History Of The Name Dir. Princely State Dir

 

History of the Name ‘DIR.

ByFazlul Haq Fazlur-Rahman 

 

There are a number of opinions and contradictions regarding the name ‘DIR’ among the elders and those who have written about it. Dir has remained the center of various religious orthodoxies and spiritualism and several civilizations have developed and passed through this region. As a result the valley has been known by different names as well as its present name ‘Dir’ has been used in different meanings time to time.  

 According to the elders Dir has been known in ancient times by various names such as Goraiy, Yaghistan, Biloristan and Masaga. The name Dir was first used in the time of Buddhist Civilization in Panjkora valley (Shahid, 2005). In Arabic Language the word ‘Dir’ means ‘Monastery’ and it was used to describe Buddhist Monasteries constructed on both the banks of River Panjkora.  Another ancient name of Dir was Kafiristan which means the land of Kafir (Non-Muslims). This name was given to it after the dynasty of Kafirs living in the Kohistan region of Dir valley. These Kafirs ruled over the area from 10th to 15th century AD. After 15th century AD, the Pashtuns of Yosafazai Tribe conquered the area and named it as Dir. It is said that Dir was derived from the Persian word ‘dair’ which meant ‘far off’ and ‘hard to reach’. This name was used for the area because of its remoteness.  

 

Ancient History 

 

Stone Age to Achaemenian Civilization 

 The history of Dir valley is very old and can be traced back to the Stone Age, Dravidians and Arian civilizations. A town in the present day Upper Dir district known as Darora is believed had been named after Dravidians Civilization (Shahid, 2005). After the arrival of Arians, the whole Gandhara Region including Dir, Swat and Taxila etc. remained under the influence of Persian Empire in 522 BC (Spain, 1963). The remains of the Fire Temples along the banks of River Panjkora in the lower parts of the valley are the evidences of Achaemenian Civilization in the area (Spain, 1963; Dani, 1986). Dir and Swat valleys have always remained either under direct control of big empires or partially under their influence due to the availability of natural resources.  

 

Greeks, Buddhist and Hindu Dynasties 

 In 327 BC, this area was conquered by Greeks under the command of Alexander the Great who entered into Dir Valley from Jalalabad, Afghanistan through Bajaur Agency. During that time Dir and Swat valleys were part of the Masaga State, stretching from Lawari (the boundary between Dir and Chitral) up to Attock covering the present day Bunir district, Malakand and Bajaur Agencies and the surrounding mountainous areas. Dir remained under Greeks’ influence for the next two centuries (Spain, 1963; Ahmad, 1976; Nichols, 2008).  

 

The Arrival of Muslims 

 After the decline of Greeks Empire, it came under the rule of different dynasties such as Buddhists, Huns, and Hindus etc. till 998 AD when the area was conquered by Muslims. Although Islam reached to the subcontinent in 712 when Muhammad Bin Qasim came here through Karachi – the then Debal – however, Muslim Civilization in Dir started in 998 AD after the arrival of Mahmood Ghaznavi who defeated the Hindus and established Muslim rule in the area. According to Shahid, (2005) Dir Valley has also remained under the rule of the great Mongol emperor ‘Timur’ when he stayed here in 1369 AD. According to him, Timur during his expeditions, stayed in a town Timergara on the bank of River Panjkora which was named Timurgarh after his name in that time. Later on Timurgarh changed into Timergara, which is presently the largest town and urban center of Dir Valley. The ancient history of Dir reveals that this area has remained under the influence of more than fifteen different civilizations from 1500 BC to 1500 AD. The arrival of Pashtun Civilization in 1519 AD, when Yosafzai Tribe occupied the area, was the beginning of a new era in the history of Dir. This civilization is going to complete its 5th century and is still persisting. 

