzzolese

Pietro Leonida Laforgia

International relations

Twin towns—Sister cities

Bari is twinned with:

	* Baalbek, Lebanon	Batumi, Georgia (country)>Georgia	* Guangzhou, People's Republic of China	* Mar del Plata, Argentina	* Durrës, Albania		Corfu, Greece	* Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina	* Patras, Greece	* Bandung, Indonesia	* Sumqayıt, Azerbaijan

In popular culture

Bari is mentioned in the 1995 film ''The Bridges of Madison County'' starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. In the film Francesca tells Robert that she comes from a town nobody ever heard of called Bari. But he tells her that he has been to Bari and that he got off the train at Bari because it looked pretty.

See also

Antivari (means 'opposite Bari')

Bari International Airport

Bari Centrale railway station

Province of Bari

Basilica di San Nicola (Bari)

Polytechnic University of Bari

University of Bari

References

Further reading

Vito Antonio Melchiorre. 2001. ''Note storiche su Bari''.

Glenn B. Infield. 1973. ''Disaster at Bari''. Ace Books. New York, N.Y.

External links

Site of AQP S.p.A. - Acquedotto Pugliese S.p.A.

City of Bari

Province of Bari

Region of Apulia

Bari Karol Wojtyla Airport

University of Bari

Polytechnic of Bari

Niccolò Piccinni Music Conservatory

AS Bari Football Club

AMTAB – Urban Transport company

Petruzzelli and Theaters of Bari Lyrical Symphonic Foundation

Teatro Pubblico Pugliese (Apulian Public Theater)

Fiera del Levante Exhibition Centre

Worldfacts: "Bari, Italy"

''Catholic Encyclopedia''; "Bari"

Port of Bari Video Introduction

Historical library: House of Nemanja and St Nicole in Bari

Category:Ancient Greek cities Category:Cities and towns in Apulia Category:Coastal cities and towns in Italy Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy Category:Port cities and towns of the Adriatic Sea

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Coordinates	39°30′″N3°00′″N
background	solo_singer
birth name	Serj Tankian
born	August 21, 1967 Beirut, Lebanon
genre	Heavy metal, experimental, alternative metal, progressive rock, alternative rock, art rock, classical
occupation	Musician, singer–songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, poet, political activist
years active	1992–present
instrument	Piano, keyboards, guitar, bass, synthesizer, violin, harmonica, melodica, bouzouki, dulcimer, theremin, sampler, drum machine
label	Serjical Strike, Reprise, American, Columbia, Axis of Justice
associated acts	System of a Down, Axis of Justice, The F.C.C.
website	www.serjtankian.com
notable instruments	}}

Serj Tankian (Armenian: Սերժ Թանգեան ; born August 21, 1967) is an Armenian-American singer–songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, record producer, poet, and political activist. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, keyboardist, and occasional live rhythm guitarist of the rock band System of a Down.

During his musical career, Tankian has released five albums with System of a Down, one with Arto Tunçboyacıyan (''Serart''), as well as two solo albums ''Elect the Dead'' and ''Imperfect Harmonies'' and a live orchestral version of the former incorporating the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra named ''Elect the Dead Symphony''. In 2002, Tankian and Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello co-founded a non-profit political activist organization, Axis of Justice. Tankian also founded the music label Serjical Strike Records.

Tankian is ranked 26th in the Hit Parader's Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time.

On August 12th, 2011, Tankian was awarded the Armenian Prime Minister's Medal for his contributions to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the advancement of music.

Biography

Early life

Tankian was born in Beirut, Lebanon on August 21, 1967. At age seven, Serj Tankian moved with his parents to Los Angeles, California. In his youth, he attended a school for Armenian-Americans, The Rose & Alex Pilibos School, which was also attended by Tankian's future System of a Down bandmates Daron Malakian and Shavo Odadjian. Having achieved academic success in high school, and UK MTV. Tankian appeared on MTV's You Rock The Deuce to promote ''Elect the Dead''. A music video was directed and filmed for every song on the record, each by unique directors. Tankian explained, "I asked each of the directors for their visual interpretation of my work. They were asked not to write treatments and that they could make whatever they liked. The results have been overwhelmingly amazing!". Some music videos were initially released exclusively to those who purchased the limited edition of ''Elect the Dead'', while all of the music videos, except "Money", have since been publicly released on Tankian's website and YouTube channel. Some videos have alternative versions which were originally released as well, but later altered.

