Daraban Tehsil

There are various theories as to the origin of the word Daraban.[4] The word “Daraban”, according to some accounts actually came from term ”Durruh-Bund” which means the closed pass. Centuries back the people who settled down in present-day Draban aimed to close the pass which connected Draban with Sherani hills. Sherani hill tribe in those days was in habit of pillaging villages in Damaan below their hills. The term "Durruh_Bund" in due course of time became the name of the village of people living in present-day Draban. ”Durruh-Bund” got shortened as Daraban and now in further reduced form the word is pronounced as Draban. According to another popular narrative the words Daraban and Darazinda, the chief town of F.R Sherani originate in similar sound, are Persian in origin and can be traced back to Dara Shikoh, a son of Mughal king Shajahan. Daraban as per this account gets translated as Dara's forest, here came to hunt wild animals, while Darazianda was his zindan, or prison, there he kept his prisoners. The former account as to the origin of the name of the town seems more plausible and is very much attested by the history of enmity and hostility between Sherani tribe and Miankhel Pashtoon possessors of Draban.

Geography and people of Daraban and areas around as observed and recorded by Major Herbert B. Edwards in 1848 Edit

“Daraban is a small section of the Daaman proper. It lies south and southwest of the area of the Miakhail. Its boundary with Kulachi on the north is the nullah or stream of Zarkunee, or swan; on the west the outer ridge of the Tukht-Sooliman; on the south with the Babhurs, a line of pillars laid down by an Englishman in 1847. The Daraban generally resembles the neighbouring area of the Gandapoors; but Daraban is more undulated toward the hills, its village are surrounded by more trees and vegetation, and on the whole it wears a more cheerful and prosperous appearance. The possessors of Daraban are the Miankhel a branch of the great Lohanee tribe, who took it from a tribe of Afghan fakers called Surwani, now almost extent, and another tribe named the Bukhtiars, whom Elephantine describes as having come originally from Persia.. The subdivisions of Miankhel are as follow; Miankhel Sotkheyl Hoosseinkheyl Syedkhel, shadikhel Omerzai, vurrookee Baloochkhel, Ukakhel mushakhel, Moosehzye Ubakhel, Shaheekhel Zakoree Mallakhel, Gholamkheyl Passani, The above families divided the land of Daraban with the Bukhtiars thus; one-fourth of the country was monopolised of the Mossazai, the most powerful branch of the Miankhel to be. The Mossazai was subdivided into four families, named tajokhel, Khanokhel, Muddikhel, Mummundzai. No other family of the Miankhel had any interest in the land of Moosehzyes, who formed a village named Moosehzye, on the southern border of the Daraban. Daraban Kalan is the center of different villages. It is said that in the same year Daraban boasted a single mango tree the fruit of which had such a delicious flavour, that Rangeet Singh used to have it sent to him at lahore. The pass of Zarkani is about two koss from the village of the same name, which is in the area of Daraban kalan. The village of zirkani is the exclusive property of Sheikhs, who are descendants of a celebrated saint named Sheikh Hyder A stream of the purest water reaches the village from the pass, and its course is marked by several sheeshum-tree, which give the spot a picturesque appearance. Zirkani is rendered still more remarkable by its sacred ground containing the cemeteries of the Powindays. The graves compactly made of piled stones; some all white, carefully selected; and all have large, upright stones placed at the head. It is by the Zarkani pass that caravans of Powindays go to Kandahar and rest of Afghanistan. Fort of Akhond (daraban) About five or six miles to the south of the Zirkani pass, is the pass of Daraban, the mouth of which is about eight miles from Daraban itself. Not very far from midway between the town and the pass of Daraban, but rather nearer to the latter, are ruins of the former fort of Akhoond, Gul Habib. This Akhond belonged to a tribe called Hurrial, connected with Sheranies; the same probably as that of "Hurreepaul," mentioned by Mr.Elphinstone as a branch of the Sheramies, residing "in the hills and vallaeys at the western base of Tukht-i-Sooliman. He thought to settle quietly in area west of Daraban Kalan, and built here a fort. It is interesting to note that the descendants of Akhoond still live in daraban and one of them, Aallaudin AKhundzada was till his death three years ago leading political figure of daraban., Dheyra (daraban) Close to the fort of Gul Habib stands a rainfurrowed mound, called by the people a "DHEYR" and which according to some scholars could be a link in the chain of Graeco Bactrian outposts on the frontier of Tank. Or this mound could be more recent, nearly 500 years old. Opinions vary

