Rais Khan

Rais Khan
استاد رئیس خان
Khan performing in 2013
Background information
Born(1939-11-25)25 November 1939
Indore, Indore State, British India
Died6 May 2017(2017-05-06) (aged 77)
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
GenresHindustani classical music
OccupationInstrumentalist
InstrumentSitar
Years active1948 – 2017
Pride of Performance Recipient by the President of Pakistan in 2005
Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) Award by the Government of Pakistan in 2017
Date2005
CountryPakistan
Presented byPervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan

Ustad Rais Khan (Urdu: رئیس خان; 25 November 1939  6 May 2017) was a Pakistani sitarist. At his peak he was regarded as one of the greatest sitar players of all time. He continued performing till his last days. He moved from India to Pakistan in 1986, where he took up Pakistani citizenship.

In 2017, Khan was awarded Pakistan's third highest civilian honour, the Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Crescent of Excellence) Award by the Government of Pakistan.