How Shimshal got Populated

Research Data

How Shimshal got Populated

Description

This tale follows up the wise man appearing in Mamusha's house telling him, that he will have a son and through him, this valley [of Shimshal] will be filled [populated]. The old Mamusha could not believe this because of his old age, but today by the grace of Allah, we have nearly 5,500 people here. The wise man said: "My name is Shams Uddin Muhammad, and, by the grace of Allah, I have come to guide you and I will forever protect you in this valley. Even today, by the grace of Allah, when you came here [on this difficult mountain road], you saw that he is always present here, despite his old age I am sure, as he protected our ancestors." When he introduced himself as Shams Uddin Muhammad he also told that Mamusha's son who was to be born next year shall carry the name of Sher Ali. He further said: The population coming after you will settle [every-where] in Shimshal, you who came from Baltit, from Brongshal, you will live here. So, you will name this village and your son as I have told you. By the grace of God, when the year came, Mamusha's wife gave birth to a son, and named him, by the grace of that old man, Sher Ali as this was a good omen for him. [Many years later] Sher Ali travelled across many mountains and reached after 3-4 days a very beautiful place with a big stone in that place where he sat down and spread out his belongings as he was very tired. When he was approached by six men and asked who he was and where he came from, he replied that he was Sher Ali from Shimshal. Later on, those six men said: "Let's not talk about you or us, let's play polo. Sher Ali replied: You have six men on horses, this is inappropriate, how can I win in the polo against you?" Following the miraculous predic-tion of the old wise man, he miraculously won the polo and then reached Shiksgam. The six men said: "This is for you. Sher Ali got on the horse and left. When he reached the mountain top he said: I am the only son of my parents, I want to marry here. They replied: That is good, come along." They took him to a place called Tui-ghel, [the shegn yurth settlement]. He [and his wife] gave birth to five sons6. The youngest son came to Parpek Nala near Khunjerab [Pass], but his father called him Pahlwan [the hunter]. This is the tale of Shimshal. From there, they inherited the property including the yaks, to us. Shimshal is not a place for sinners, it is a place for free people. The people of Shimshal never asked their Mir [of Hunza] to give them anything. But by the grace of their independent nature, they got wheat, grains, and agri-culture, and they made butter and cheese [from their animals' milk].