Three different promo versions of the album have surfaced to the public. The instrumental promotional version, issued by Serjical Strike/Reprise Records and intended for the music and movie industry, contains instrumental versions of the twelve album tracks. Another promotional version, issued by Reprise Records and made only for individual reviewers, features the album in final master form. This promotional CD-R, which was labeled "Smart Talk" as a codename for "Serj Tankian" to prevent leaking by unauthorized persons, also indicates that the album was finalized prior to . Before this a similar but undated promo, also under the name 'Smart Talk', was issued featuring the final versions of the songs, albeit not yet mastered. Whilst the printed track list on this version is identical the released album, tracks ten and eleven are in fact juxtaposed on the promo itself.

The official tour for ''Elect the Dead'' commenced on October 12, 2007 with a show at Chicago's Vic theater. Roughly one thousand people attended the first concert. Although Tankian had stated he would not be performing any material by his former band, System of a Down, he performed "Charades", a song co-written by Daron Malakian, the guitarist of System of a Down. Although it is originally a song restricted to piano and vocals, Tankian used his backing band, the Flying Cunts of Chaos (F.C.C.), to provide guitars, drums, and bass. The songs "Beethoven's Cunt", Empty Walls, and Sky Is Over are available as downloadable content for ''Rock Band'' . A portion of the song "Lie Lie Lie" is currently featured in the opening title sequence of NBC's ''Fear Itself'', a horror anthology show from the creators of ''Masters of Horror'', and can be viewed on the show's main website..

More recently, he sang with Les Rita Mitsouko on the song "Terminal Beauty". Also, he sang with the band Fair to Midland during a live improvisational version of their song "Walls of Jericho", from the album ''Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True'', which was a massive hit with fans. He often collaborates with his close friend, director Diran Noubar on various projects, including the voice-over of Noubar's ''Armenia, a Country Under Blockade''. Noubar played some guitar on Tankian's ''Elect the Dead'' album on the track "Saving Us" and directed the music video for "Baby". Tankian is also politically involved. Together with Tom Morello, he founded the organization Axis of Justice. Tankian is a New Zealand resident and has a secondary vacation dwelling there. There has been a misconception that he intends to stay in New Zealand until the Iraq War is over, but as stated in an interview, Tankian has no intention of doing so. He often speaks publicly against violence and injustice in the world. Tankian released a new song "Fears" in November 2008 exclusively in support of Amnesty International's Global Write-A-Thon.

On March 16, 2009, Serj performed with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in New Zealand, an orchestral version of the album ''Elect the Dead''. The live performance was captured in a CD/DVD titled Elect the Dead Symphony which was released on March 9, 2010.

Tankian co-wrote a musical with the American playwright Steven Sater. It is based on the Ancient Greek tragedy Prometheus Bound. It will open at the American Repertory Theater on March 14, 2011.

In 2009, Tankian collaborated with the band Viza (previously known as Visa) for their track "Viktor". Viza is signed to Tankian's Serjical Strike label.

On February 15, 2010, Serj Tankian released a new single, "The Charade." The song is available as a digital download on iTunes.

''Imperfect Harmonies'' (2010–present)

Tankian's third solo album was originally due in 2009. It is said to be more of a jazz and orchestral based sound. Said Tankian of the second album, "I'm structuring the next record kind of like a jazz orchestral. I've got a full orchestra interested, so I want this giant electric guitar in the air to be played by a full orchestra. I want the orchestra to be the electric guitar. I want to make an orchestra do what it's never done before, like a GG Allin type orchestra. Think of that." The album had the working title ''Music Without Borders'', however, the final album title is ''Imperfect Harmonies''. On June 23, 2010, a promo single from his upcoming album ''Imperfect Harmonies'' was released called "Borders Are." The first radio single from'' Imperfect Harmonies'', "Left Of Center", was released on July 13, 2010. A third single, "Disowned Inc." was released on August 9, 2010. ''Imperfect Harmonies'' was released on September 21, 2010. Preceding the album's release, two contests were announced (one consisting of brainteasers related to the album/song titles, the other an art contest) in which fans could win prizes such as Tankian's autograph and merchandise. On August 22, 2010, a music video for ''Left Of Center'' was released on Tankian's MySpace account.

