Khattak

Khattak or Khatak (Urdu: خٹک ) is a Pashtun tribe. Khattak tribe is concentrated in North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan on the left side of the Attock riverThe Khattak is a Pashtun tribe whose recorded history indicates that they originated in the area around ghazni and logar province. The largest of the tribe's population is now situated in CheratFact|date=June 2007, which hosts a Special Service Group military outpost in the NWFP. Speaking a variant of the Kandahari pashtu, their appearance belies an origin akin to the old pawindah type.Fact|date=June 2007 Earliest records show their migration from around modern day Bannu northwards towards modern day Kohat, Karak and NowsheraFact|date=June 2007.A warrior poet by the name of Khushal Khan Khattak (1613-1690) belonged to this tribe, and his contributions to Pushto literature are considered as classic textsFact|date=June 2007. They have been translated into numerous languagesFact|date=June 2007.The Khattaks have high literacy rate in comparison to other Pashtun tribes having achieved positions of influence throughout historyFact|date=June 2007.

Demographics

A significant majority of the Khattak now reside in developed countries such as Malaysia, UAE, Japan, USA, Dubai but the largest contingency resides in the BritainFact|date=June 2007. In particular the regions of Birmingham, London, Manchester and AylesburyFact|date=June 2007. Khattaks are known to be vey successful and wealthy in relation to other tribesFact|date=June 2007. They use this wealth to invest luxurious homes back in the NWFPFact|date=June 2007. Consequently, the region of Cherat and particularly Saleh Khana not surprisingly has one of the highest costs of land in the whole of Pakistan and is known as 'little Britain'Fact|date=June 2007.KOHAT, a town and district of Pakistan, in the Peshawar division of the North-West Frontier Province. The town is 37 m. south of Peshawar by the Kohat Pass, along which a military road was opened in 1901. The population in 1901 was 30,762, including 12,670 in the cantonment, which is garrisoned by artillery., cavalry and infantry. In the Tirah campaign of 1S9798 Kohat was the starting-point of Sir William Lockharts expedition against the Orakzais and Afridis. It is the military base for the southern Afridi frontier as Peshawar is for the northern frontier of the same tribe, and it lies in the heart of the Pathan country. - The DISTRICT OF KOHAT has an area of 2973 sq. m. It consists chiefly of a bare and intricate mountain region east of the Indus, deeply scored with river valleys and ravines, but enclosing a few scattered patches of cultivated lowland. The eastern or Khattak country especially comprises a perfect labyrinth of ranges, which fall, however,-into two principaigroups, to the north and south of the Ten Toi river. The Miranzai valley, in the extreme west, appears by comparison a rich and fertile tract. In its small but carefully tilled glens, the plane, palm, fig and many orchard trees flourish luxuriantly; while a brushwood of wild olive, mimosa and other thorny bushes clothes the rugged ravines upon the upper slopes. Occasional grassy glades upon their sides form favorite pasture grounds for the Waziri tribes. The Ten Toi, rising on the eastern limit of Upper Miranzai, runs due eastward to the Indus, which it joins I 2 m. N. of Makhad, dividing the district into two main portions. The drainage from the northern half flows southward into the Ten Toi itself, and northward into the parallel stream of the Kohat Toi. That of the southern tract falls northwards also into the Ten Toi, and southwards towards the Kurram and the Indus. The frontier mountains, continuations of the Safed Koh system, attain in places a considerable elevation, the two principal peaks, Dupa Sir and Mazi Garh, just beyond the British frontier, being 8260 and 7940 ft. above the sea respectively. The waziri hills, on the south, extend like a wedge between the boundaries of Bannu and Kohat, with a general elevation of less than 4000 ft. The salt-mines are situated in the low line of hills crossing the valley of the Ten Toi, and extending along both banks of that river. The deposit has a width of a quarter of a mile, with a thickness of Iooo ft.; it sometimes forms hills 200 ft. in height, almost entirely composed of solid rock-salt, and may probably rank as one of the largest veins of its kind in the world. The most extensive exposure occurs at Bahadur Khel, on the south bank of the Ten Toi. The annual output is about 16,000 tons, yielding a revenue of ~4o,ooo. Petroleum springs exude from a rock at Panoba, 23 m. east of Kohat; and sulphur abounds in the northern range. In 1901 the population was 217,865, showing an iiicrease of II % in the decade. The frontier tribes on the Kohat border are the Afridis, Orakzais, Zaimukhts and Turis. All these a-re described under their separate names. A railway runs from Kushalgarh through Kohat to Thal, and the river Indus has been bridged at Kushalgarh. - The Khattak sub tribes are: - *Seni Khattak(Kohat) - *Barak Khattak(Karak) - *Akorkhel Khattak(Noshera,Kohat: Gumbat, Lachi,Teri and Peshawar) - *Mungikhel Khattak(Shakar Dara)- *Mattukhel Khattak (Shakar Darra) - *Saghri Khattak (Attock)

Tabar

There are several levels of organization within the Pashtun tribal system of saleh khana & Kotli kaalan: the Tabar (tribe) is subdivided into kinship groups called Khels. For the Khattaks of saleh khana these include

Kotli Kalan
*Amir Jan Khel- Hold 3 Areas "emir" meaning royal and wealthy."emir"(king)- they hold most land within kotli kalan
* [Tharkan Khel] - Hold 1 Area
*Tatar Khel- Hold 1 Areas

*Shattaran - Hold 1 Areas

*Lamawar khel- Hold 2 Areas

*Dajran Khel -Immigrants (Afghans who fled during soviet invasion)Saleh khana

*Amin khel

*Gunrh Khel-

*Qurban khel-

*Duraan khel

*Burkhelai

*Meis khel

*Moondh Khel

*Shemi Khel

*Ider Khel

*Churi Khel

*Musti Khel

*Gherat Khel

Surrounding villages

ChokaraA village in district Karak.

AhmadabadThis village contains other small villages, like Amin Khel Chokara.

aleh Khana

Saleh Khana the village is situated in the Saleh Khana valley, surrounded by the cherat, ghandawooth and pukka mountains.Due to the mountainous territory the land is not suitable for farming. This has led to a tradition for the men to migrate to other regions and countries to earn money to send back to their families. In the 40s, 50s and 60s the main areas to migrate to were Singapore, Cyprus and BritainFact|date=September 2007. in the 70s and 80s Malaysia and Japan became the key areas Fact|date=September 2007 and most recently since the 90s there has been an emphasis on migration to Britain, with almost every home in saleh khana having a member living in BritainFact|date=September 2007.

*Other Wari Khel are in another village which is Bakhti, which is also situated in cherat. Bakhti have five tabar (tribe or khel). There is also kotli khurd located between kotli khalan and bakhti

*Mangi Khel
*Behram Khel
*Tala Khel
*Kaski Khel
*Buhdar Khel
*Palosasar
*Nari Khurrah

Another village is Chapri again a khattak village but very different from the Saleh Khana and Kotli Kalan village Khattaks.

Akora khel KhattaksThey reside in mostly Akora regions and khwarra consisting of about 50 smaller villages.

*Daagh Ismail Khel

Lund Khwar

A famous Khattak village, lies near Takht Bhai (bahi), Mardan District, the various tabars here include:
*Sha'bat Khel
*Awal Khel
*Pila Khel
*Diwa'n Khel

Yaghi Badin KhelA green, small village Situated in Karak, neary 30 Kilometer to south from main city. The village contain 2 tribes named Akhtar khan and Ashfer Khan.

See also

*Khattak Dance
*Khushal Khan Khattak
*Ahmad Abad
*Lund Khwar