Short History of Chitral

Very little is known about the early history of Chitral. The country has historically been divided between two ethnic groups. The people of the upper part are called Kho; Khowar is their language. Those living in the lower part are called Chitrari. The two people shared many common cultural traits, yet they have long been distinct peoples. On the basis of this ethnic division, the country has, most of the time, remained divided into two principalities. Old traditions have saved names of some local rulers like Sumalik and Bahman in the upper part, and Bula Sinhg and Raja Wai in the lower part. These were probably local chiefs, with small areas under them. Oral traditions tell of this region being ruled by great neighboring empires like Mongol and Iran in the distant past. From 1320 to 1698 it was ruled by the Mongol Dynasty. During the last years of the seventeenth century, the ancestor of the Katoor Dynasty overthrew the Mongol Dynasty. The head of the family, Möngke Khan-I became Mehtar, or king, of the small kingdom. The entire region that now forms the Chitral District was a fully independent monarchy until 1885, when the British negotiated a subsidiary alliance with its hereditary ruler, the Mehtar, under which Chitral became a princely state, still sovereign but subject to the suzerainty of the British Indian Empire. In 1895 the British agent in Gilgit, Sir George Scott Robertson was besieged in Chitral Fort for 48 days, and was finally relieved by two British Forces, one marching from Gilgit and the other from Nowshera. After 1895, the British hold became stronger, but the internal administration remained in the hand of the Mehtar. In 1947 India was partitioned and Chitral opted to accede to Pakistan. After accession, it gradually lost its autonomy, finally becoming an administrative district of Pakistan in 1969.

Foreigner / Tourist Facilitation Centres Lower Chitral