 

The Arrival of Pashtuns from Afghanistan (1519 AD to the Present) 

 

 Yousafzai was one of the four major clans of Khashi Tribe living in Afghanistan. After getting prosperity in Kabul, the Yousafzai openly defied the then ruler Sultan Ulugh Bag, who was the grandson of Turk King Taimur and the uncle of Babur. Ulugh Bag tried to suppress the tribe but he failed, and therefore, he staged a massacre and killed all the leaders of Yousafzai. A very few members of the tribe survived in this massacre with two renowned persons i.e. Malik Shah Mansur and his nephew Malik Ahmad. Later on, the young Malik Ahmad played the key role in the rehabilitation and reunion of the Yousafzai Tribe. Those who survived migrated from Afghanistan and entered into Pakistan through Khyber Pass. Slowly and gradually, the people of Yousafzai occupied the areas from Peshawar up to Swat, Dir and Buner after a number of battles with the local tribes and the then Sultan of Swat2.  

 Malak Ahmad, Shekh Mali and Shah Mansor were among the major commanders and leaders of Yousafzai Tribe. Malak Ahmad was a great warrior and played the key role in several battles fought with other tribes particularly the Dalazak Tribe. In 1523 AD he commanded the Yousafzai troops in the last battle against Dalazak Tribe. After this fight, Yousafzai Tribe lived in peace and prosperity and devoted themselves to agriculture activities and economic development. Shekh Mali was a great leader, scholar and expert of the Muslim Law and Jurisprudence. Besides his considerable contributions in the battle field, he was a great policy maker and always led his tribe in every sphere of social affairs. He was respected by his followers and his decisions were accepted by everyone. His greatest contribution was the introduction of land ownership system and the formulation of rules and regulations for the appropriation of land and resources among various clans of Yousafzai Tribe and their allies in 1523. This system of land tenure was termed as wesh, which became one of the most important institutions in Pashtun society. The importance of this system is evident from the colonial literature (McMahon and Ramsay, 1897; Government of the Punjab, 1898; General Staff of India, 1901; Barth, 1956; Caroe, 1958; Spain, 1963, 1973) as well as the present day studies (Nichols, 2001; Sultan-i-Rome, 2005, 2007, 2008; Nafees et al., 2009; Rahman et al., 2014; Haq et al., 2012).  

 The main purpose behind the introduction of wesh system was the equitable distribution of land and resources among the inhabitants of Yousafzai Territory, the present day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. This territory includes both the plain areas of Peshawar Vale (sama) and the mountainous terrain (gharaiza) of Dir and Swat etc. The distribution of 

                                                                                                             

resource ownership and revenue system can be found here. The available literature reveals that proper resource ownership and management system was formally introduced by the Yousafzai Tribe after settling over in this area (General Staff of India, 1901; McMahon and Ramsay, 1981).  

2  This was the time of Mughul King Zaher-ud-Din Babur’s expeditions whose troops were fighting with the tribes of Bajaur. Keeping in mind the bravery of Yousafzai people, Babur established diplomatic relations with them and married a Yousafzai daughter in order to keep them in order and get their support in the time of need (cf. Spain, 1963, 1973, 1995; Ahmad, 1976; Nichols, 2001). 

natural resources is determined by wide altitudinal and topographical variations among the plains and the mountains. The plain areas were more fertile and productive with irrigation arrangements as compared to the rain fed and relatively less fertile lands of mountains. The uneven distribution of natural resources accompanied by accessibility factor among the plains and mountains were not favoring the permanent distribution of sama and gharaiza among the tribes and the co-owners.  

 Therefore, Shekh Mali introduced temporal circulatory appropriation of areas and resources for different time intervals under the wesh system. The plain and mountainous areas and the fertile and infertile lands were allotted to the co-owners through a drawing lot system (khasanry) for a period of five or six years. After the expiry of that time period, the process of allotment was revised and the rights of owners were circulated. The inhabitants of mountainous areas were shifted to the plain and those of the fertile land to the infertile one and vice versa. The rules and regulations for the functioning of wesh system were formulated in the form of law, which was termed as daftar.  This law not only covered the land ownership system, but also defined several other acts and rules for the integration and successful functioning of Pashtun society. According to this law, the murderer’s house should be burnt, he should be exiled from the village and his share in the land should be handed over to the victimized family. The term daftar was also used for the territory and resources belonging to a particular tribe or owner and presently it is used in this context only. This system of periodical distribution and re-distribution and the law of daftar were very successful and remained in vogue for centuries. Later on certain weaknesses and changes in the socio-economic and political setup resulted into the abandonment of this system from the plain as well as most parts of the mountainous areas. Nevertheless, the system is still practiced on local level in several small valleys of Dir, Swat and Kohistan etc. with some modifications and transformations.  

