The district and town of Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is named after a 16th century Mughal fort

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 Koka built at the time when he was appointed to subjugate the Yousafzai Afghans, and called Naushahr (New city). About 50,000 rupees were spent upon it. They say that Humayun used to hunt rhinoceros (3) in this region."[  "The Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri", translated into English by Henry Beveridge, p-102].

Notes

1- "Koka" means foster brother in Turki language. Zain Khan was the son of Akbar's wet-nurse and thus received the title Koka.

2.River Kama is river Kabul. Jahangir writes : "The Kama is a river that flows by the qasba of Jalalabad". 

3. Rhinoceros are now extinct in Nowshera. Also read this relevant blog-post

Portrait of Zain Khan Koka, late 16the century painting. Source

Rashid Khan Ansari (Allahdad Khan)

Rashid Khan Ansari (Allahdad Khan), a grandson of Bayazid Ansari (Pir Roshan), was one of the important noble of Jehangir and Shah Jahan. When Jalala, the Bayazid Ansari's son, died in 1601 A.D, he was succeeded by his nephew Ahdad Khan, superseding the right to succession by his son Allahdad Khan. While Ahdad continued his resistance, Allahdad was won over by Jehangir. How Allahdad Khan changed side, is not clear, however in January 1615 A.D Jehangir records honoring him with a jeweled dagger for his becoming loyal. Jehangir kept on rewarding Allahdad Khan, but Allahdad was still suspicious of Jehangir's real intentions: one of the reasons might have been the fact that his son Jalal was still kept as hostage at the imperial court. Allahdad Khan rebelled, but shortly afterwards he surrendered at the instance of Khan-i-Dauran , he was given the title of Khan and promoted to the rank of 2,000 Zat and 1,000 Sawar. Hereafter Allahdad continued to serve Jehangir and Shah Jahan with loyalty and devotion. He was given the title of Rashid Khan in September 1617 by which he is known generally. 

 

After ascending the throne, Shah Jahan conferred on him the rank of 3,000 Zat and 1,500 Sawar, and shortly afterwards he was deputed to pursue rebellious Jujhar Singh under the supreme command of Mahabat Khan. Being hotly pursued by the imperial army, and seeing no way out, Jujhar Singh submitted before Emperor and his offenses were pardoned. He was reinstated but some portions of his Jagir was confiscated and distributed among Mahabat Khan, Rashid Khan Ansari and others. Consequently, at the occasion of Nauroz celebration, his rank was raised to 3,000 Zat and 2,000 Sawar. In 1631, he was sent to the Deccan with Azam Khan, the viceroy of Deccan. One day while Azam Khan was pitching his camp on the bank of Manjira River, he was surprised by Randola Khan. In this engagement a number of Mughal commanders including Shahbaz Khan Ruhela were killed, and Bahdur Khan and Yusuf Khan were made prisoner. However, Rashid Khan, who was severely wounded, succeeded in escaping from the battlefield. 

In 1634, he was chosen to accompany Prince Shuja to besiege the fort of Parenda , though Parenda campaign was unsuccessful, but Rashid Khan Ansari gave ample proof of his military skill and received an increase of 1,000 Sawar, so that his mansab became 3,000 Zat and 3,000 Sawar. After Parenda campaign, he continued to serve in the Deccan in various capacity. Later on, in appreciation of his services in the Deccan, he was elevated to the rank of 4,000 Zat and 3,000 Sawar. The author of Zakhiratul-Khwanin writes that Rashid Khan rose into prominence for his sincerity and achievements in the frontier region. In Deccan, the prince didnt take any decision without consulting him. Rashid Khan set a good example of fine administration and rendered valuable service in suppressing the Marathas. He enjoyed the confidence of the emperor and had a large following of Pashtuns. Mahabat Khan became apprehensive of some of his activities and represented to Shah Jahan that Rashid Khan had a strong Afghan following and was so endowed with intellect and courage that he might become presumptuous. He advised the emperor to recall him from Deccan. He also suggested that Khan-i-Zaman should not be posted to the frontier region or Deccan as he was on friendly terms with Rashid Khan. Farid further adds that due to friendship of Khan-i-Zaman and Rashid Khan, Asaf Khan and Abdullah Khan were hostile to both of them. They apprehended that if the two joined together and rebelled, it would lead to a serious situation for the empire. Inspite of this mechanization, Rashid Khan continued to serve as a leading and loyal noble. He laid the foundation of Mau Rashidabad in modern Farrukhabad district and brought the refractory elements under his control. He died as subedar of Balaghat (Deccan) in 1648. His followers brought his body to Mau Rashidabad, where he is buried.

Rashid Khan's troops who took up their residence in Mau, were 900 Toyah horsemen, 600 Muhammadzai, 600 Orakzai, 400 Dilazak, 400 Ghilzai, 400 Khalil, 400 Khattak, 300 Mataniya, 200 Lohani, 200 Afridi, 100 Bangash, in all, including other tribes, about 15,000 fighting men. 

References: (1) "Afghans and Shaikhzadas in the nobility of Shah Jahan" by Reyaz Ahmad Khan, (2) 'Notes on Afghanistan' by H.G.Raverty (3) 'History of the Pathans' by Haroon Rashid

Tomb of Rashid Khan Ansari at Mau Rashidabad, Kaimganj, Farrukhabad (U.P).

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.