Lahoruh(daraban) From the Daraban pass issues the Lahoruh, a parnial stream which floods in hot summers and it flows by Daraban town and divides it into two parts; the course of the stream is beautifully marked and shaded by sheeshum-trees. About five miles of pass of Daraban, and farther to the south, is the plass of Zam, from which flows a stream which is the ancient boundaries between the Miankhail of Moosezai, and the Babhurs of Choudwan; and which has caused a bloody feud by dividing into two branches Chouwan The area of Chiudwan, like Daraban, Kolachi and Tank, is a section of the eastern Daman of the Soolimanee range, having Daraban on the north, the Oostraunee lowlands on the south, and the Sherani and Oosteraunee hills on the west. The Babhurs of old times were said to have been in possession of a written order from Ahmad shah of Kabul, to a Sardar named Jehan khan, directing him to proceed to the Daman, and settle the boundaries of the Miankhails with both the Gandapoors and the Babhurs. This document was accompanied by another containing the Srdar's decision, by which the Sawan or Zirkunnee Nullah, was settled to be the boundary between Daraban and Kolachi, and the Nullah called Kowruh between Daraban and Choudwan. The authenticity of both documents was acknowledged on both sodes; but arise as to the indenty of Kowruh Nullah alluded to. There is a little rivulet about two hundred yards to the south of Moosazai which is called Kowruh to the day, and this the Babhurs maintained to be the boundary of Jahan khan's decision. There is another and larger one, about two koss to the south of Moosazai, which is called Turkhoba and this the Miankhails declared to be the ancient Kowruh. Mr. Elphinstone found the Babhurs, forty years ago, "a civilized tribe, much addicted to merchandise, and, on the whole the richest and most flourishing of the tribes of Daman". There bravery has been sufficiently established by their blood. Feud with the powerful Miankhails whom they almost rival in commerce also, and their general intelligence as a tribe has given rise to many proverbs. One says that "a babhur fool is a Gandapoor sage" another tells how the Babhurs ventured into agricultural partnership with the devil, and gave him his choice of the roots or stocks of the harvest. The devil choosing the stocks they sowed nothing but onions, carrots, and turnips. The devils very naturally annoyed, insisted next harvest on getting the roots, so the Babhurs grew wheat and sugar.”

The region constituting present day Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was eventually colonised by the British. The effects and remains of colonialism could be observed even this remote part of Dera Ismail khan. The British built chains of Frontier Constabulary forts in the region to hold in check independent Pashtoons of the mountains. Darazinda, Draban, and Zarkani have FC forts built by the British. From these forts the British launched punitive expeditions in the mountains. Daraban boasts an FC fort, Assistant Commissioner court and large colonial style rest house, all relics of the Raj . Within the compound of the Assistant commissioner residence lies the grave of a British officer who died in action in Zarkani in colonial times. The British also built two bridges over the two perennial water streams flowing from the Sulaiman Mountains. The larger one was known locally as Kali Pul, and smaller one was called Sawi Pul . Kali Pul some years ago was sold in auction after the government replaced it with a new, modern one. The British connected Dera Ismail Khan through telephone with FR Sherani and Zhob Balochistan. This telephone line is no longer in service and its poles and wires lying in utter neglect continue to be stolen by thieves.

