Malalai Anaa
Encyclopedia
Malalai of Maiwand is a nation
al folk hero
of Afghanistan
who rallied the Pashtun
army against the British
troops at the 1880 Battle of Maiwand
. She was a young Pashtun woman who fought alongside Ayub Khan
and was responsible for the Afghan victory at the Battle of Maiwand on 27 July 1880, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War
. She is also known as "The Afghan Jeanne D'Arc". There are many schools, hospitals, and other institutions named after her in Afghanistan. Her story is mentioned in all Afghan school text books.
in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan. During the late 1880s, for the second time, Afghanistan was occupied by British-Indian
forces attempting to colonise the area and annex it with what was then British India (now Pakistan and India). The main garrison
of the British was located in Kandahar
, which is the closest city to the town of Maiwand. The military of Afghanistan
was represented by commander Ayub Khan
, son of Afghan Emir Sher Ali Khan
. Malalai's father, who was a shepherd
, and her fiancée joined with Ayub Khan's army in the large attack on the British-Indian forces in July 1880. Like many Afghan women, Malalai was there to help tend to the wounded and provide water and spare weapons. According to local sources, this was also supposed to be her wedding day.
was losing morale, despite their superior numbers, Malalai took the Afghan flag and shouted:
This inspired the Afghan fighters to redouble their efforts. When a leading flag-bearer
was killed, Malalai went forward and held up the flag (some versions say she used her veil as a flag), singing a landai:
But then Malalai was herself struck down and killed. However, her words had spurred on her countrymen to victory. After the battle, Malalai was honored for her efforts and buried in her native village of Khig, where her grave remains today. She was between 17-19 at her death.
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
al folk hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
who rallied the Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
army against the British
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
troops at the 1880 Battle of Maiwand
Battle of Maiwand
The Battle of Maiwand in 1880 was one of the principal battles of the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Under the leadership of Malalai Anaa, the legendary woman of Afghanistan, the Afghan followers of Ayub Khan defeated the British Army in one of the rare nineteenth-century victories of an Asian force...
. She was a young Pashtun woman who fought alongside Ayub Khan
Ayub Khan (Afghan commander)
Ghazi Mohammad Ayub Khan was also known as The Victor of Maiwand or The Afghan Prince Charlie and was, for a while, the governor of Herat Province in Afghanistan. He was Emir of Afghanistan from October 12, 1879 to May 31, 1880 and was also the leader of Afghans in the Second Anglo-Afghan War...
and was responsible for the Afghan victory at the Battle of Maiwand on 27 July 1880, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
. She is also known as "The Afghan Jeanne D'Arc". There are many schools, hospitals, and other institutions named after her in Afghanistan. Her story is mentioned in all Afghan school text books.
Early life
Malalai was born in 1861 at a small village called Khig, about 3 miles southwest of MaiwandMaiwand
Maiwand is a village in Afghanistan and the district center of Maiwand District of Kandahar Province. It is located 50 miles northwest of Kandahar....
in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan. During the late 1880s, for the second time, Afghanistan was occupied by British-Indian
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
forces attempting to colonise the area and annex it with what was then British India (now Pakistan and India). The main garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
of the British was located in Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
, which is the closest city to the town of Maiwand. The military of Afghanistan
Military of Afghanistan
The military of Afghanistan is composed of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Army Air Force . Being a landlocked country, Afghanistan has no navy, and the private security forces who are sometimes seen wearing military uniforms are not part of Afghanistan's military...
was represented by commander Ayub Khan
Ayub Khan (Afghan commander)
Ghazi Mohammad Ayub Khan was also known as The Victor of Maiwand or The Afghan Prince Charlie and was, for a while, the governor of Herat Province in Afghanistan. He was Emir of Afghanistan from October 12, 1879 to May 31, 1880 and was also the leader of Afghans in the Second Anglo-Afghan War...
, son of Afghan Emir Sher Ali Khan
Sher Ali Khan
Sher Ali Khan was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879. He was the third son of Dost Mohammed Khan, founder of the Barakzai Dynasty in Afghanistan....
. Malalai's father, who was a shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
, and her fiancée joined with Ayub Khan's army in the large attack on the British-Indian forces in July 1880. Like many Afghan women, Malalai was there to help tend to the wounded and provide water and spare weapons. According to local sources, this was also supposed to be her wedding day.
Legacy and early death
When the Afghan armyMilitary of Afghanistan
The military of Afghanistan is composed of the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Army Air Force . Being a landlocked country, Afghanistan has no navy, and the private security forces who are sometimes seen wearing military uniforms are not part of Afghanistan's military...
was losing morale, despite their superior numbers, Malalai took the Afghan flag and shouted:
This inspired the Afghan fighters to redouble their efforts. When a leading flag-bearer
Standard-bearer
A standard-bearer is a person who bears an emblem called an ensign or standard, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used as a formal, visual symbol of a state, prince, military unit, etc.This can either be an occasional duty, often seen as an honour , or a...
was killed, Malalai went forward and held up the flag (some versions say she used her veil as a flag), singing a landai:
But then Malalai was herself struck down and killed. However, her words had spurred on her countrymen to victory. After the battle, Malalai was honored for her efforts and buried in her native village of Khig, where her grave remains today. She was between 17-19 at her death.