Corona pandemic has reduced the melting of Himalayan glaciers

Clean air would make water supplies safer for billions of people

Peer-Reviewed Publication

LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR TROPOSPHERIC RESEARCH (TROPOS)

 

IMAGE: 

SMOG OVER NORTHERN INDIA ON THE EDGE OF THE HIMALAYAN GLACIERS.

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CREDIT: NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY IMAGE BY JOSHUA STEVENS, USING VIIRS DATA FROM NASA EOSDIS/LANCE

Pune/Leipzig. Reducing air pollution to levels similar to those during the coronavirus pandemic could protect the glaciers in the Himalayas and prevent them from disappearing by the end of the century. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team analysing the situation during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The cleaner air has ensured that less soot has been deposited on the glaciers, resulting in 0.5 to 1.5 mm less snow melting per day. The rapid retreat of glaciers and the loss of snow cover already pose a threat to the sustainable water supply of billions of people in Asia who live in the catchment areas of rivers such as the Indus, Ganges and Yangtze. If emissions of air pollutants such as soot could be reduced to at least the level of the lockdowns, snowmelt could be reduced by up to half. A switch to clean energy supplies and lower-emission modes of transport would therefore bring significant benefits for sustainable water supplies, agriculture and ecosystems in large parts of Asia, the researchers write in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).

 

 

The mountains of the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) and the highlands of Tibet in Central Asia form the largest snow-covered region outside the poles. The meltwater from these glaciers feeds rivers in India and China, which fuel agriculture, hydropower generation and the economies of these countries. The Himalayan snowmelt in spring provides around half of the annual fresh water for around 4 billion people in South Asia and East Asia. But resources are dwindling: Global warming has already led to a loss of around 40 per cent of the Himalayan glacier area compared to the Little Ice Age in the Middle Ages. With the exception of a few Karakoram glaciers, the snow mass there has also decreased significantly over the last 30 years. Model simulations for extreme scenarios show that the melting snow in the Himalayas could cause the glaciers there to disappear by the end of the 21st century. This is worrying news for the water supply of several billion people.

 

The fact that glaciers are becoming thinner and thinner is partly due to climate change with higher air temperatures and changes in precipitation - in other words, long-term causes that will take decades to combat. However, short-term factors such as the distribution and deposition of light-absorbing particles such as dust and soot (black carbon (BC)) also play a major role in glacier melting. Earlier studies have already shown that soot melts the snow on glaciers more than greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The increasing energy demand of densely populated South Asia has greatly increased emissions of greenhouse gases and soot particles in recent decades, leading to increased darkening and melting of snow.

 

The economic slowdown caused by the lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic led to a drastic decline in passenger and freight transport, industrial emissions and energy consumption in this region in 2020. As a result, air pollution with greenhouse gases and especially soot also decreased significantly: satellite observations showed cleaner snow with almost a third less light-absorbing pollution during the lockdown in Asia between March and May 2020. This led to a decrease in snowmelt of 25 to 70 mm in 2020 - compared to the 20-year average for the months of March to May in the western Himalayas. The changes in snow absorption and surface albedo thus ensured that around 7 cubic kilometres of meltwater remained in the Indus catchment area.

 

The international team of researchers from India, Germany and the UK used global simulations to analyse in detail the impact of reduced air pollution over high mountains in Central Asia during the COVID-19 lockdowns between March and May 2020: They used the ECHAM6-HAMMOZ chemistry-climate model, updated with an improved soot-snow parameterisation, to compare corona time with typical air pollution conditions. The corona simulations were performed with a COVID-19 emission inventory where emissions were calculated based on Google and Apple mobility data. Various observational data was also included in the new study: Snow cover and atmospheric opacity were determined using MODIS spectral data from NASA. These data were supplemented by solar photometer measurements from two Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) stations in Lahore (Pakistan) and Dushanbe (Tajikistan). The AERONET measurements in Dushanbe were part of the joint German-Tajik CADEX project from 2014 to 2016, in which the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan and TROPOS jointly analysed mineral dust over Central Asia.

