Steve Kerr, click
here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.
Blogs by Steve Kerr
A walk in Kafirstan /Kalash 6/10/2016 11:10:20 AM
The truck took us from Chitral in the Northern Territories of
Pakistan to the remote lush green Kalash valleys ,once
known as the Kafirstan due to its population of non -Muslims
It was the setting for Kipling. The Man Who Would Be King
later made into an epic film starring Sean Connery and
Michael Kane .The land and people in the film bear no reality
to the actual valleys or its indigenous population.
The remoteness of the Kalash people and their country
meant that it was cut off from the rest of the world for
half of the year.Mass tourism which has slowly infiltrated
this strange land has made its inhabitants less insular and
the whole place less mysterious to the traveller.
Legend has it that the Kalash people are the descendents of
Greek soldiers who came to the valley with Alexander the
Greats conquering army.Kalash culture is indeed very
different from other peoples in Pakistan or its neighbours.
Women wear black dresses and head -dresses with colourful
yokes and borders similar to Greek costumes.They are in
appearance very Hellenic .THey brew a wine akin to Retsina
and worship deities with more than a few characteristics of
the Gods of Ancient Greece.
Despite much attention given to all this in the Greek media
DNA tests have not shown Hellenic strains.
The Kalash hibernate in winter when the valley is covered
in heavy snow and mountain passes impossible to traverse.
In summer they stock up on mulberries , nuts and wine and
retreat to their homes in winter ,snug and warm and live of them .
THe Kalash often live to a ripe old age most probably due
to their diet and the clear ,healthy air.
They bear unusual names such as London ,Kommandor and a
host of other names not found in Muslim Pakistan .In recent
years quite a few have converted ,out of convenience,to
Islam and their traditional life ,if slowly ,is very
much being erroded .Tourism has played a big part in this
and it has in part developed into a begging culture .Many
of the hip Western travellers go there for the cheap and
easily available Hashish .
The deep green foliage of thease interesting valleys where
people cross rivers by clinging onto hooks strung on ropes
from bank to bank .
It is a Shangrila type place ,although the story of
Shangrilas is meant to be based on the Hunza valley in
another remote area of Pakistan .
Yes,Lost Horizon ,one of my favourite films.
