here the villages will be found lower down towards the centre of the valley. These villages lying lower down have from the windings of the river, and the different branches into which it separates as already stated, streams of water running through them, very often, indeed, more than there is any need of. The villages at the foot of the different hills also, have, generally, small streams flowing close by towards the main river. From Allah-ddandd to Chhár-bágh on the wuchah side of the valley; and from Chak-darah to Bánddí on the lánwdah, which places face each other, the villages are small and very close together; whilst lower down the valley towards the south-west, and higher up towards the north-east, the villages are larger, and at a greater distance apart, often from two to three miles. In the more elevated parts of the valley, where rice is not cultivated, the land lying between the villages and the rise of the mountains, is set apart for wheat and barley, and is dependent entirely on rain for irrigation. The Afghán tribes, like all Muhammadans, have a great respect for the last resting-places of their own dead, at least; but the Suwátís seem to feel little compunction or respect on this head. I have already mentioned that the strip of land lying between the villages and the rise of the mountains, is set apart for the cultivation of wheat and barley, and that, in that land also, their burying grounds are situated. After a few years they allow these fields to lie fallow for some time and plough up all the burying grounds, and, in future, bury the dead in the fallow land! This may be consequent on the small quantity of land available for purposes of agriculture; but still, it appears a very horrible custom. On such occasions as I have referred to, they get as many ploughs together as the village contains; and preparatory to the commencement of operations, it is customary to cry out to the dead: "Look to yourselves! tuck up your legs: the plough is coming!" after which they set to work and plough up the whole. They, however, appear to have some respect for have been of any who persons repute among them, and do not disturb their graves; neither do they disturb the graves of those who may have been slain whilst fighting against the Káfirs or infidels; for such are held in the light of martyrs. may There appears to me to be no particular reason why the graveyards should be disturbed, in this manner, save on account of the paucity of land for such a large population, and the avarice of the Suwátí Afgháns; for they have more grain than they can consume, since they export large quantities. Another reason may be their stupidity; and a third, that they are of so many different clans, and do not respect the dead of others as much as their own. When the lands are re-distributed, and a clan removes to another place, the new-comers do not consider the dead as theirs, and hence show no compunction about disturbing them. With my own eyes I saw ploughs which were just passing over a grave. I asked those who were guiding them: "Why do you thus disturb the dead in this manner." I received this reply: "That they may go to Makka the blessed." What can be expected after this? The patches of land about the lower ranges of hills, or spurs from the higher ranges, if fit, they also bring under cultivation; and where they cannot bring their bullocks to work the plough, the work is done by hand. In fact, there is scarcely a square yard of tillable land neglected in the whole of Suwát; for all the valley is capable of cultivation, there are no stony places, no sandy tracts, or the like to prevent it. When the Yusufzí tribe had effected the conquest of the samah, or plain of the Yúsufzís, as it is now termed, lying along the northern bank of the Kábul river, from its junction with the united rivers of Panjkorah and Suwát, until it empties itself into the Indus near Attak,-from the Dilázák tribe, about the year H. 816, (A. D. 1413), they remained quiet for some time. At length Shaykh Malí who was, by all accounts, the chief of the tribe, and another of their great men, Malik Ahmad, having consulted together, determined to effect the conquest of Suwát, then held by a dynasty of kings, who claiming descent from Alexander of Macedon himself, had for many centuries past, ruled over the regions lying between the Kábul river and the mountains of Hindú Kush, as far east as the Indus; together with the whole northern or alpine Panjáb, as far east as the river Jhélum, the Hydaspes of the ancients. The Yúsufzís, accordingly, taking with them their wives and families, invaded Suwát by the Malakand Pass, the scene of a terrible defeat sustained by the troops of the Emperor Akbar, under his favorite, Rájá Bir-bal, at the hands of the Yúsufzís in after years,* and soon overran the whole of that pleasant valley, which they finally subdued, together with the surrounding districts of Buner, Bájawrr, and Panjkorah. Shaykh Malí made a regular survey of Suwát and Buner; and portioned out the whole of the lands amongst the sons of Yúsuf and Mandarr, according to the number of persons in each family; but leaving a portion for distribution amongst three clans who had accompanied them in their exodus from Kábul, a few years before, consisting of Kábulís, Lamghánís, and Nangrahárís, but who were not Afgháns. The portion allotted to Afgháns was termed daftar; and that given to Mullás, Saiyids, and the foreign confederate clans just referred to, was called tsíra'í, by which names these lands are still known. Shaykh Malí first divided Suwát into two nominal parts. To that portion, lying between the right bank, and the mountains towards the north and west, he gave the name of lánwdah,‡ in Pushto signifying moist, from enjoying a greater portion of water than the other; for where the river separates into