The premiere date for Tankian and Sater's ''Prometheus Bound'' at the American Repertory Theater is February 25, 2011. The singer has said that collaborating on the show has been a great learning experience for him. “I’ve been using a lot of my archives, a lot of different types of music that I had already put together for underscoring and what not,” he said. “It’s quite diverse, from noise to jazz to electronic stuff to hip-hop songs to rock songs to cool, piano dark underscores, and that’s a whole different bag of tricks there because it’s always evolving. Unlike a film score that’s very linear and you get a scene to score for, this is something where you do another workshop and one song is gone, that underscore changes to 20 seconds and they need something else on the spot. Everything’s always changing until the show comes, so it’s quite interesting.”

In January 2011 Tankian released a music video for his song ''Reconstructive Demonstrations'' from his album ''Imperfect Harmonies''. Tankian also announced on his Facebook page, during the video's release, that a new EP entitled ''Imperfect Remixes'' will be released sometime within 2011. On February 3, Serj uploaded a photo of him singing into a microphone onto his Facebook fan page, accompanied with the description "New music video coming soon..." On March 1 Serj released ''Imperfect Remixes'' and the music video for ''Goodbye'', a remix of ''Gate 21'' from ''Imperfect Harmonies''.

System of a Down Reunion (2011)

On November 29, 2010, following several weeks of internet rumors, System of a Down officially announced that they will play shows In Europe during Festivals and in North America, mostly in US. Dates are between May and July 2011. Among the announced tour dates included UK's Download Festival, Switzerland's Greenfield Festival, Germany's Rock am Ring/Rock im Park, Sweden's Metaltown, Austria's Nova Rock Festival and Finland's Provinssirock. In their reunion statement posted on their website, the band was unclear as to the extent of their reformation. It read, "We have no master plan of sorts -- we are playing these shows simply because we want to play together again as a band and for you, our amazing fans." Dates have been announced in the official System of a Down website.

Animal rights

In recent years Tankian has taken a stance supporting animal rights. He also has become a vegetarian who has strong feelings against the establishment of industrial slaughterhouses. In an interview with PETA, he also claimed his change due to "touring and its variety of edible crap," and also he felt it was "instinctive somewhat." Furthermore, he also feels the need for respect towards 'mother earth'.

In July 2009, Serj signed a PETA petition against the slaughtering methods of chickens in KFC slaughterhouses.

The F.C.C.

The F.C.C. (Flying Cunts of Chaos) was Serj's backing band when he played live up until 2009.

;Final line-up

Mario Pagliarulo  — bass, vocals

Erwin Khachikian  — keyboards, piano, synthesizers, vocals

Troy Zeigler  — drums, vocals

Dan Monti  — guitar, vocals

Jeff Mallow  — guitar, vocals (2008–present)

;Past members

Larry "Ler" LaLonde  — guitar, vocals (2007–2008)

Discography

;Solo

''Elect the Dead'' (2007)

''Imperfect Harmonies'' (2010)

''Imperfect Remixes'' (2011)

;With System of a Down

''System of a Down'' (1998)

''Toxicity'' (2001)

''Steal This Album!'' (2002)

''Mezmerize'' (2005)

''Hypnotize'' (2005)

;With Serart

''Serart'' (2003)

;With Buckethead and various artists

''Enter The Chicken'' (2005)

;With Tony Iommi

''Iommi'' (2000)

;With Wyclef Jean

''Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant'' (2007)

Bibliography

''Cool Gardens'' (2001)

''Glaring Through Oblivion'' (2011)

Awards and nominations

System of a Down has been nominated for four Grammy Awards, of which has won one in 2006 for Best Hard Rock Performance for the song ''B.Y.O.B.''. The band has also been nominated for several Kerrang! and MTV awards.

