By early February all of the musicians had been contacted by Yusef Mahmud and formally invited by the AMC through letters of invitation to participate in this unique project. As the project was a private one they didn’t need authorisation from the government, just a work permit and a letter of invitation from London. The tour was scheduled to commence on 16 April 2003 at London’s South Bank Centre and included performances at the Bath International Music Festival on 17 and 18 April. A recording project was also scheduled for available days during their stay. The process involved in gaining entry for artists from outside the UK requires a nominal two to three month advance. Invitation letters are issued to each artist in their respective countries in order that they can secure passports, which are then submitted with numerous supporting documentation proving or endorsing their pre-eminence in their respective fields in order to secure travel visas. These documents and a return air ticket were sent by courier to Peshawar in Pakistan, although there are now courier companies in Afghanistan.