several branches is part of this moist tract, hence the name; and to the land lying between the left bank and the mountains on the south and east, he gave the name of wuchah or dry. The bounds of the lánwdah half of the valley was fixed, by the Shaykh, from Brrangolaey, the boundary village of Lower Suwát, nearly facing Tútakán, on the opposite bank of the river, to Landdaey, the last village to the north, just opposite Pí'á, and extending in length about sixty miles. The wuchah portion extended from the village of Tútakán in Lower Suwát, to Pí'á, the boundary village of Upper Suwát, a distance of sixty-three miles. The width of both these divisions was from the respective banks of the river to the mountains on either side. Suwát fell to the portion of the Akozís, a sept of the Yusufzís,§ who *The account of this is contained in the AKBAR NAMAH. The names of the common ancestors of the Yúsufzí tribe. § The following is taken from a Persian work written about two hundred and fifty years since, entitled KHULÁSAT-UL-ANSÁB. Sarbaní, son of Eabd-ur-Rashíd, Batán or Patán, had two sons, Sharkhabún and Karshabún. Karshiabún had three sons, Gond, Jamand, and Kásí. Gond had two sons, Ghurah and Shaikah; Shaikah had four sons, Tarkalání, Gaghyání, Æumar, and Yúsuf; Eumar had an only son Mandarr by name, who married the daughter of his uncle Yusuf, and took his name of Yusuf also. Yusuf son of Mandarr had five sons; 1st Eliyas, from whom sprung the Eliyászís, who are subdivided into the following khels or clans: Panjpáe, Sálárzí, Mánúzi, Guidizí, and Ayesharzí. 2nd Mátí, from whom sprung the Mátízís The wuchah was given are again subdivided into two smaller ones. to the Bá'í-zí division, and the lúnwdah to the Khwádo-zí division. These two divisions again branch out into several clans or khels. Thus from Tútakán to Tárrnah, are the Rarrnízis, who also hold a few villages under the low hills south of the mountain range of which mount Malakand forms a portion, such as Tsaná-kott, or, as sometimes called, Sháh-kott, and Dar-gaey. Their chief town is Allah-ddandd, the residence of Sher-dil Khán, before alluded to. From the town of Tárrnah to the village of Mán-yar, to the north, are the Solízis, who also hold the three large villages of Pala'í, Sherkhána'í, and Zor-mandda'í, mentioned at the commencement of this article, to the south of the Suwát mountains, at the entrance of the Morey Pass, together with the Báz-darah valley, containing the villages of Báz-darah-i-Bálá or higher, and Báz-darah-i-pá'ín, or lower, and the hamlet of Morah. Their chief town is Tárrnah, and Mír Ealam Khán is chief of the Solí-zís. From Mán-yár, in a northerly direction, to Chhár-bágh, are the Bábú-zís; from thence in the same direction are the Maturrí-zís, who hold some lands among the hills, and a few small villages; and thence to Khonah are the whole of the Khází-khel; and from Khonah to Pí'á, the most northerly village of Upper Suwát, are the Jánakís, or Jának-khel. Crossing into the lánwdah, we find the Khwadozis located as follows. From Brrangolaey to Rámorrah are the Khadak-zís and Alázís, who dwell together; from Rámorrah to Ouch are the Adín-zís; from Ouch to Súe-galí are the Shamú-zís; from Súe-gali to Núngalí are the Nikbí-khel; from thence to Landdaey are the Sebjunís containing three khels; Chagharzí, Nurzí, and Dowlatzí. 3rd Isá, whence sprung the Isázís, who are subdivided into several khels. They live in Buner, and are called Buner-wáls. 4th Bádí, whose descendants are few, and do not constitute a peculiar khel. 5th AKO, whose descendants are the AKO-Zís. AKO had two wives: 1st Rárrní from whom sprung the Rárrnízís. 2nd Gouhárah who bore four sons; 1st Khadak, whence the Khadakzís, but they are a small community; 2nd Abá from whom sprung the Abá-zís; 3rd BÁZID (?), whence the BA'I-zís, who being a numerous tribe, contain five other khels, Ama-khel, Hájí-khel (Khází-khel?) Músa-khel, Bábú-zís and Maturrí-zis, but they generally go by the name of Bá'í zís; 4th KHWADO, whence the KHWADO-Zís, who being a numerous sept, comprise seven khels, Adínzí, Malí-zí, Shámí-zí, Naikbí-khel, Thaibat, and Chúní-í (?). The two latter are sometimes called Thaibat-Chúnís; but these seven khels go by the name of KHWADO-Zís. All these Ako-zís reside in Suwát and Panjkorah, between the Samah and Káshķár. who hold a few small villages; and the remainder to the south are Shamízis. The number of families or houses of the Akozí sept of the Yúsufzí tribe are thus computed, without generally enumerating the fakirs,* and others not Afgháns, of whom there are considerable numbers. Bá'í-zí DIVISION. Grand Total...... 88,000 families, which at the usual computation of five persons to a family, would give to the Suwát valley the large number of 440,000 inhabitants, not including Hindús, Paránchahs, Suwátís, and others. This I think is not over the mark; for it must also be remembered that the valley is more densely populated than any district I have ever seen, in proportion to its size, either in India or the Panjab. Indeed some of the districts to the north of Peshawar are populated to an extent the English have little conception of. The number of families was chiefly furnished by Mír Æalam Khán of Tárrnah. The KHÁN SÁнIв asked him questions, to which the Mír replied. There was this slight difference, however, in the mode of computing; for example: The chief said the Rárrní-zís were *The word fakírs here means tradespeople, such as smiths, shoe-makers, carpenters, barbers, washermen, dyers, mullás or priests, Sayids or descendants of the Prophet, and shop-keepers whether Hindú or Musalmán, goldsmiths, weavers, Gujars or graziers, servants employed in household duties, and a very few husbandmen; for the Afgháns like the Spartans of old, monopolize the two occupations of arms and agriculture to themselves. |