Chitral is a mountainous country in northern Pakistan. It remained an independent kingdom for most of its known history. The early history of this region is shrouded in the mist of antiquity. We can only collect some fragments of oral traditions, popular songs and few archaeological remains. Recent archaeological excavations have uncovered tombs belonging to the era called “Arian tomb culture”, which is estimated to be 4,500 years old. The graves reveal that those people buried their dead with their belongings, such as jewelry, weapons and utensils. There are also some Buddhist remains in various parts of the country, which shows that this area was, at least partially, included in the Buddhist world, during the First Millennium.
In stark contrast to neighboring regions, Chitral has long been ruled by lesser kings and chiefs. The concept of centralized authority or government was unknown in the surrounding areas until very recent times. These regions were mostly headless or headless states. Some names of ancient rulers are still remembered in traditions and folk tales such as Bahman e Kohistani and Sumalik.
The oldest dynasty, which has historical evidence, is called “The Raees”. The Raeeses are generally believed to be of Badakhshani origin. This dynasty ruled the country until the second half of the 18th century. During the 16th century, the Chagatai kingdom of Kasghar made inroads into Chitral, and was ruled directly by the Chagatais for quite some time.
In the second half of the 18th century, a local family belonging to the Mulkhow Valley of Chitral, rapidly increased their powers, culminating in a confrontation with the then ruler Raees, as a result of which the Raees rule came to an end. The victorious sons of Muhammad Beig were now masters of the kingdom, which until now extended to the Ghizer district of the Gilgit-Baltistan province in Pakistan. They divided the country among themselves and ruled it in peace at times. Chitral, the main seat of power was occupied by the elder Muhtaram Shah Katur-I.
Then the Raeeses returned from Badakhshan and drove them out of Chitral. Members of the lost family fled in all directions. One of them, Sangeen Ali, came to the Mughal court of Dehli and sought the help of the emperor, arguing that he belonged to the same line as Taimur (Tamerlane). The Emperor gave him some money, with which Sangeen Ali recruited mercenaries from Swat and attacked Chitral through Bashqar Gol. After reconquering the country, he called all members of the family and ruled it for many years. The central throne of Chitral was held by the descendants of Katur-I and his brother Khushwaqt alternately, until Muhtaram Shah Katur-II finally established himself firmly in Chitral. The Khushwaqt line had to be content with the Mastuj district of Chitral and Ghizer.
Both lines remained in continuous conflict with each other, until Amanul Mulk of the Katur line finally occupied the entire kingdom, overthrowing the last Khushwaqt ruler in the 1880s. The Khushwaqt line produced some capable warriors such as Shah Faramurd, Suleiman Shah, and Gouhar Aman. . But these were no match for the clever rulers of the other line, such as Katur-II and Amanul Mulk.
During the reign of Amanul Mulk (1857-1892), Chitral became a small mountain kingdom, experiencing for the first time a long period of stability and peace. However, neighboring powers such as Kabul, Kashmir and Jandul threatened their very existence. Amanul Mulk eventually succumbed and had to sign a treaty with Kashmir. Meanwhile, the British also approached Chitral. As Kashmir was itself part of the British Empire, Chitral also came under British sovereignty.
In 1892 the powerful and shrewd ruler Amanul Mulk died. Without any law of succession, a long war of succession ensued between her children. One of his brothers, Sher Afzal Khan also became a contender. Two other parties, the British and Umera Khan of Jandul, were also involved. Most of the Katur family were wiped out or exiled during this fight. The British agent in Gilgit, Sir George Robertson, was besieged at Fort Chitral for 47 days, after much loss of life from his force. He was eventually rescued by two columns of the British Force, one marching from Gilgit and the other from Peshawar. In 1895, Chitral formally became part of the British Empire. They made Shujaul Mulk, a fourteen-year-old boy, the Mehtar (Ruler) of Chitral, who was the only remaining son of Amanul Mulk, eligible for membership. Shujaul Mulk, was no more independent like his forefathers, however he proved to be a capable ruler. He was followed by his eldest son, Muhammad Nasirul MUlk in 1836. Nasirul Mulk was a learned person, with a university degree. He tried to make Chitral a modern state. He worked hard for the educational development of Chitral. His untimely disappearance in 1943 was a major setback for the country.
With the departure of the British, Chitral chose to join the newly created Pakistani country. From that day on, Chitral’s independence quickly faded, culminating its complete amalgamation in Pakistan in 1969.