 

The ECHAM6-HAMMOZ model simulations show that the COVID lockdown in spring 2020 led to a cleaner atmosphere over the mountains of the Hindu Kush Himalayas and the highlands of Tibet. "The aerosol optical thickness (AOD), i.e. the atmospheric opacity, over this region decreased by around 10 per cent in April 2020 compared to before the pandemic. This is supported by measurements from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), which also show a reduction in AOD compared to the average of the last 20 years," reports Dr Suvarna Fadnavis from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). The decrease in soot was also observed in the ground-based measurements of the Aerosol Radiative Forcing Over India Network (ARFINET): over the Indian Gangetic Plain (>50%), Northeast India (>30%), the Himalayan regions (16%-60%) and Tibet (70%).

 

The reduction in anthropogenic air pollution led to less soot being deposited on the snow in large parts of the high mountains of Central Asia. According to this study, there were around 25 to 350 micrograms less soot per kilogramme of snow in spring 2020, which corresponds to up to a third of the soot concentration in the snow there. However, according to the model, soot concentrations in the snow have also risen sporadically in some areas in the Hindu Kush, the eastern Himalayas and the Kunlun Mountains. The seemingly paradoxical differences are due to the fact that soot interacts with solar radiation not only on the surface, but above all in the atmosphere. This leads to complex adjustments in atmospheric circulation and thus to changes in the transport and deposition of air pollutants. "Our simulations show that the decrease in soot concentration in the snow and the general reduction in air pollution and associated radiative effects reduced the short-wave radiative forcing at the surface by up to 2 watts per square metre in March to May 2020, resulting in less atmospheric warming. This lower warming of the snowpack and the tropospheric column is the combined effect of less soot in the snow and the changes in atmospheric concentrations of sulphate and soot," explains Dr Bernd Heinold from TROPOS. "In the model, we were able to show that the decrease in air pollution reduced snowmelt in spring 2020 by 0.5 to 1.5 millimetres per day and thus reduced the runoff meltwater in the year by up to half." The reduction in man-made pollution during the COVID-19 lockdown has therefore benefited the high mountains of Central Asia in many ways: increased reflectivity of the snow surface, reduced snowmelt and increased snow cover, as well as an increase in stored water due to reduced surface water runoff.

 

"Our results make it clear that of the two processes causing the retreat of the Himalayan glaciers - global climate change and local air pollution - a reduction in air pollution in particular could be a short-term help," emphasises Prof. Ina Tegen from TROPOS. "Even if we were to stop CO2 emissions immediately, temperatures would not initially fall. However, our results confirm the importance of reducing short-lived climate drivers such as soot and their complementary role in CO2 mitigation. Reducing air pollution to similar levels as during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 could protect the Himalayan glaciers, which are otherwise at risk of disappearing by the end of the 21st century." Since 2000, the glaciers in the Himalayas have lost almost half a metre of ice per year. If air pollution could be reduced to the level it was at during the coronavirus pandemic, for example, then snowmelt could be reduced by up to half. Clean air measures would therefore not only benefit the health of billions of people in Asia, but also the water supply, agriculture and ecosystems in large parts of Asia.

Thick clouds of smoke from straw fires over India.

CREDIT

European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-3 data - Processed by COPERNICUSEU

The impacts of reduced pollution on snow brightening in the Himalayas and reduced surface water runoff, as observed during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown period.

CREDIT

Fadnavis, S., Heinold, B., Sabin, T. P., Kubin, A., Huang, K., Rap, A., and Müller, R.: Air pollution reductions caused by the COVID-19 lockdown open up a way to preserve the Himalayan glaciers, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 10439-10449, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-10439-2023 , 2023. Figure 6 (c)

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JOURNAL

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

DOI

10.5194/acp-23-10439-2023 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Case study

COI STATEMENT

At least one of the (co-)authors is a member of the editorial board of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. The peer-review process was guided by an independent editor, and the authors also have no other competing interests to declare.

