The Qizilbash population of
Istalif
A
large village in the Koh Daman, 20 miles north-northwest of Kabul. If is built
on the side of the hills in the form of a pyramid, the houses rising one above
the other by terraces, and the whole being crowned by the magnificent chinars
which denote the shrine of Hazrat Eshan, whilst far below in a deep glen rushes
a foaming yet clear and rapid brook over a bed of rocky boulders, on both sides
of which the valley is covered with the richest orchards, and vineyards. Every
one agrees as to the beauty of Istalif. Masson says, “Istalif is one of the
most picturesque spots that can be conceived; all that a natural combination of
beauties can achieve we here behold in perfection; their effect being rather
augmented than diminished by the rude appearance of the houses of the town. The
scenery of the country is extensive and grand, in happy unison with the whole
picture. Looking down the stream, the dale gradually opens out and presents to
the eye a vast plain, rich in trees and verdure, and dotted over with
innumerable forts; beyond all this, rocky mountains are seen, and over these
again tower the eternal snow-clad summit of the Hindu Kush. The scene is as
sublimely grand as it is beautiful and enchanting. The people of the country
have a proverb that he who has not seen Istalif has seen nothing, and certainly
it may be allowed that he who has seen Istalif is not likely to see many places
to surpass it and few to equal it.” Nearly every householder of Istalif has his
garden or orchard. In most of these is a tower, to which, as soon as the fruits
ripen, the families repair, closing their houses in the town. The inhabitants
are Tajiks and, contrary to the usual habits of these people are among the most
turbulent set in the country. They have the reputation also of being the best
foot-soldiers in Afghanistan, and are a healthy, handsome race, alike fond of
sport and war. The natives of Kohistan gravely set down their turbulent and
desperate characters to their heating diet of mulberries, which is their
general food. Besides the town of Istalif, the district comprises the adjacent
villages of Gudara, Pargana, Shonaki, Khwaja Hasan, Malla Hasan, Hasan Kucha,
and Shorawar. The whole is reckoned to contain together 3,000 houses, which
would give a population of from 15,000 to 18,000 souls to the district. The
revenue from it is said to amount to Rs. 4,000. A great part of the population
of the town is of the weaver class, and quantities of coarse cloths, “lungis”
and “susi” are manufactured, and a trade in them is maintained with Turkistan.
Istalif
was carried by assault by the troops under the command of Major-General Sir
John McCaskill on the 29th September 1842, and totally destroyed on
account of its having harboured several chiefs implicated in the murder of Sir
A. Burnes at Kabul, and in the massacre of the garrison of Charikar. The loss of
the British on this occasion was very slight, only a few killed and wounded.
The
inhabitants are Tajiks, Hassan Khel Ghilzais, Kizilbashis, and about 50
families of Sikh shop keepers. There are also a few families of Rikas. (Masson,
Wood, Burnes, McCaskill, I.B.C.)
Ludwig W. Adamec — Historical and political gazetteer
of Afghanistan. Volume [06] (1985)
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