;Grammy Awards |- | || "Chop Suey!" || Best Metal Performance || |- | || "Aerials" || Best Hard Rock Performance || |- | || "B.Y.O.B." || Best Hard Rock Performance || |- | || "Lonely Day" || Best Hard Rock Performance ||

General

In 2005, System of a Down won for Best Alternative Act in the Europe Music Awards

In 2006, System of a Down won the "MTV Good Woodie Award" for their song "Question!"

In 2006, System of a Down's song "Toxicity" was #14 on the VH1 Top 40 Metal Songs list

References

External links

Serj Tankian's official Flash-based website

Serjical Strike official website

System of a Down's official website

Category:1967 births Category:People from Beirut Category:Lebanese Armenians Category:American activists Category:American anti–Iraq War activists Category:American heavy metal singers Category:American essayists Category:American experimental musicians Category:American male singers Category:American multi-instrumentalists Category:American poets Category:American rock pianists Category:American songwriters Category:American vegetarians Category:American musicians of Armenian descent Category:American people of Armenian descent Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Armenian rock musicians Category:Living people Category:Melodica players Category:System of a Down members

ar:سيرج تانكيان an:Serj Tankian bs:Serj Tankian bg:Серж Танкян ca:Serj Tankian cs:Serj Tankian da:Serj Tankian de:Serj Tankian et:Serj Tankian es:Serj Tankian fa:سرج تانکیان fr:Serj Tankian gl:Serj Tankian ko:세르이 탄키안 hy:Սերժ Թանգյան hr:Serj Tankian is:Serj Tankian it:Serj Tankian he:סרג' טנקיאן lt:Serj Tankian hu:Serj Tankian mk:Серж Танкијан nl:Serj Tankian ja:サージ・タンキアン no:Serj Tankian uz:Serj Tankian pl:Serj Tankian pt:Serj Tankian ro:Serj Tankian ru:Танкян, Серж simple:Serj Tankian sk:Serj Tankian fi:Serj Tankian sv:Serj Tankian tr:Serj Tankian uk:Серж Танкян zh:塞尔日·坦基扬

Coordinates	39°30′″N3°00′″N
Name	Tassawar Khanum
Birth date	January 01, 1950
Birth place	Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Ethnicity	Muslim
Known for	Urdu/Punjabi Singer
Occupation	Singer
Genre	Ghazal
Nationality	Pakistani
website	Official site
Background	solo_singer }}

Tassawar Khanum (born 1950) is a Pakistani Ghazal singer. She is most known for singing in Urdu and Punjabi in Pakistani films and television during the 1970s and 1980s. Her most popular songs are perhaps Tu Meri Zindagi Hai and Agar Tum Mil Jao.

Early life

Tassawar Khanum was born in Karachi, Pakistan. During her childhood she was a neighbor of singer Pervaiz Mehdi who was a good friend of her father. She and her father would often go Pervaiz Mehdi's house him whilse he was practicing. It was Pervaiz Mehdi who asked her father to ensure that Tassawar received an education in music after he overheard her copying him while he practiced. After this she began to take music lessons with sarangi nawaz Ustadd Butta Ali Khan.

Career

Tassawar Khanum first appeared on PTV. She was popular in 1970s and 80s when she sang film songs.

Filmography

! Film	! Date of Release	! Language	! Country of Release
Anmol	10 August 1973	Urdu	Pakistan
Melay Sajna Dey
Baharo Phool Barsao	11 August 1972	Urdu	Pakistan
Banarsi Thug	15 May 1962	Hindi	India
Bin Badal Barsat	1963	Hindi	India

Personal life

Tassawar Khanum was married to Rais Ghulam Ali Khan Muree in 1973 until his death in 1992. She has a son and two daughters and several grandchildren.

References

External links

Official website

Category:Pakistani female singers Category:Pakistani ghazal singers Category:People from Karachi Category:1950 births Category:Living people

Coordinates	39°30′″N3°00′″N
region	Islamic Philosophy
era	Modern era
color	#B0C4DE
name	Muzaffar Warsi
school tradition	Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h
main interests	Poetry
death date	January 28, 2011
death place	Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
url	}}

Muzaffar Warsi () (born 20 December 1933 in Meerath, India died 28 January 2011) was a prominent Urdu poet, critic, essayist, a ''lyricist par excellence'', and scholar of Pakistan. He was one whose work never fails to surprise. A humble man with humble beginnings who is unafraid of experimenting. He began more than five decades ago comprises a rich repertoire of not just Naats, but also authoring several anthologies of Ghazals, Nazms & hycoes including his autobiography Gaye dinon ka suraagh which is considered to be a classic. He was writing quatrains every day for Pakistan's Renowned daily newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt.

