History of the Pashtun people
Gor Khuttree is an important monument in the old city of Peshawar. It can be either appraoched from Chowk Yadgar or from Hastnagari Gate. In ancient times it was a Buddhist establishment which later assumed a Hindu character. The earliest account of the site is given by Babur. Both Akbar and Jahangir regard it as … Read more
In 1610s, the Mughal governor of Siwi fort (i.e. Sibi fort in modern Baluchistan, Pakistan) killed more than one thousand Pashtuns by boiling them alive in large cauldrons to create awe and terror in the hearts of the unruly population. The name of that Mughal officer was Quje Ali and and he was a Turkoman … Read more
The district and town of Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is named after a 16th century Mughal fort built by Mughal general Zain Khan Koka (1) for the purpose of subduing Yousafzais. Mughal emperor Jahangir in his diary writes : “On the other side of the river Kama (2) there is a fort which Zain Khan … Read more
Mir Chakar Rind is referred to as “King of Baluchistan” and epithet of “the great” is attached to his name in some of the modern writings. However, a careful study of history shows that Chakar Rind was no king, and legends and fictions are being masqueraded as history. Even going by the Baloch legends and folklore, Chakar … Read more
The Nimla garden (Khogiani district, Nangarhar) was ordered to be constructed by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan on the eighteenth of Sha’ban 1056 Hijri (September 1646) between the time of his coming from Delhi to Kabul, and his return to Delhi [1]. It is said to be the work of the famous architect Ali Mardan Khan, … Read more
Nowshera was founded by Zain Khan Koka. Emperor Jahangir in his “Tuzuk” while crossing Indus in 1016-H (1607-8 AD) writes that Zain Khan Koka built a fort on the southern side of Kamah (River Kabul) and named it as Noh-shahrah ‘. “On the other side of the river Kama (river Kabul) there is a fort … Read more
Majority of the Tanolis (or Tanaolis) insist on being of Pashtun origin but their rulers have accounted themselves to be of Barlas Mughal origin. Tanoli or Tanawali is actually an adjective denoting their abode Tanawal. They are divided into two divisions, Pul-Al and Hando-Al, the former occupies Lower Tunawal, and the latter occupy Upper Tunawal … Read more
This large and imposing painting, of circa 1790-1810, depicts the Afghan nobleman of Mughal empire, Safdar Khan Babi. The painting is inscribed to the top in black nasta‘liq against scrolling white clouds, the letters intermingled with diagonal flights of birds. . The inscription may be partially read as follows: J(?)…. khan ji al-mukhatab be-safdar khan bahadur babi ‘alamgir … Read more
By Barmazid In 1672 AD, a small incident triggered a huge war in Pakhtunkhwa. In that year some Mughal troops stationed in Kunar insulted a Parachi woman who was there to sell and buy. Some Pashtun men belonging to Safi tribe witnessed that and killed those troops for insulting that woman. Hussain Beg Khan, the … Read more
The real name of Pir Roshan was Bayazid Ansari. He was born in Pashtun-ruled Jalandhar (East Punjab, India) in 1524-25 AD. His family was living in both Kaniguram (in modern South Waziristan) and Jalandhar. He has been variously described as an Ormur and Ansari. His father Abdullah was a learned man and was a Qazi … Read more