Draban is a melting point of cultures and languages. The coming of the Pashtoons over the centuries in this part of the land has resulted in their interaction with the local Saraikis. Now things have come to such a pass that both linguistic groups have become bilingual. Pashtoons speak Saraiki like native speakers and the Saraikis speak Pasthto fluently. It is only Nasir and Sherani people who speak only Pashto. Miankhels and other Pashtoons speak fluent Saraiki in addition to their own native tongue. Centuries of close interaction of Pasthto with Saraiki have given the former language a unique Saraiki touch. And Saraiki has under the influence of Pasthto acquired a unique flavour of its own. Pashto speakers constitute the majority of the region and own vast tracts of agricultural land and have dominant political influence in the area. Ethnic and racial strife between Pashtoons and Saraikis is non-existent,.

Daraban lies at the foot of Sulaiman mountains. The peaks of Takht e Sulaiman, which can be seen from Daraban, are a part of myth and folklore of the people who live in whole of Damaan. Daraban enjoys privileged geographic position in the whole of neighbouring region and this accounts for its burgeoning trade and population. The town is connected by road with neighbouring towns of Darazinada, Musazai, and Chaudwan. The inhabitants of these towns have to pass through Daraban while journeying to Dera Ismail Khan city. Daraban also lies on the national highway connecting Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with Baluchistan. The highway was built by National Highway authority almost eight years ago and is playing vital role in the development and progress of this region. Traveling to Zhob and Quetta from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was quite difficult before the construction of this highway. Travelers had to suffer a long ordeal in travelling to Balochistan through a much longer route via the province of Punjab and Sindh. The highway has also resulted in increase of trade and commerce in Daraban and areas around it.

In terms of literacy rate and educational standards, Draban and its bordering areas lag behind the rest of Dera Ismail khan. A high school was established in the town in 1953, but only a decade ago it was upgraded to the status of higher secondary school.

The town of Draban itself offers little in terms of sightseeing, tourism or adventure. So it is neighbouring mountains where mostly people end up in their quest for enjoyment, recreation and fun. Near Darazinda, Peer Ghundai, another sight of abundant waterfalls and scenery is a major attraction. But it is trip to Takht-e-Sulaiman which is most common excursion for the people. The trip to this 3400 M high summit is undertaken in summer and usually takes two days journey on foot over difficult mountain terrain. On the summit there is a religious shrine and a Takht related with prophet Sulaiman. To the south of Draban lies the town of Musa Zai Sharif boasting an important khankah of Nashbaniah Sufi tradition. The shrine houses tombs of Dost Muhammad Qandhari, Usman Damani, Sirjuddin, Ibrahim, Ismail. The shrine of Musa zai is quite well known in the whole region and the devotees visit it from all over Pakistan, Afghanistan India and even from Arab countries. Khankah of Shaikh Ghulam Yaseen Sahib, known as Agah Sahib and tombs of his sons Faiz Muhammad Sahib, Muhammad Din Sahib is well known and people from all over of the Pakistan come to visit their tombs.

The following is an account of journey undertaken in 2001 by Salahuddin Sikander, the contributor of Daraban page on Wikipedia and his friends to Takht-i-Sulaiman. The account was published in Daily Dawn, Daily the Frontier Post, and daily the News .

Takht-i-Sulaiman, the highest peak of the Sulaiman range (3,382 metres (11,096 ft)) is shrouded in myth and mystery. Named after Solomon, the wise Jewish prophet, the peak, on account of its perceived association with the prophet, is believed to possess a strange healing quality.

People in Damaan also believe that Prophet Sulaiman, by exercising his miraculous power, had confined those mischievous Jinns inside it who had refused to obey his command. The evil-spirited Jinns are supposed to remain imprisoned almost all the year, and in Safar, the second month of the Islamic calendar, they are allowed to go free for a while. During this month, after darkness falls over the region, mothers restrict their children within their homes as a precaution against the evil effects of these Jinns.

Takht-i-Sulaiman rises to a height of 3382 meters above sea level. A trip to the mountain is undertaken mostly in summer, and in winter heavy snowfall makes it difficult to approach it from late November until March. The locals believe that infertile women can be blessed with fertility when they visit Takht-i-Sulaiman.

Religious connotations apart, Takht-i-Sulaiman is a mountainous area, with opportunities of trekking and climbing. It can be reached either through Balochistan or NWFP.

• http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/archive/021201/dmag9.htm
• http://draban.blogspot.com/