Kalash is a group of three small valleys: Brir, Bumburet and Rambur that lies in Pakistan’s northwest frontier in the arms of Hindu Kush at an Elevation of 1670-2309 meters …A land of intense culture and impeccable beauty.
My eyes wandered with a desiring hunger capturing the beauty of this enthralling valley. Lush green meadows, sparkling foaming water, large alpine forests, beautiful willow trees by the riverbank, the smell of the walnut trees and the view of shawal pass cladded with snow, gleaming in the sunlight. Where nature has bestowed this valley with the beauty of paradise, the enchanting culture of the inhabitants of this valley known as kafirs from where comes the second name of the valley kafiristatan or Kalash kafir meaning “weavers of black cloth”. These people consume a total of 3,000 inhabitants the smallest minority of Pakistan and attract a large number of tourism every year for their diverse culture and fairy tales. According to one controversy they are known as the children of fairies for their unique beauty that steals the heart of anyone who sets their eye upon them and to another legend says that soldiers from the legions of the Macedonian conqueror, Alexander, settled in Chitral and are the ancestors of the Kalash.
The climate of these valleys is alpine suiting the living conditions of the people there and their summers are exquisite bringing fresh blooming flowers, the sun and the melted snow running in the water streams. These people live on hillsides near the river banks and their houses are constructed in a beautiful pattern out of rough-hewn logs and are double storey. Their women are considered to be the most beautiful in the world a mixture of eastern and western beauty cladded in traditional jewellery from headpieces to small anklets made with colourful beads and dressed in black ropes.Local people say the Kalash woman can make a man lose his religion and it is said that when a Kalash woman drinks water, you can see it streaming down her throat. Yet they are considered impure in their own community; they are also called “whiter than the white”. Their religion has no name, no prophets and follows no books. Their women choose to marry who they want to within their own tribe which is usually the one who pays the most for her or the one with the largest herd and if a women choses to change her husband after marriage she must write a marriage proposal to the man she wishes to marry with a price double of what her current husband had paid for her. Their specialities in food are again delightful— tasili bread (thin pancake-like wheat bread) dipped in animal oil ,goat’s cheese was a rarity, buttermilk and yoghurt. Chai and walnut bread are one of the most sustaining for the tourists. Walnuts, apples, mulberries, grapes and apricots are the main fruits with a flavor that is unique in taste from any other.
The most important thing are the diverse and lively religious festivals, Chilimjusht (spring), Phool (September) and Chowas (from 21st December for a week) which follow dancing and singing in groups and individuals, by people of all ages, on the beat of drums and flutes, playing notes that belong to that region only, capturing you in that moment only, building unforgettable memories. These people are friendly and outgoing and anyone who joins their dance is welcomed with love. The preserving of their culture and the land is becoming nearly impossible with the large number of tourism and the disappearing of their forests, due to smuggling and the timber mafia, the future of their land hangs in balance.
