Turi
Encyclopedia
The Turi or Torai inhabit the Kurram Valley
, in Kurram Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas
, Pakistan. They speak Pashto
and practice the Twelver Shia sect of Islam
.
, although the Mughals held nominal control over the region. During the latter years of Mughal rule the area came under the control of the Afghans. During this period the Turi displaced the Bangash
, and the remaining Bangash became borthers of the Turi.
by the British, the Turis, in league with other clans, repeatedly harassed the Miranzai border, attacking the Bangash and Khattak
villages in Kohat. In 1854 they made a treaty, but their raids continued, though punitive measures were not resorted to, as the tribe was held to be under the control of the Amir of Afghanistan.
However their raids increased in audacity, and in 1856 a force under Brigadier-General Neville Bowles Chamberlain
entered the valley. Following this, compensation (the payment of which was guaranteed by the Afghan governor Ghulam Jan) was exacted, the Turis agreeing to pay 8,630 rupees. In 1859 the Turis joined the British expedition against the Kabul Khel Wazirs, but their feud with that tribe subsequently gave much trouble, with reprisals being undertaken by Wazirs in British territory for Turi offenses. In 1816, serious disturbances arose between the Bangash of Lower Kurram and the British village of Thal out of a boundary dispute. In 1877 the Turis were discontented with the oppressive administration of Shahbaz Khan
, governor of Kurram, and when the Amir demanded from them a contribution of 50,000 rupees (a poll tax of 5 rupees on every adult female) and 6,000 recruits for his war against the British, they revolted and fled to the hills.
Attempts to pacify the tribe were unsuccessful for a time, but the Turis at last agreed to send a jirga
to Kabul and pay a benefaction of 25,000 rupees, while Shahbaz Khan was recalled by the Amir.
In November, 1878, a column under General Roberts entered Kurram from Thal
, and occupied Kurram Fort on the 25th of that
month. Following on from subsequent British conquests the Turis now co-operated with the British expedition against the Zaimukhts, whose hostility had been marked by the murder of Lieutenant Kinloch, and Kurram was held without further disturbance until its evacuation in October, 1880. The Turis throughout furnished supplies, their levies were employed in escorting convoys, and they, with the Bangash, petitioned that the British should take over the valley and free them from Afghan rule; but the British elected to evacuate the country and the tribe was declared independent.
Internal feuds broke out in a few months, and throughout 1882-4 the Turis were constantly fighting among themselves, as well as with the Jajis and Zaimukhts. The administration of the valley was finally undertaken by the British Government, at the request of the Turis themselves, in 1892.
Although their early dealings with the British
government were inclined to turbulence, and they were involvedin the Miranzai expeditions of 1851 and 1855, the only expedition specially sent against them was the Kurram
expedition of 1856. After this they settled down and engaged in trade. During the Second Afghan War they supplied Sir Frederick Roberts
with guides and provisions. In 1892 they voluntarily accepted British administration and furnished a large part of the tribal militia in the Kurram Valley.
supporters in the area. As well as a religious aspect, (the Taliban follow a hardline Sunni sect, scornful of Shi'as), the Turi territory is strategically important to cross-border trade and raids into Afghanistan - added to which are inter-tribal tensions.
Major battles were fought in 2007
and fighting continues.
Kurram Valley
Kurram tribal agency is located in the FATA area of Pakistan. Geographically it covers Kurram Valley which is a beautiful valley in the northwestern part of Pakistan neighboring Afghanistan....
, in Kurram Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs...
, Pakistan. They speak Pashto
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
and practice the Twelver Shia sect of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
Pre-Imperial history
The Turis occupied Kurram, which was part of the Mughal EmpireMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
, although the Mughals held nominal control over the region. During the latter years of Mughal rule the area came under the control of the Afghans. During this period the Turi displaced the Bangash
Bangash
Bangash is the name of a Pashtun clan. The Bangash clan inhabit regions within the Federally Administered Tribal Areas , the Kurram Agency, the Miranzai Valley bordering the Samana Range, Naryab, Tirah, Kohat and Peshawar within the Sarhad province...
, and the remaining Bangash became borthers of the Turi.
