Handwritten manuscript of Misri Khan Gigyani ’s Diwan, written in 1762

Handwritten manuscript of Misri Khan Gigyani’s Diwan –written by Gul Muhammad Peshaweri on the request of Sahibzada Mian Muhammadi Sahib in 1762 A.D.

”بحسب فرمائش حضرت صاحبزاده مشفق قدردان تکیه گاہِ نیازمندان میاں محمدی جیو طال عمرہ نسخہ متبر کہ دیوان مصری از دست احقر العباد گل محمد پشاوری بتاریخ (۱۱۷۶ھ) بالخیر والظفر باتمام رسید۔“

 

 

 

Courtesy  @tufailA77 on twitter

History of Shabqadar fort and town

Shabqadar is a town about 30 kilometers north of Peshawar, in Charsadda District. Bahlol Gigyani founded Shabqadr. According to the greybeards of the tribe,  Bahlol laid the foundation of the settlement on Shab-i-Barat i.e 14th of Shaaban, hence the name of the town. Initially it was located in Dheri Dari Sarah. Subsequently, the daughter of Ibrahim Khan, a descendant of Bahlol Khan, did not like the site of the village, so it was shifted to the present site. It is said that during the Mughal rule, Bahlol Khan was appointed administrator of the whole of Doaba tappa . [1]

The Gigyanis are the descendants of Gagi, the daughter of Makh s/o of Khashi. Gigyanis followed the Yousafzai into the Peshawar plain in early 16th century. Malik Ahmad, chief of Yousafzais and Mandanrs, assigned Doaba (between river Swat and river Kabul) to them.


Shabqadr fort 

Shabqadar fort was built by the Sikhs in the 30s or 40s of the 19th century. Soon after its construction, a large number of Hindus started living around it. During the Sikh rule, it was called Shankar Garh. In 1849, when the British replaced the Sikhs, they stationed regular troops in the fort. The British re-constructed the fort in 1851. It had been built on a place, of tactical significance as it facilitates the control over the Mohmand area. In 1885, the fort was given to Border Military Police. The British fought many battles against the Mohmands from here. Hadday Mullah Sahib alongwith Mohmands attacked this fort and burnt the town in August 1897.

There are two Katcha houses inside the fort, in one of which, it is said Churchil had lived. Today the Shabqadr fort is garrisoned by Paramilitary force, the Frontier Constabulary. [2]

Shabqadar Fort (Charsadda district), 1868. Illustration for "The Illustrated London News, 7 November 1868".

Mohmand Field Force at Shabkadar fort, 1908.

British encampment at Shabqadar fort, c 1910s.

References:

1- History of Pathans, Volume-II, by Haroon Rashid
2-Some major Pukhtoon tribes along the Pak-Afghan border. by Syed Iftikhar Hussain

Dilazak Tribe

History of the Dilazak Tribe of the Pashtuns

Dilazak, more correctly Dalazak, is a tribe belonging to the Karlanri division of the Pashtuns. They once occupied a vast territory extending from Nangarhar to Hazara and from Bajaur to Peshawar, representing the dominant Pashtun element in what is now northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, before the arrival of the Khashi and Ghoria Khel Pashtun tribes in the region.

The tribe is now much diminished; they are scattered in Peshawar, with their major settlements in Haripur and Chach, where they have forgotten Pashto and now speak Hindko. According to their own tradition, as reported in Hayat-i-Afghani, they occupied the Peshawar Valley in the 11th century, where they found the inhabitants to be red-complexioned Kafirs (possibly Dardic people). The same account also claims that a large contingent of Dilazaks joined Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in his expedition against Somnath, under their chieftain Yahya Khan. H. G. Raverty, however, believed that they most likely moved into the Peshawar Valley in the early 13th century due to the onslaught of the Mongols.

In the 15th century, the Yusufzais sought help from the Dilazaks after being devastated by Mirza Ulug Beg. Generously, the Dilazaks offered the Doaba region, and also suggested Danish Kol, Ambahar, and Ashnaghar (Hashtnagar) if needed. Eventually, Yusufzais and Mandanrs took Doaba and later expanded into Bajaur and Hashtnagar, leading to conflicts with the Dilazaks.

Conflict escalated between the Dilazaks and Yusufzais, Gigyanis, and Mohammedzais. The Dilazaks, excellent archers, were eventually routed at the Battle of Katlang. Khan Kaju intervened to save the Dilazak chief and his family.

In 1519, the Dilazak chiefs allied with Babur against the Yusufzais. The fort at Peshawar, destroyed by the Dilazaks, was later rebuilt by Humayun. By the early 17th century, the Ghoria Khel Afghans displaced the Dilazaks, who were eventually moved near Lahore by orders of Mughal Emperor Jehangir.

By the 18th century, the Jadoons occupied areas previously held by Dilazaks. Dilazak individuals served in Mughal military campaigns across India, demonstrating notable archery and cavalry skills.

Military Careers in India

Purdil Khan Dilazak, nicknamed Chibi-Tani, governed Sarain in the Deccan. Many Dilazaks served in Mughal armies; Mirza Nathan describes them as excellent archers. Khan Jahan Lodi's army had 3,000 Dilazak cavalry in the 1615 campaign against Bijapur. Rashid Khan Ansari employed 500 Dilazaks among 4,500 Karlanri soldiers. Jamal Khan Dilazak served in naval campaigns against the Ahoms under Mir Jumla.

References

• "Afghanistan and its inhabitants" by Muhammad Hayat Khan, translated by Henry B. Priestley, 1874.
• Hugh R. James, Report on the Settlement of the Peshawar District, 1865, p.23–30.
• Olaf Caroe, "The Pathans", p.176–177.
• H.G. Raverty, "Notes on Afghanistan and Baluchistan", p.220, 517.
• Mirza Nathan, Baharistan-i-ghaibi, vol-1, p.550.
• Tuzk-i-Jehangiri, Vol.1, p.299, 308.
• Haroon Rashid, "History of the Pathans", Vol.II, p.432.
• Jagdis Nariyan Sarkar, "Life of Mir Jumla", p.253.

A village in the Khyber Pass, 1920 (c). Photo by R.B. Holmes.

Residents of Chach-Hazara, 1850 (c). Toor Collection.