Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's grave is in the Jhang Road graveyard in Faisalabad, the city where he was born in 1948 and grew up, then called Lyallpur. He died in London on 16 August 1997, his body was flown home, and he was buried here after a public funeral. His family has since built a mausoleum over the grave, and every 16 August admirers, musicians and relatives gather there for his death anniversary.
This guide covers where the grave is, the family's Faisalabad story, what happens on the anniversary, and how to fit a visit into a day in the city.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Location | Jhang Road graveyard, Faisalabad |
| Born | 13 October 1948, Lyallpur (now Faisalabad) |
| Died | 16 August 1997, Cromwell Hospital, London |
| Death anniversary | 16 August each year |
| The tomb | A mausoleum built and paid for by his family, begun around 2021 |
| Type of site | A city graveyard, not a ticketed monument |
| Also in Faisalabad | The Arts Council auditorium named after him |
Where is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan buried?
He is buried in the large graveyard on Jhang Road, on the western side of Faisalabad. Wikipedia records his resting place as the "Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Memorial, Jhang Road Graveyard, Faisalabad", and news reports on his anniversaries describe people visiting his grave in the city's main graveyard.
It is a working Muslim graveyard, used by ordinary Faisalabad families, not a heritage site with signboards and opening hours. We could not find a published map reference or visiting hours, so ask your driver for the Jhang Road graveyard, go in daylight and ask at the entrance for Ustad Nusrat's tomb.
Who was he, and why does Faisalabad claim him?
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born in Lyallpur on 13 October 1948 into a family of qawwals. His family belonged to Jalandhar and settled in Lyallpur, and he grew up in the centre of the city. The family traces its music to the Qawwal Bachchon ka Gharana, the Delhi tradition that looks back to Amir Khusrau, and qawwali had been passed down in the family for generations.
His father, Fateh Ali Khan, was a respected qawwal and musicologist who at first did not want his son to follow him, hoping he would become a doctor or engineer. After Fateh Ali Khan died in 1964, Nusrat gave his first public performance as a teenager at his father's chehlum, and in 1965 he became lead singer of the family party. When his uncle Mubarak Ali Khan died in 1971, the group became Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan & Party.
From Faisalabad he went on to sing at the WOMAD festival in London in 1985, sign with Peter Gabriel's Real World label in 1989, and record more than 125 qawwali albums, which put him in the Guinness World Records. He received the Pride of Performance from the Government of Pakistan. In August 1997 he travelled to London for treatment for liver and kidney problems and died of a cardiac arrest at the Cromwell Hospital on 16 August, aged 48. His body was brought back to Faisalabad, and his funeral was a public affair.
The mausoleum over the grave
For years the grave was a simple one. In May 2021 his nephew, the singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, told the press that the family was building a mausoleum over it themselves, with specialist craftsmen brought in from Chiniot, the town known for its woodwork. He said that rather than paying for the tomb, the government should support a music academy and the house where Nusrat was born. Around the same time, Rahat told Geo News that a building combining a music academy and museum would be built in Faisalabad.
The mausoleum now stands over the grave, and the press refers to it as his mazar. We could not confirm whether the academy and museum have opened, so do not plan a trip around them; ask locally or check the family's announcements first.
What happens on his death anniversary?
His death anniversary falls on 16 August. Radio Pakistan and the national papers mark it every year, and in Faisalabad it is the day the grave is busiest. Relatives, local musicians and admirers come to recite Fateha, lay flowers and, often, sing.
In August 2026, Minute Mirror reported that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and his son Shahzaman sang a kalam at the mazar on the anniversary, surrounded by a large crowd. Clips of the gathering were widely shared, and drew mixed reactions online. If you go on the day, expect crowds, phones held high and little quiet.
Faisalabad's Arts Council, whose auditorium is named after him, has also held events around the anniversary. In August 2022, for the 25th anniversary, it hosted an exhibition of paintings of the Ustad, which Rahat visited with the council's director. The same building hosts the city's literary festival, covered in our Faisalabad Literary Festival guide.
Is there qawwali in Faisalabad?
We could not find a regular public qawwali programme in Faisalabad that a visitor can plan around. The anniversary on 16 August is the one date you can count on for music at the grave.
If hearing qawwali live is the main reason for your trip, Lahore is the surer bet: our guide to qawwali in Lahore covers the Thursday evenings at the city's shrines, and where to hear Pakistani music live covers concerts and festivals. Visiting the grave in Faisalabad on the way is a good way to tie the two together. Our experiences page has more ideas for trips built around culture.
How to visit respectfully
The grave is in a public graveyard where local families are burying and visiting their own dead, so the usual graveyard manners apply.
- Dress modestly. Women should carry a dupatta to cover the head; men in shorts will feel out of place.
- Keep your voice down and walk on the paths, not across other graves.
- Ask before filming people, especially families at nearby graves.
- Go in daylight. There is no lighting to speak of after dark, and the gatekeepers may have gone.
- Fateha and flowers are welcome; there is no fee to visit.
Our guide to shrine visiting etiquette in Pakistan covers the customs in more detail.
Is it worth the trip?
If you love Nusrat's music and are passing through Faisalabad, yes. It is a short stop, costs nothing, and standing at the grave of a man whose voice reached half the world, in the ordinary graveyard of his home town, is moving in a quiet way.
It is not a sight in the way the Clock Tower or a Mughal tomb is. There is no museum on site that we could confirm, no guide and little to read. Pair it with the rest of the city: our guide to places to visit in Faisalabad covers the Clock Tower bazaars and the Lyallpur Museum, which together make a full day.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's grave?
In the Jhang Road graveyard in Faisalabad, Punjab, the city where he was born and grew up. His family has built a mausoleum over it.
When did Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan die?
On 16 August 1997, at the Cromwell Hospital in London, aged 48. His body was flown back to Faisalabad for burial.
Is there an entry fee to visit his grave?
No. It is in a public graveyard, not a ticketed monument. Visit in daylight and dress as you would for any graveyard.
When is his death anniversary?
16 August. It is the busiest day at the grave, with relatives, musicians and admirers gathering there.
Was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan born in Faisalabad?
Yes. He was born in Lyallpur, as Faisalabad was then called, on 13 October 1948. His family originally came from Jalandhar.
Is Rahat Fateh Ali Khan related to him?
Yes. Rahat is his nephew, trained in the same family tradition, and has spoken for the family about the mausoleum.