The Trauma of Temblor: Afghanistan

By Ayanangsha Maitra /

 in Afghanistan, Opinions /

 on Thursday, 30 Jun 2022 

FILE: Afghanistan earthquake

Deep, deep, deep inside earth, the Indian plate collided with the Eurasian plate and a 6.1 magnitude temblor shook and shocked Afghanistan on June 22. The quake took at least 1,000 lives, leaving several others displaced. Over 10,000 houses were completely or partially damaged. The search for the dear ones from the debris fetched miserable results. In addition to Gayan, Barmala, Naka and Ziruk four districts of Paktika province, Spera district in Khost province was severely affected in the quake. A follow up tremor hit the area hard again on Friday, killing five more people. The disaster has mounted several challenges for the Taliban, who are already tormented by decades-long war, poverty, pandemic, hunger and economic crisis across the nation of 40 million. The disaster has placed Afghanistan once again in global attention for the wrong reason.

Following the quake, over 42 planes and a group of 15 trucks reached the quake-hit areas with housing and food items including rice, oil and flour. The Afghan government announced 100 million afghani, or $1.1 million. The locals started volunteering to collect money to support the affected families.

Despite their chilling political and diplomatic ties, Afghanistan drew immediate response from the countries in the neighbourhood and the west. The Taliban urged the US to unfreeze the foreign funds of Afghanistan and lift the stringent sanctions imposed on them following the deadly earthquake in the country. Qatar, Iran, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Taiwan and Pakistan have extended support to Afghanistan. China announced humanitarian aid worth $7.5 million for the quake-hit nation. The UK announced £2.5 million in aid for Afghanistan. The local staff of the International Federation of the Red Cross facilitated the shelter, medication, water, sanitation, and other basic requirements of the people in Khost and Paktika. The Norwegian Refugee Council served the affected people and provided cash assistance to the affected families.

India responded immediately to stand by the ravaged state. India’s response was prompt and timely. A technical team was sent by India to coordinate the distribution of humanitarian aid across Afghanistan. India has sent 27 tons of emergency relief materials including blankets,bags, sleeping mats, tents and sleeping bags. Despite India pulled back her diplomatic missions from Afghanistan, India’s commitment to the people of Afghanistan can be found in her actions.

“India sent next shipment of 3000 MTs of wheat today to Afghanistan. Our commitment to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people remains steadfast. As on date, India has successfully completed shipment of 33,500 MTs of wheat to Afghanistan in partnership with WFP,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs stated after the quake.

Earlier, India requested Pakistan in October for her land transit facility to send 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. Islamabad took more than a month to send a positive response on this. India and Pakistan, the two sides arranged the transportation of the aid from India. Fifty trucks carried the first consignment of 2,500 metric tonnes of wheat to Jalalabad in Afghanistan.


“In order to closely monitor and coordinate the efforts of various stakeholders for the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and in continuation of our engagement with the Afghan people, an Indian technical team has reached Kabul today and has been deployed in our Embassy there,” the Ministry of External Affairs of India said in a statement.

India has affirmed that her commitment towards Afghanistan will be guided by its “historical friendship and special relationship with the people of Afghanistan.” On June 2, an Indian delegation led by Indian envoy JP Singh visited Kabul to monitor delivery operations of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The delegation inspected the sites of Indian projects including Indira Gandhi Children Hospital, Habibia High School, Chimtala sub-power station and the food grain distribution center of WFP. India has signed an agreement with WFP for fair distribution of its 50,000 MT of wheat among the Afghans.

While in Kabul, J.P. Singh called on Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaki and Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai. India refrained from dealing with Taliban directly but India held a dialogue with Taliban formally last year on 31 August 2021. Indian Ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, called on Stanikzai, then incharge of Taliban’s Political Office in Doha.

