Falls Church had been open for seven weeks when we hosted our first special concert there. On Thursday, January 2, 2025, from 7:00 to 10:00 PM, the dining room at 400 S Maple Avenue filled for a one-time live performance by Muhtar Abdukerim Janbaz, a celebrated Uyghur musician and composer and a disciple of the legendary singer Abdurehim Heyt.
We announced the evening at the end of December: "His soulful melodies and captivating performances will transport you to the heart of the Uyghur Homeland." Guests were invited to enjoy a full Dolan dinner — hand-pulled noodles, kebabs, samsa, Big Plate Chicken — while the music played, and reservations were recommended by phone at (833) MY-DOLAN. They were needed.
Music is not a decoration at Dolan; it is part of the culture we exist to share. The Dolan tribe for whom we are named were famous above all for their music and dance, and the muqam — the suites of song, poetry and dance performed across the Uyghur homeland for centuries — hangs on our walls in Ghazi Ehmet's painting and plays in our dining rooms every day. An evening like this one brings it to life.
Falls Church is where that happens most often. Our largest restaurant — 154 seats with a bar and a 42-seat patio — hosts live Uyghur, Central Asian or Turkish musicians every Friday and Saturday from 6 to 9 pm, and special one-night performances like this one through the year. Follow us on Instagram (@dolan_dc) and Facebook for the next announcement, and reserve early: music nights are our fullest.
This article is our own account of the coverage; short quotations are attributed to Dolan Uyghur Restaurant (LinkedIn), which holds the copyright to the original piece.