Dara Utmankhel

Dara Utmankhel

Dara Utmankhel (Pashto: دره اتمان خیل), also known as Shaikhan, is a valley in Lower Dir District, Pakistan. It is composed of nine villages: Maniband ما نی بند, Jabaghi جبګۍ, Zara Doghy زړه ډوګۍ, Kot Koshah کوټ کو شاه, Mandal Korona کورونه ماندل , Kot کوټ, Ghwandy غونډئ, Fazal Abad and Shah Kuronu شاه کو رونه. It lies in Timergara tehsil, east of the road from Timergara to Dir. The inhabitants of this area belong to the Mandal, clan of Utmankhel. The Utmankhel is one of karlanri pashtun or Afghan tribes, who appeared in concert with other tribes like Yousafzai and Tarkalani. They settled initially in the area of Malakand, Bajuar and Mohmand Agency. These people were mostly connected with trade because the lands were not suited for agriculture.^[1]

History[]

View of graveyard with name of Toar Baba

Tor Baba[]

Religion had strong influence in the social spheres of these Afghan tribes which resulted in many religious families. Such families had capacity to have an effect not only on religious matters but on temporal affairs as well (e.g., Akhund family in Swat and Dir). In Utmankhel tribe, pious superstition also helped to build up religious families like Shaikhan. The Shaikhan are the descendants of Tor Baba or Abdur Rahim Khan (source, local elders). The Abdur Rahim Khan was born in Bajawar and belonged to Mandal, a clan of Utmankhel tribe. He migrated from Bajawar in the late seventeenth century and settled in Timergara. He was known as Tor Baba for his piousness. Abdur Rahim Khan and Akhund Ilyas (d.1676 A.D) were disciples of Shaikh Adam Binori (ref. Mulana Habib Ahmad of Morany, Dir)^[2] and according to Muhammad Amin Badakhshi most followers and Khalifas of Adam Binori were Afghan people that made suspect Binori in the eyes of the Mughal officials and nobility. His shrine lies in the graveyard named after him. The people of Jandol, Dir Khas, Maidan, Adenzai, Swat, Bajaur and Malakand Agency used to visit the shrine but local clerics issued decrees declaring it as ‘Bid’at’ or forbidden in Islam. There are two other tombs in Moranay (Dir Lower) and Shagokas (Dir Lower) with names of Tor Baba, and their descendants in the area assumed the same clan, Mandal (who was the elder son of Baba Utman). According to Qazi Abdul Haleem Asar Afghani, the original name of Tor Baba in Moranay village was Muhammad Anwar Baig.^[3] It is possible that these three were brothers or belong to the same clan because Tor Baba and Akhund were used as religious titles at that time. For example, the father of Akhund Ilyas was also known as Tor Baba but nobody knows about his real name.^[4]

Descendants[]

Genealogy of people from Dara Utmankhel

Tor Baba had two sons; Mullah Baba and Islam Jan Baba whose descendants live in the closely situated nine villages.They are also known as Shaikhan which are not representing their ethnicity but it is related with Abdur Rahim Khan who got this title after following Shaikh Adam Binori^[5].Sheikh that literally means "elder". It is commonly used to designate the frontman of a tribe who got this title after his father, or an Islamic scholar who got this title after graduating from the basic Islamic school. Akhund khel and shaikhan are various tribal communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan that were simply "spiritual fraternity" of unrelated disciples of pious personalities e.g., Akhund khel are pashtun tribes but there are also akhund khel that are known as Sadat. Another group that identifies as Sheikh Mohammadi but there exist no kinship connection.

In the 19th century (1895), grandson of Sher Khan, Zaer Mohammed, the friend and supporter of Umara Khan and Muhammad Shah Khan who had protected Shamorgar Qela at Upper Dir, defeated invaders of Sharif Khan but later on he was arrested by Muhammad Sharif Khan. The Jirga system still exists and most disputes are resolved by local elders.

Notable People[]

1. Zaer Mohammad (Ally of Umara Khan, 1895)

People and Economy[]

The total population is about approximately 2900 according to 1998 census (approximation). The area has poor agriculture system so their main economy is based on Middle East. The education ratio is high in males. There are only five primary schools and lacking middle and high schools.

References[]