Seismic waves created the Himalayas or the Hindu Kush. And the same waves turned lively villages of Patika into debris. Such Seismic movements may cause enormous destruction in Afghanistan in future. Located in the Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan is earth-quake prone. In this location, the Arabian, Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Prior to the quake, Taliban, the incumbent in Kabul was inundated by several challenges.

The disaster has mounted more challenges before the Taliban. The administration in Kabul has reasons to worry and measures to take.

AUTHOR

Ayanangsha Maitra is a freelance journalist and PhD researcher. He writes for Khaama Press from India and tweets @Ayanangsha

PAKISTAN

Mountain villages fight for future as melting glaciers threaten floods

Tariq Jamil, 51, chair of the Community Based Disaster Risk Management Centre, walks with a hiking stick to check the ice on the Shisper glacier, near Hassanabad village, Hunza valley, in the Karakoram mountain range in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, on October 10 2023.
Image: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

24 November 2023 - BY CHARLOTTE GREENFIELD

On the steep slope of a glacier jutting through the Hunza valley in Pakistan's mountainous far north, Tariq Jamil measures the ice's movement and snaps photos. Later, he creates a report that includes data from sensors and another camera installed near the Shisper glacier to update his village an hour's hike downstream.

The 51-year-old's mission: mobilise his community of 200 families in Hassanabad, in the Karakoram mountains, to fight for a future for their village and way of life, increasingly under threat from unstable lakes formed by melting glacier ice.

When glacial lakes overfill or their banks become unsound, they burst, sparking deadly floods that wash out bridges and buildings and wipe out fertile land throughout the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalayan mountain ranges that intersect in northern Pakistan.

Himalayan glaciers are on track to lose up to 75% of their ice by the century's end due to global warming, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

After all the sensors are installed, village representatives will be able to monitor data through their mobiles, Jamil said. “Local wisdom is very important: we are the main observers. We have witnessed many things.”

Hassanabad is part of the UN-backed Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) II project to help communities downstream of melting glaciers adapt.

Amid a shortfall in funding for those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, village residents say they urgently need increased support to adapt to threats of glacial lake floods.

“The needs are enormous,” said Karma Lodey Rapten, Regional Technical Specialist for Climate Change Adaptation at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Pakistan is the only country to receive adaptation funding from the Green Climate Fund — the Paris Agreement's key financing pot — to ease the risk of such floods.

While countries like Bhutan have worked with other funders to minimise the threat from glacial lake floods, the $36.96m (R697.94m) GLOF II scheme — which ends in early 2025 — is a global benchmark for other regions grappling with this threat, including the Peruvian Andes and China.

Since 2017, weather stations as well as sensors measuring rainfall, water discharge, and river and lake water levels have been installed under the administration of Islamabad and UNDP. GLOF II has deployed speakers in villages to communicate warnings, and infrastructure like stone-and-wire barriers that slow floodwater.

In Hassanabad, a villager regularly monitors the feed from a camera installed high up the valley for water levels in the river by the glacier's base during risky periods such as summer, when a lake dammed by ice from Shisper glacier often forms.


Pakistan is among the world's most at-risk countries from glacial lake floods, with 800,000 people living within 15km of a glacier. Many residents of the Karakorams built their homes on lush land along rivers running off glaciers.

In neighbouring India in October, floods probably triggered by a partial glacial lake burst in the Himalayas, following an avalanche and heavy rains, likely killed 179 people. Many remain missing. An early warning system was being installed near the lake, but it had not been completed.

DEADLY RISKS

As many as 15-million people worldwide are at risk of glacial lake flooding, with 2-million of them in Pakistan, according to a February study published in scientific journal Nature Communications.

From 2018 to 2021, about 14 GLOFs occurred in Pakistan, but that spiked to 75 in 2022, according to UNDP.

Jamil's village had close calls from floods, according to residents and officials. Over the past three years, residents repeatedly evacuated just in time to avoid loss of life, and many fear a flood while they sleep. Others struggle financially as their land and homes were destroyed, most recently in 2022.