British annexation
After the annexation of KohatKohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
by the British, the Turis, in league with other clans, repeatedly harassed the Miranzai border, attacking the Bangash and Khattak
Khattak
Khattak or Khatak , is the name of an Afghan tribe. speaking a variant of the Kandahari Pashto. They are accorded the status of being one of the original and true Afghans. The tribe is settled along the western bank of the river Indus from as north upwards as Sammah; modern day Lund Khwar & Sher...
villages in Kohat. In 1854 they made a treaty, but their raids continued, though punitive measures were not resorted to, as the tribe was held to be under the control of the Amir of Afghanistan.
However their raids increased in audacity, and in 1856 a force under Brigadier-General Neville Bowles Chamberlain
Neville Bowles Chamberlain
Field Marshal Sir Neville Bowles Chamberlain GCB GCSI was a British soldier who served in India.-Military career:...
entered the valley. Following this, compensation (the payment of which was guaranteed by the Afghan governor Ghulam Jan) was exacted, the Turis agreeing to pay 8,630 rupees. In 1859 the Turis joined the British expedition against the Kabul Khel Wazirs, but their feud with that tribe subsequently gave much trouble, with reprisals being undertaken by Wazirs in British territory for Turi offenses. In 1816, serious disturbances arose between the Bangash of Lower Kurram and the British village of Thal out of a boundary dispute. In 1877 the Turis were discontented with the oppressive administration of Shahbaz Khan
Shahbaz Khan
Shahbaz Khan is an Australian climatologist and hydrologist. He is currently Chief of Section on Sustainable Water Resources Development and Management...
, governor of Kurram, and when the Amir demanded from them a contribution of 50,000 rupees (a poll tax of 5 rupees on every adult female) and 6,000 recruits for his war against the British, they revolted and fled to the hills.
Attempts to pacify the tribe were unsuccessful for a time, but the Turis at last agreed to send a jirga
Jirga
A jirga is a tribal assembly of elders which takes decisions by consensus, particularly among the Pashtun people but also in other ethnic groups near them; they are most common in Afghanistan and among the Pashtuns in Pakistan near its border with Afghanistan...
to Kabul and pay a benefaction of 25,000 rupees, while Shahbaz Khan was recalled by the Amir.
In November, 1878, a column under General Roberts entered Kurram from Thal
Thal
Thal may refer to:* Thal, Styria, a town near Graz, Styria, Austria* Thal, Lower Austria, a town in the Dunkelsteinerwald, Lower Austria, Austria* Thal Desert, a large sand desert in Punjab, Pakistan...
, and occupied Kurram Fort on the 25th of that
month. Following on from subsequent British conquests the Turis now co-operated with the British expedition against the Zaimukhts, whose hostility had been marked by the murder of Lieutenant Kinloch, and Kurram was held without further disturbance until its evacuation in October, 1880. The Turis throughout furnished supplies, their levies were employed in escorting convoys, and they, with the Bangash, petitioned that the British should take over the valley and free them from Afghan rule; but the British elected to evacuate the country and the tribe was declared independent.
Internal feuds broke out in a few months, and throughout 1882-4 the Turis were constantly fighting among themselves, as well as with the Jajis and Zaimukhts. The administration of the valley was finally undertaken by the British Government, at the request of the Turis themselves, in 1892.
Although their early dealings with the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
government were inclined to turbulence, and they were involvedin the Miranzai expeditions of 1851 and 1855, the only expedition specially sent against them was the Kurram
Kurram
Kurram can refer to either:*Kurram River - a river on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan*Kurram Valley - the valley of the Kurram River which runs from Afghanistan to the Indus River....
expedition of 1856. After this they settled down and engaged in trade. During the Second Afghan War they supplied Sir Frederick Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
with guides and provisions. In 1892 they voluntarily accepted British administration and furnished a large part of the tribal militia in the Kurram Valley.
