Miangul Abdul Wadud, the Wali of Swat state (photos)

Miangul Abdul Wadud (left), Miangul Jahanzeb (center), Miangul Aurangzeb (right), December 1947. Photo by Margaret Bourke-White. Miangul Abdul Wadood was founder of the Princely state of Swat. Although he was popularly referred to as "Bacha" (king) by Swatis, he was not allowed by the British to have such title officially and he had to content with the title of Wali. Miangul Jahanzaib was his son and the last ruler of Swat state. Miangul Aurangzeb was Miangul Jahanzaib's son.

The daily exercise of Miangul Abdul Wadud, the founder of the princely state of Swat (now part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan), was to climb a thousand-foot peak in afternoon.

Margaret Bourke-White who took this photo in December 1947, writes : "I was photographing this potentate one afternoon, in his air-conditioned palace, when the time came for his exercise. Since his daily stint is to climb a thousand foot-peak, I hoped to photograph him in the first few feet of the peak. To my dismay I found the lower part of the mountain in shadow ; the sun was swiftly sinking behind the jagged peaks.

Far ahead of me the Wali leaped up the crags like a mountain goat, followed closely by his guards. ("Halfway to freedom" by Margaret Bourke-White)

December 1947: Miangul Abdul Wadud, Wali of Swat, gesturing as he talks in his office. Photo by Margaret Bourke-White.

The Wali of Swat on the terrace of his residence at Saidu, 1926. Photo by Aurel Stein.

Source

Miangul Abdul Wadud, the founder of the Swat state. From: ''The Story of Swat as Told by the Founder Miangul Abdul Wadud Badshah Sahib to Muhammad Asif Khan'' (1963).