In Chalt village, a few hours away, a torrent of black water rushed down the valley last year. Zahra Ramzan's 11-year-old son Ali Mohammad was swept away.

“I'm in very deep grief. I could not see my son again, even a body,” said the 40-year-old.

The village has had little information about the risks, residents said. Ramzan gets nervous whenever there is heavy rain or flooding, refusing to allow her surviving children out of sight.

In Hassanabad, Jamil is trying to manage these risks. He and 23 other volunteers have trained in first aid and evacuation planning. They monitor the glacier and consult with outside experts and officials each summer.

They are hoping to receive international financing for 20 times the length of barrier wall than is currently funded. They also want interest-free loans to rebuild destroyed homes and adapt their housing with stronger material, as well as better mobile reception to access the monitoring feed.

PLEA FOR ADAPTATION FUNDING

With the UN's COP28 climate summit scheduled to begin on November 30, pressure is ramping up on wealthy countries to fulfil promises to help developing nations.

The Green Climate Fund said in October it had raised $9.3bn (R175.62bn), short of its $10bn (R188.84bn) target.

Wealthy nations are set to meet a broader $100bn (R1.89-trillion) climate finance pledge to developing countries this year, three years late and short of the actual needs, estimated by the UN at over $200bn (R3.78-trilion) annually by 2030.

ICIMOD said changes driven by global warming to glaciers in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region are “largely irreversible.” The region has over 200 glacial lakes considered dangerous.

Darkut village, also part of GLOF II, sits surrounded by mountains and glaciers above verdant plains where yaks graze. At the bottom of nearby Darkut Glacier lies a deep turquoise lake.

“Until 1978 ... this whole place was a glacier, the pool of water came later,” said 75-year-old Musafir Khan, pointing at the lake that formed as the glacier receded.

Unlike the ice-dammed lake at Shisper, Darkut is formed in the soil and rock landscape left by a receding glacier.

In northern Pakistan, such moraine-dammed lakes are linked to comparatively few GLOFs, according to ICIMOD researcher Sher Muhammad, but in other parts of mountainous Asia they have been associated with higher casualty rates than ice-dammed lakes.

The risks of both types of lakes may increase, Muhammad said.

Muhammad Yasin, an environmental sciences graduate researcher at Karakorum International University, is studying the extent to which Darkut glacier is melting.

“We have [told] the community that risk factors exist in this lake, you should be aware of this,” he said.

Many families have left over the years after previous flash floods, said Khan, who was born in the remote village, but hundreds rebuilt nearby.

In Hassanabad, the prospect of moving also fills many with disbelief. Their families have lived off orchard fields surrounded by soaring mountains for 400 years, growing produce and grazing livestock high in the plains. Many say they have no resources to move from the village, where their ancestors are buried.

“If the flood will cut us off, we will miss the nature of this village, our neighbours and relatives,” said Tehzeeb, Jamil's 15-year-old daughter.

“Like a bird in a cage,” Jamil said of moving to a city. He was open to exploring the option, but said he would focus on keeping the village alive.

“It's my responsibility to prevent the community from (facing) any disaster.”

https://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2023/11/pakistan-facing-melting-glaciers.html

The Kalash People: The Lost Blonde Hair and Blue Eye Tribe of Alexander the Great in Pakistan

by Moe |  LOST ARYAN TRIBE LIKE THE YAZEDI

In the back country of Pakistan, you will find a unique ancient tribe of people who reside in the Chitral District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. What makes them unique to most Pakistanis is the fact that many people in the tribe have blonde hair and blue eyes. Let me also add that they claim to descend from Greece in the time of Alexander the Great.

It is no secret that Alexander the Great had conquered these lands over 2,000 year ago and had occupied the mountains of northern Pakistan in which he would sow the seeds of a tribe that lives on to this very day. Many experts, scientists and authors agree that the Kalash Tribes shows all the signs, rites, history and possibly the DNA of the ancient Greeks.

