Saleh Khana

Cherat Saleh Khana 1926

Saleh Khana

Mount Pakka

Saleh Khana is a large village in the Nowshera District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is inhabited mainly by Pashtuns (Khattak tribe).

The village lies just below the hill station of Cherat and neighbour another village, Kotli Kalan, which is usually referred to as "Shangreh" .Both villages used to be a single village until there was a dispute. The dispute was taken up by a local jirga (Pashtun meeting) and eventually the villages split into two. Salehkhana and Kotli Kalan.

The name Saleh Khana derives from Arabic meaning "home of the good". The village is known for their slogan "The few the proud". Its also known for its markets and unique dusky green mountainous scenery.

People & History

Pashtuns of this village have migrated from their homeland in the Tirah valley in Afghanistan to their current village during the mid 17 century. People of Saleh Khana are Muslims and are firm followers of Islam, they also live by and adhere to an ancient code of conduct called Pashtunwali.

Many of the inhabitents of Salehkhana had migrated to countries around the world from Canada to the UAE, however primarily the United Kingdon, during the 19th century. In the main cities of Birmingham, Alylesbury as well as Manchester; a majority of them still reside there.

Language

The language spoken in the village is Pashto of a dialect that was formed by 16th century Pashtun poet/warrior, Khushal Khan Khattak.

Pashto dialect here is normally a mixture of both Kha/Sha pashto with similarity to the Peshawar and Wardaki Pashto accent spoken in Pakhtunkhwa on the Afghan and Pakistani side. However it is unique in its own terms.

Clans and tribes

The people of Saleh khana are Pashtuns: Saleh khana is inhabitted by the Khattak tribe of the Pashtuns. This is the same for the neighbouring villages of Kotli Kalan.

The tribe is then divided into clans (khels). These are

• Amin Khel
• Amirjan Khel
• Durran Khel
• Gunh Khel
• Mias Khel
• Moond Khel
• Qurban Khel

Each clan has its own mullah/leader which is their village clans representative in a Pashtun council called the jirga, to settle village disputes and progress.

Mohallas

Every clan has their own Mohalla; the Mohallas in the village are:

• Mohallah Amin Khel
• Mohallah Amir Jan Khel
• Mohalla Durran Khel
• Mohalla Gunh Khel
• Mohalla Meis Khel
• Mohalla Moond Khel
• Mohalla Qurban Khel

Every Mohalla has its own Masjid & own representatives for a tribal/clan meeting which is called a Jirga in Pashto.