History of the Pashtun people
It is widely known that Sher Shah Suri built hundreds of serais in India for the comfort of travelers in the 16th century. However, few people are aware that Sher Shah also constructed a serai in Mecca. This information is derived from Zubdat al-Tawarikh by Shaikh Nurul Haq Delhvi, penned during the reign of Mughal … Read more
1- I will start by pointing out that the correct spelling of Sher Shah’s tribal surname is Sur (سور), not Suri (سوري). This error was originally made by early European writers and repeated by others. In all the pre-modern inscriptions and sources, the nisba of Sher Shah is written as Sur. It is also spelled as … Read more
Sher Khan Sur’s capture of Rohtasgarh fort in 1539 A.D. Ascribed to the artists La’l, Dhanu and Khem Karan, leaf from the ‘third’ Akbarnama, Mughal India, circa 1595-1600 A.D. This skillfully designed painting illustrates part of the Sher Khan Afghan’s campaign against the Sultan of Bengal and against Humayun when he attempted to interfere. Sher … Read more
According to the Persian inscription on the site, South or Humayun gate of Purana Qila in Delhi was completed in the year 950 Hijri (1543) during the reign of Sher Shah Sur by the order of Ghazi Khan Lohani (Pashtun). Translation of the partially faded inscription: (1) ” The gate of the peaceful valley was completed … Read more
Shaikh Jamaluddin Kasi was a 16th century Pashtun saint of Chishti order. He enjoyed considerable respect from his own Kasi tribe as well as other Pashtun tribes. In his early life he held a high post in the government under Sher Shah Sur (c.1486-1545). After the downfall of the Pashtuns in India and restoration of … Read more
Mir Chakar Rind is often glorified as the “King of Baluchistan”, and some modern accounts bestow upon him the epithet “the great.” However, a rigorous examination of history reveals a different picture. Far from a king, Chakar Rind appears to have been no more than a tribal chieftain, his stature inflated by legend and fiction. … Read more
Ruins of Malot fort on hill top (Hoshiarpur district, Indian Punjab). Source Malot fort was founded in the reign of Sultan Bahlul Lodi by Tatar Khan Yousaf Khel Lodi. [1]. Ghazi Khan Lodi, son of Daulat Khan Lodi (Sikandar and Ibrahim Lodi’s governor of Punjab) possessed a library of valuable books at Malot … Read more
An old clip of Asad Umar (now Finance Minister of Pakistan) in which he is dismissing Sher Shah Sur’s GT road as trivial, a pastime of kings, that it was a showy spectacle like Taj Mahal. His political opponent Nihal Hashmi of declared Nawaz Shareef as Sher Shah Sur II for building motorway, Asad Umar is … Read more
Sher Shah Sur appear as a pathetic villain in an Indian TV series which is about life of Mughal emperor Akbar. This scene in which Bairam Khan (a general of Humayun and Akbar) embarrasses Sher Shah, is fictional and is not recorded in history. According to Tarikh-i-Shershahi, Sher Shah had to spare the life of … Read more
The institution of Dak-Chowki of Alauddin Khilji was only of a military character and was for quick communication between his field armies and his capital. Sikandar Lodi later revived this system in improved form, developing it into a permanent institution for use in military as well as civil affairs. But Sher Shah Sur’s mail system was … Read more