For example, in 2014, the New York Times reported that “The Kalash people of Pakistan were found to have chunks of DNA from an ancient European population. Statistical analysis suggests a mixing event before 210 B.C., possibly from the army of Alexander the Great.” Here is a DNA map from the NY Times article showing the possible influx of DNA into the Pakistani region.

A recent study prepared by Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University English Language Department assistant professor Elisavet Mela-Athanasopoulou shows the common elements shared by the language of the Kalash ethnic group in the Himalayas and Ancient Greek. The study proved common elements shared by Kalash language and Ancient Greek.

Who are the Kalash?

The Kalasha (Kalasha: Kaĺaśa, Nuristani: Kasivo) or Kalash, are a Dardic indigenous people residing in the Chitral District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. They speak the Kalasha language, from the Dardic family of the Indo-Iranian branch, and are considered a unique tribe among the Indo-Iranian peoples of Pakistan.

There are an estimated 3,000 Kalasha left in this beautiful tribe, and they have maintained their ancient culture and tribal rites for well over 2,000 years. Part of these rites include the making of distilled spirits and smoking marijuana. Rites that would be a death sentence in the religion of Islam. These rites are protected by a fierce tribal leader who enforces strict policies and keeps a watchful eye over his tribe. For example,  a leader of the Kalash, Saifulla Jan, has recently stated, “If any Kalash converts to Islam, they cannot live among us anymore. We keep our identity strong.”

A Kalashi tribal man, Kazi Khushnawaz was recently quoted saying;

“Long, long ago, before the days of Islam, Sikander e Aazem came to India. The Two Horned one whom you British people call Alexander the Great. He conquered the world, and was a very great man, brave and dauntless and generous to his followers. When he left to go back to Greece, some of his men did not wish to go back with him but preferred to stay here. Their leader was a general called Shalakash (i.e.: Seleucus). With some of his officers and men, he came to these valleys and they settled here and took local women, and here they stayed.

We, the Kalash, the Black Kafir of the Hindu Kush, are the descendants of their children. Still some of our words are the same as theirs, our music and our dances, too; we worship the same gods. This is why we believe the Greeks are our first ancestors.”

The Kalash Tribe Connection With the Religion of the Ancient Jews (Phoenicians/HebrewsGreeks)

The tribe dresses in what can be called traditional old orthodox Jewish-style. Kalasha women usually wear long black robes,

often embroidered with cowrie shells. The children wear their hair in orthodox Jewish-style ringlets and sport bright coloured topi hats. The women sometimes have tattooed faces, wear long black robes with colored embroidery.

The Kalash have no telephone, cars or modern amenities. They make their own bread, clothing, and live from agriculture. They celebrate a week-long Chamos festival with lots of singing, dancing, ritual, feasting and even the sacrifice of a goat.

During this time, the God Balomain (Baal) passes through the valley collecting prayers. Giant bonfire are lit on hills and torches carried by tribal members in honor of this God. They then dance in circles as they sing and chant around the fire just like can be found with the lost tribes of the American Phoenician Hebrew Indians and with the Irish Phoenician Hebrew in Ireland.

The Guardian reported in 2005 that they were a lost tribe who struggles for survival. Here is a quote from the article;

“Turquoise streams rush through leafy glades of giant walnut trees and swaying crops. Clusters of simple houses cling to steep forested slopes. Compared with many compatriots beyond their valleys, the Kalasha are charmingly liberal: drinking wine, holding dancing festivals and worshipping a variety of gods. Women wear intricately beaded headdresses, not burkas, and may choose their husband.”

“For me, the Kalasha are heroes, because they have reached the 21st century still living like their fathers,” said Athanasius Lerounis, a 50-year-old schoolteacher from Athens supervising construction of the centre, which is due to open next month. “We want to help them preserve that.”