 

Feudalism in Dir: The Arrival of Khans and Nawabs 

 

Khanism in Dir  

 Khanizm started in Dir valley in 1626 AD by a spiritual leader of Maly Zai Tribe named Akhund Ilyas Baba. He was a religious scholar used to preach Islamic education and resolve the tribal disputes and conflicts through Muslims Law and Jurisprudence and also had deep knowledge on local social systems. Slowly and gradually he became popular, effective and respected person in the Maly Zai area. The people began to honor his sayings and soon he established his rule in Dir Village and became the first Khan. His successors managed to extend the territorial limits of their rule giving birth to an autonomous political entity, which later on became the princely state of Dir. After his death in 1676 AD his son Mulla Ismail succeeded to the throne (Gaddi) and remained Khan until 1752. He was also educated in Muslims Law and ruled the state in a good manner following his father footsteps. 

 Khan Ghulam Khan became the successor of Mulla Ismail in 1752 and remained in rule till 1804. Unlike his father and grandfather, Ghulam Khan was more interested in ruling the people and living a royal life style instead following the way of his forefathers. Khan Zafar Khan succeeded Ghulam Khan in 1804 and ruled the state till 1814. He established a formal and paid military force and started to extend his rule to the surrounding areas. His major achievement was the invasion on the Kohistani Kafirs when he defeated them in a battle and conquered the area. The next successor in the Khanizm was Khan Qasim Khan Shahid who ruled Dir state from 1814 to 1822. He was assassinated by his sons in 1822. 

 The golden period, in the three centuries Khanizm, was the rule of Khan Ghazan Khan who ruled the state for 46 years from 1822 to 1868. He reorganized his military force and started to recover the areas which were lost by his predecessors. This was the time of several internal and external threats because of the freedom movement of 1857. However, he overcome the challenges through his wisdom and didn’t lose control of his state. He died in 1870 and his son Khan Rahmatullah Khan took charge of the Gaddi of Dir who was a great warrior and a judicious ruler. Rahmatullah Khan on the one hand was facing the opposition of his brothers who were not ready to accept his rule, while on the other hand he was threatened by his son Khan Sharif Khan. With the help of Umara Khan of Jandol, Khan Sharif Khan attacked his father’s state. However, the commanding skills and wisdom of his father always defeated him.  

 During that time Jandool principality was under the rule of Umara Khan who was known by the British as Napoleon of the East due to his expeditions. Umara Khan after fighting with his brothers succeeded to the throne of Jandool in 1880 and started invading the neighboring localities of Dir state. Umara Khan made several attacks on Dir and until 1884, more than half of the Dir state came under his rule. After the death of Khan Rahmatullah Khan in 1884, his son Sharif Khan succeeded as the new Khan of Dir. The continuous pressure from his brothers enforced Sharif Khan to recover the areas conquered by Umara Khan. Until 1890, these two forces remained in a state of continuous aggression against each other and several battles were fought. This was the sixth attack of Umara Khan on the territory of Dir, when he finally succeeded in occupying the whole state. By the autumn 1890 the whole of Dir state was under the control of Umara Khan and Sharif Khan was exiled to Swat. He appointed his brother Muhammad Shah Khan as the Governor of the state who started collecting revenue from the people of the area and also took the timber trade of Panjkora into his hands.  

The Arrival of Nawabism in Dir  

Read Part Two OF Dir Princely State Here

Taken From

HISTORY OF DIR VALLEY PAKISTAN: 

FROM ARYANS UP TO THE ARRIVAL OF  

AFGHAN PASHTUNS