Early life

Muzaffar Warsi was born as Muhammad Muzaffar ud Din siddiqui into the family of Alhaaj Muhammad Sharf ud Din Ahmad known as Sufi Warsi (). It was a family of landlords of Meerath. Sufi Warsi was a scholar of Islam, a doctor and poet. He received two titles: Faseeh ul Hind & Sharaf u shu'ara. He was the friend of Sir Muhammad Iqbal {(Allama Iqbal (علامہ اقبال‎)}, Akbar Warsi, Hasrat Mohani, Josh Malih Abadi, Ahsan Danish, Abul Kalaam Azad and Mahindar Singh Bedi. The family raised him with deep religious grounding. He has one brother namely Dr. M. S. Zafar Warsi who was also associated with State Bank as Assistant Director. Muzaffar Warsi's Nephew Usman Warsi is a Singer, Music Composer and a Poet. Usman's videos are available online as well. Muzaffar Warsi remained attached to State Bank of Pakistan (the Central Bank of Pakistan) as Deputy Treasurer. Muzaffar Warsi started his poetry by writing lyrics for songs for Pakistani movies but gradually changed direction and his style of poetry became more oriented towards praising Allah and the Islamic prophet Muhammad or in other words he started writing Hamd and Naats. He also wrote, regularly, a stanza or two on current affairs in the Newspaper Nawa-e-Waqt until recently.He died on 28-01-2011 in Lahore Pakistan.

Literary work

''Barf ki Nao''

''Baab-e-Haram''

''Lehja''

''Noor-e-Azal''

''Alhamd''

''Hisaar''

''Lahoo ki Haryali''

''Sitaron ki Aabjoo''

''Kaaba-e-Ishq''

''Khule dareechey band hawa''

''Dil sey dar-e-Nabi tak''

''Zulm na sehna''

''Kamand''

Awards

''Pride of Performance'' (19..)

Famous Verses

Kya bhala mujh ko parakhney ka natija nikla

Zakhm-e-dil aapki nazron se bhi gehra nikla

Ghazal sung by Lata Mangeshkar & Jagjit Singh

Chitra Singh frequently used the Ghazals of Muzaffar Warsi

Film: 'Hamrahi' was a milestone in Renowned Pakistani Masood Rana's singing career. All songs of 'Hamrahi' are relegated as the 'Best of Masood Rana'.

Moreover, thousands of movie-goers watched 'Hamrahi' just because of the all-time great songs of Masood.

'Hamrahi's seven songs are listed here below:

'Kiya kahoon aye duniya walo, kiya hoon mein' (film: 'Hamrahi': 1966, lyrics: Muzaffar Warsi, music: Tasadduq)

'Karam ki ik nazar hum per...ya Rasool Allah'

'Ho gaye zindigi mujhay pyari'.

'Naqsha teri judaye ka ab tak nazar mein hai'.

'Mujhay chore kar akela, kaheen dooor janay walay'.

'Qadam, qadam pay naye dukh'.

'yaad karta hai zamana unhi insano ko'

'Pukara hai madad ko, bay kaso nay, haath khali hai...bacha lo doob nay say ye...ya Rasool Allah' will never be forgotten by 130 million Pakistanis.

Selected bibliography

Articles on Muzaffar Warsi

Gaye dinon ka suraagh- Aapbeeti k tawana lehjey (Urdu), Qudratullah Shehzad, 2005.

http://www.dawn.com/2002/09/02/nat6.htm By Huma Khawar-DAWN

times of oman

External links

Muzaffar Warsi's Official Blog

Awaz i Tasveer

Recordings of Muzaffar Warsi - www.nafseislam.com

Urdu Poetry Mushaira - Naat

hamrahi songs

Category:Pakistani poets Category:Urdu poets Category:Urdu-language writers Category:Muhajir people Category:1933 births Category:2011 deaths

ur:مظفر وارثی