What does a Swati Tajik know about the history of his people?
Author: Arif Hasan Akhundzada, analyst
In the photo: Tomb of my ancestor -- Mirsaid Kamil Shah (Akhund Zafar Baba) located at Panjpao village in Shabqadar.
Were a knowledgeable Swati to be asked by someone about some basic facts regarding the Kingdom of Swat (Sawad-Gabr) existing from 1190 to 1520 – then these are the answers he would most likely give in reply:
THE FORTS AND CASTLES OF THE SWATIS:
1 - Manglawar, located in central Swat Valley.
2 - Gabar Kot Fortress in Bajaur.
3 - Hissar-e-Begham Fort in Jalala village of Mardan District.
4 - Hissar-e-Bahlol Fort, in Seri Bahlol, Mardan.
5 - The Lahore Fort, at Darra-e-Nihag, in Dir.
6 - The Hissar-e-Hashtnagar Fort, near Umerzai, Charsadda District. (About this fort it is said that it was visible from Peshawar City on a clear day till the time of British rule).
7 - There are several other prominent buildings existing all over Kashmir, from the time of the Shahmiri rule.
[SOURCES: Books by Seyyid Ali Hamadani, Rehmat Khan Barech, Major Raverty]
SWATI COINAGE AND CURRENCY: The Swatis used an assorted coinage of gold, silver, and copper coins derived from the Ghurids, Delhi Sultanate, and Shahmiri Sultanate of Kashmir. [SOURCES: As above; also Rafiqui]
THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE STATE IN PAKHLI-SAWAD-GABR was Farsi [as seen in letters and correspondence between Swati Sultans, officials, and Seyyid Ali Hamadani]. The Swati royal clan spoke an ancient form of pre-Islamic Dari called GABRI.
SOME IMPORTANT PERSONALITIES, OFFICIALS, AND ELDERS IN THE TIME OF THE LAST SWATI KING – SULTAN OWAIS (1520) [from traditional sources]: Mir Hinda Dod-Al, Mir Farrukhzad, Mir Raees, Mir Hashmali, Mir Ajun, Mir Jamal, Sher Shah, Malik Haider Ali Gabri, etc., etc.
THE MOST IMPORTANT AND EMINENT SCHOLAR AND RELIGIOUS PERSONALITY ASSOCIATED WITH SAWAD-GABR was Hazrat Amir-e-Kabir, Mir Seyyid Ali Hamadani now buried in Khatlan, Tajikistan. He was not a Swati by race.
PROMINENT RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND SCHOLARSASSOCIATED WITH SWATIS AND OF SWATI ORIGINS – AFTER THE FALL OF SAWAD-GABR IN 1520 [traditional sources]:
1 - Akhund Panju Baba (flourished in the 16th Century).
2 - Akhund Salak Durrani (flourished in the 17th Century; he was not a Swati).
3 - Swatyano Baba Harori.
4 - Mia Usman Bin Hazrat Akhund Darweza (flourished in the 17th Century; he was of Turk descent).
5 - Gul Wafa Swati.
6 - Akhund Abdul Ghani.
7 - Syed Jalal Baba Termizi (flourished in the 17th Century; he was not a Swati).
8 - Haji Muhammad Qasim Shalmani – and his disciple, my ancestor Hazrat Akhund Zafar Papini of Shabqadar (both flourished in the 18th Century).
9 - Shimmar Ali Baba.
10 - Mir Abdullah Swati (flourished in the 19th Century).
11 - Mir Loch.
12 - Mir Ali Sher.
ENGRAVINGS AND RELICS RELATED TO SAWAD-GABR: According to Afghan historian Allama Abdul Hai Habibi – engravings and inscriptions related to Swati founder king, Sultan Pakhal have been found at Darra-e-Pech in Kunar, Afghanistan.
Some irresponsible people have claimed that in 1520 a huge Swati library was burned on the orders of the Timurid invader Zaheeruddin Babar, but we cannot say anything for sure on account of the lack of reliable and acceptable sources in this regard.
TOMBS AND GRAVES OF SWATI SULTANS – FROM THE EARLY PERIOD: These can be found in assorted locations such as in District Malakand. The grave reliably believed to be that of the second Swati founder king Sultan Bahram (death c. 1200) – exists at Batikot in Ningarhar, Afghanistan.
THE PRESENT TRUE STATUS OF SWATI CLANS
The various tribes of the Swati community, now concentrated in Mansehra, Pakistan -- are very particular with regard to their ethnic consistency and for this purpose maintain their family trees meticulously even if they have lost the use of their original languages and most of their original Tajik identity.
Very few, if any at all -- have since returned to their original locations in Swat and elsewhere across the River Indus in the last 500 years since disaster befell us an our people were ejected from their original and rightful habitats. There are some who remained behind and chose to forfeit their identity.
My own Akhundzada Papini family of Shabqadar is a very rare and a very well known exception to this rule...the pedigree of my clan is backed up in land ownership and revenue documents, in addition to genetic testing conducted over the past twenty years. The story of our return to our present location is also well known and attested to and has been fully restored.
Since we began our monumental work of restoring the Swati name six years ago -- there are many elsewhere, particularly in Swat and Dir, claiming to be Swatis (outside of Mansehra). But these are mischief-makers and falsifiers of various social and ethnic categories, who wish to abuse and capitalize upon what they think is the abandoned and ambiguous pedigree Swati label which was very little known or mentioned till now.
Having said this, it is our effort as true historians and researchers as well as inheritors of the Swati label -- to trace and identify and rehabilitate the few genuine claimants of this prestigious legacy who live outside of Mansehra and guide them correctly.