Sub-divisions
The Turis, who are also called Turizais, have five divisions. These are known as Hamza Khel, Mastu Khel, Ghondi Khel, Alizai and Duparzai. These are grouped into two main group or clans. The Hamza Khel and Mastu Khel are known as Sargullai, whereas the remaining three are called "Chardari".Detail of each division and the area occupied by them are given below:- Hamza Khel: They are also known as "Kuchis" because they mostly used to be nomadic. They used to migrate to Zarak-i-Kamal and Shobak during the winters.the Hamza Khel has Spinkai, Mallal, Tarakki, Jana Khel, Pari Khel, Sati Khel, Dreplari, Badi Khel, Jaji and Khashki Khel sub-divisions. The Spinkais have Jamal Khel and Adam Khel sections, whereas Tarakkis have Bailkai, Shakar Khel,Saragullai and Aka Khel sections. The Hamza Khel own lands in karman, Shakhana, Matudai, Mianji, Taida-Kotkai, Malana and Gorakmor. The Maqbal tribe lives between them in the Mallal area in Mianji, Nasardin, Joeri and Tseri hills of the Jajis.
- Mastu Khel: The Mastu Khel are sub-divided into Pirzai Khel, Zakaria Khel, Hussain Khel, Haji Khel, Turka Khel, Biga Khel and Mina Khel. They live in Tezana, Maidanak, Menozai, Badshah, Ahmadzai, Hakim Qala, Karim Qala, Sadara, Tari Kot, Shakar Kot, Baliamin and Jalamic.
- Ghondi Khel: The main sub-divisions of the Gondi Khel are Ali Khel, Mamut Khel, Adin Khel, Kamil Khel and Alam Khel. The sub-sections of Mamut Khel are Shamshai Tanai Khel and Nandar Khel. They have occupied the left bank of the Kurram river from Malkot to Ibrahimzai in the villages of Peiwar, Agra, Makot, Amalkot, Ramak, Wali Muhammad Qala, Bangian, Walidad, Yakubi Sanderkot, Torpaki and Ibrahimzai. Their Kurram right bank villages are Rana and Maura.
- Alizai: Their three sub-divisions are Mir Hassan, Ahmad Khel and Malik Khel. The Mir Hassan sub-sections are Muhammad Khel and Chago Khel. The main villages of the Alizais are Peiwar, Habib Qala, Kunj, Gambir, Agra and Alizai.
- Duparzai: The two sub-divisions of Duparzais are known as Saro Khel and Mirdad Khel. The Saro Khel sub-sections are Daolat Khel, Jafar Khel, Sultan Khel, Shubalan Khel, Baghdadiwar and Megak. The Mirdad Khel sub-sections are Kami Khel, Dreplara, Tar Khel, Lamikot Khel and Kachikana. The Duparzais live in the villages of Paiwar, Shubolam, Bughdi, Alam Sher Qala, Dangila, Shaikh Nur Qala Mathzai, Gidara, Shingak, Barukhai, Kharlachi and Tangi. It may be worth nothing here that these Turi villages and sub-sections existed in the early years of this century. With the increase of population, many changes have taken place in the people themselves and their settlements.
Conflict with the Taliban
The Turi have a long history of conflict with the Taliban, and Al Qaeda and Haqqani networkHaqqani network
The Haqqani Network is an insurgent group fighting against US-led NATO forces and the government of Afghanistan. Originating from Afghanistan during the mid-1970s, it was nurtured by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence during the 1980s Soviet war in...
supporters in the area. As well as a religious aspect, (the Taliban follow a hardline Sunni sect, scornful of Shi'as), the Turi territory is strategically important to cross-border trade and raids into Afghanistan - added to which are inter-tribal tensions.
Major battles were fought in 2007
Kurram Agency War April 2007
The Kurram Agency War began on 6 April 2007 in Kurram Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan. The conflict is said to be on a procession in Parachinar city. The incident left more than 40 people dead and more than 150 people wounded by 9 April 2007...
and fighting continues.
See also
- Pashtun tribesPashtun tribesThe Pashtun people are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and the second largest in Pakistan. Pashtun, tribes are divided into four supertribal confederacies: the Arbanee , Betanee , Gharghasht, and Karlanee .Traditionally, according to folklore, all Pashtuns are said to have descended, at...
- Nimat Allah al-HarawiNimat Allah al-HarawiNi'mat Allah al-Harawi is the author of a Persian language epic history of the Afghans while serving as a chronicler at the court of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir...
Author of Tarikh-i-Khan Jahani Makhzan-i-Afghani (The History of the Afghans)