One of the major attractions of Chitral are the Kalash valleys - the home of the Kafir-Kalash or 'Infidel Wearers of the Black Robe', a primitive pagan tribe. Kalash means black in their language. A similar tribe on the other side of the border in Afghanistan used to wear red robes and hence became known as the Red Kafirs. These are a non Muslim and culturally distinct tribe whose ancestry is shrouded in mystery. A legend has it that some soldiers of the legions of Alexander of Macedonia settled down in Chitral and the preset Kafir-Kalash are their off-springs.
Almost all of the 3,000 strong Kalashis live in about 20 villages in the three valleys of Birir, Bambureet and Rambur in the south. Bambureet, the largest and the most picturesque valley of the Kafir-Kalash, is 40 km (25 miles) from Chitral and is connected by a road suitable for jeeps and other 4x4 wheelers. Birir, 34 km (21 miles) away, is accessible by a similar road. Rambur is 32 km (20 miles) from Chitral. Until recently, the road could be used up to Ayun and the remaining 16 km (10 miles) had to be traveled on by foot.
The Kalash women are of particular interest as they are not in Pardah unlike their Muslim neighbors, but wear black gowns of coarse cloth in summer and hand-spun wool dyed in black in winter. Their picturesque headgear is made of woolen black material studded with cowry shells, buttons and crowned with a large colored feather. Around their necks, they wear large necklaces with countless strings of red beads. The Kafir women are known throughout the area for their toughness. This is because they do almost all of the chores; both in the house and outside in the fields as well. Their men are considered a lazy lot; and they can be spotted either idling around with other men or taking care of the kids in the homes or doing other minor chores.
They make offerings to several gods, each of which protects a different aspect of life and livelihood; animals, crops, fruits, family, and so on. They build their houses of timber and fill the cracks between the logs with mud and pebbles. They have holes in their roofs which is meant to let smoke escape through the wooden ceiling. In summer, the women sit on a wide verandah on the second story to cook, spin, and weave or on the other hand work in the fields doing the man’s job. In winters, they usually stay inside and cook.
The wooden temples of the Kalash are often elaborately carved, especially around the doors, pillars and ceilings. Some of the holy places are closed to women; both Kalash and foreign. If a woman accidentally goes to these places, they are fined a goat or an equivalent amount of money. The dead of the Kalashis are left in wooden coffins in Kalash graveyards. The lids of these coffins are left open so that various elements of nature can affect the bodies. They usually leave all of the belongings of that person next to their coffins. At nightfall, animals and other beasts of pray come down the mountains and eats up what remains of that dead person whereas the belongings are carried away by other inhabitants in the area. The Kafirs end up believing that the deceased has gone along with his belongings. Going to a Kalashi graveyard is a smelly business and the faint hearted should not go as they should expect to see unsuitable scenes. Due to the smell emanating from these graveyards, other non-Kafir inhabitants of the area have complained and as a result, these graveyards have been moved more out into the wilderness. For safety, the Kalashis rely on their Muslim neighbors for giving them protection from outsiders.
Pictured above is one of the dozens of rooms which act as a segregation room. The Kalashis believe that women in later stages of pregnancy are impure therefore they avoid getting into contact with them. For this purpose, these special rooms are built where such women live upto for upto four months. All food and other necessities are provided to them during their stay.
The Kalashis do believe that their hearts are closed and with the will of Allah SWT, their hearts will be opened at a right time and they will be blessed with the light of Islam. However, there are many Christian missionaries posing as tourists who are actively working trying to convert them to Christianity and thus create dissent in the area. The Government of Pakistan has officially forbidden anybody from trying to convert these tribes to another religion. The obvious reason behind this decision is that after these tribes are converted, the government will lose important revenue generated from tourists flocking the area.
The Kalash are gay people and love music and dancing particularly on occasions of their religious festivals like Joshi Chilamjusht (14th & 15th May in spring), Phool (20th-25th September) and Chowas (18th to 21st December). Foreign tourists require special permits to visit the Kalash valleys. Permits are issued free of cost by the Deputy Commissioner, Chitral.
Almost all of the 3,000 strong Kalashis live in about 20 villages in the three valleys of Birir, Bambureet and Rambur in the south. Bambureet, the largest and the most picturesque valley of the Kafir-Kalash, is 40 km (25 miles) from Chitral and is connected by a road suitable for jeeps and other 4x4 wheelers. Birir, 34 km (21 miles) away, is accessible by a similar road. Rambur is 32 km (20 miles) from Chitral. Until recently, the road could be used up to Ayun and the remaining 16 km (10 miles) had to be traveled on by foot.
The Kalash women are of particular interest as they are not in Pardah unlike their Muslim neighbors, but wear black gowns of coarse cloth in summer and hand-spun wool dyed in black in winter. Their picturesque headgear is made of woolen black material studded with cowry shells, buttons and crowned with a large colored feather. Around their necks, they wear large necklaces with countless strings of red beads. The Kafir women are known throughout the area for their toughness. This is because they do almost all of the chores; both in the house and outside in the fields as well. Their men are considered a lazy lot; and they can be spotted either idling around with other men or taking care of the kids in the homes or doing other minor chores.
They make offerings to several gods, each of which protects a different aspect of life and livelihood; animals, crops, fruits, family, and so on. They build their houses of timber and fill the cracks between the logs with mud and pebbles. They have holes in their roofs which is meant to let smoke escape through the wooden ceiling. In summer, the women sit on a wide verandah on the second story to cook, spin, and weave or on the other hand work in the fields doing the man’s job. In winters, they usually stay inside and cook.
The wooden temples of the Kalash are often elaborately carved, especially around the doors, pillars and ceilings. Some of the holy places are closed to women; both Kalash and foreign. If a woman accidentally goes to these places, they are fined a goat or an equivalent amount of money. The dead of the Kalashis are left in wooden coffins in Kalash graveyards. The lids of these coffins are left open so that various elements of nature can affect the bodies. They usually leave all of the belongings of that person next to their coffins. At nightfall, animals and other beasts of pray come down the mountains and eats up what remains of that dead person whereas the belongings are carried away by other inhabitants in the area. The Kafirs end up believing that the deceased has gone along with his belongings. Going to a Kalashi graveyard is a smelly business and the faint hearted should not go as they should expect to see unsuitable scenes. Due to the smell emanating from these graveyards, other non-Kafir inhabitants of the area have complained and as a result, these graveyards have been moved more out into the wilderness. For safety, the Kalashis rely on their Muslim neighbors for giving them protection from outsiders.
Pictured above is one of the dozens of rooms which act as a segregation room. The Kalashis believe that women in later stages of pregnancy are impure therefore they avoid getting into contact with them. For this purpose, these special rooms are built where such women live upto for upto four months. All food and other necessities are provided to them during their stay.
The Kalashis do believe that their hearts are closed and with the will of Allah SWT, their hearts will be opened at a right time and they will be blessed with the light of Islam. However, there are many Christian missionaries posing as tourists who are actively working trying to convert them to Christianity and thus create dissent in the area. The Government of Pakistan has officially forbidden anybody from trying to convert these tribes to another religion. The obvious reason behind this decision is that after these tribes are converted, the government will lose important revenue generated from tourists flocking the area.
The Kalash are gay people and love music and dancing particularly on occasions of their religious festivals like Joshi Chilamjusht (14th & 15th May in spring), Phool (20th-25th September) and Chowas (18th to 21st December). Foreign tourists require special permits to visit the Kalash valleys. Permits are issued free of cost by the Deputy Commissioner, Chitral.
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