In my many other articles on the Lost Tribes such as the Lost Tribe of Judah Found: The Scattered Children of Bab-El, Lost Tribe of Judah Found: The Bedas, and The American Indians and Phoenician Hebrews: 10 Commandments Found in Arizona I detail that many of these same traits such as the dress, food customs, religious rites and tattoos that is common in almost every single tribe that I have researched.

These tribes can be found all over the world from Egypt to India and all the way to Ireland and England in places such as Kent that was once known as the Old Kingdom of Jute which was originally Juteland or the land of the Jutes. Jutland, is regarded as Judah’s land.  An adjective for Jute is “Jutish,” pronounced jootish. Kent is an early medieval kingdom said to be founded in the 5th century, in what is now South East England. Julius Caesar invaded the area in 55 and 54 BC, and he referred to the kings here as kings of Cantium.

How did the Kalash maintain their tribal rites and religious customs for over 2,000 years?

Even though the Kalash have kept their culture and maintained their tribal rites, many tribal members have been forcibly converted to Islam by the sword under penalty of death. The remaining tribal members are only the result of being isolated in the Pakistan mountains where they could escape and hide from Islamic crusaders. Professor of Islamic studies, U. Mass Dartmouth; and author, Brian Glyn Williams had recently written and article in the Huffington Post titled, The Lost Children of Alexander the Great: A Journey to the Pagan Kalash People of Pakistan. In it he writes;

“High in the snow-capped Hindu Kush on the Afghan-Pakistani border lived an ancient people who claimed to be the direct descendants of Alexander the Great’s troops. While the neighboring Pakistanis were dark-skinned Muslims, this isolated mountain people had light skin and blue eyes. Although the Pakistanis proper converted to Islam over the centuries, the Kalash people retained their pagan traditions and worshiped their ancient gods in outdoor temples. Most importantly, they produced wine much like the Greeks of antiquity did. This in a Muslim country that forbade alcohol.

Tragically, in the 19th century the Kalash were brutally conquered by the Muslim Afghans. Their ancient temples and wooden idols were destroyed, their women were forced to burn their beautiful folk costumes and wear the burqa or veil, and the entire people were converted at swordpoint to Islam. Only a small pocket of this vanishing pagan race survived in three isolated valleys in the mountains of what would later become Pakistan.”

A 2009 article in the Telegraph explains how this tribe was also recently the targets of the conservative Islamic militant group known as the Taliban. The Telegraph had written:

“The group, believed to be descendants of Alexander the Great’s invading army, were shielded from conservative Islam by the steep slopes of their remote valleys.

While Sikhs, Hindus, and Christians were slowly driven out of Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province by Muslim militants, the Kalash were free to drink their own distilled spirits and smoke cannabis.

But the militant maulanas of the Taliban have finally caught up with them and declared war on their culture and heritage by kidnapping their most devoted supporter.

Taliban commanders have taken Professor Athanasion Larounis, a Greek aid worker who has generated £2.5 million in donations to build schools, clinics, clean water projects and a museum.

They are now demanding £1.25 million and the release of three militant leaders in exchange for his safe return.

According to local police, it was Professor Larounis’s dedication to preserving Kalasha culture that Taliban commanders in Nuristan, on the Afghan side of the border that made him a target.

Confirmation of the Taliban’s role in his kidnapping came as their leader Mullah Omar urged American and Nato leaders to learn from the history of Alexander the Great’s invasion of Afghanistan and his defeat by Pushtun tribesmen in the 4BC.”

More research and videos of the Kalash

Kalash Religion –

Harvard University

by M Witzel

Kalash Religion. (Extract from: The Ṛgvedic Religious System and its Central Asian and. Hindukush Antecedents. A. Griffiths & J.E.M. Houben (eds.). The Vedas:.

Pakistan’s polytheistic Kalash tribe threatened with death by Taliban

The Guardian

Feb 13, 2014 – Video released by Taliban calls on Sunnis to join fight against Kalashpeople and moderate Ismaili Muslims in Chitral valley.