As we saw earlier, the Mongol-Trakhanid confrontation in what is today Gilgit-Baltistan involved the Trakhans trying to inflict losses on the Mongols, who were trying to flee the foreign land. Let us examine the ‘Darband Stratagem’ referred to earlier in more detail.
The word Darband comes from Persian and means ‘Blocked Route’. It is the name of a narrow defile located in the Yarkhun valley of Chitral, in the vicinity of Darkot pass.
The Darband stratagem is the epitome of ancient forms of mountain warfare of the people of Gilgit and Chitral. Our understanding of it comes from the year 1868, when an astonishingly identical war was fought between the Chitralis and the Badakshis at the same area due to similar reasons to the earlier Mongol-Trakhanid clashes that we have examined, where it was last employed.
This product of Chitrali ingenuity was a version of the shock and awe military strategy. It consisted of luring in the enemy into the severely steep gorge of Darband bordered on both sides with astoundingly high ridges and a very narrow defile. The base of the defile itself was set with a hidden net made of rope, shrouded under a thick layer of a creeper plant. The passage would also be riddled with multiple sharp wooden stakes, but the core of the strategy was in the boulders.
The Chitralis would pull massive boulders up the defile and stick them there using multiple substances. Once the plan was set in motion, the cavalry of the invaders would trip the net, destabilizing the ranks of the foreign army as well as lessening their chances of fleeing. Their infantry would be occupied with removing the stakes, further slowing their march. In this state of the enemy’s confusion, the Chitralis would rain colossal boulders like thunderbolts, creating panic and decimating entire hordes of invaders. Those who survived this boulder storm would then face the spears and swords of the Chitrali warriors. Such was the Darband stratagem; swift, concise, panic-instilling and efficient.
Those who survived this boulder storm would then face the spears and swords of the Chitrali warriors
But it must be highlighted that Darband lies much west to the Darkot pass and could have only been the site of the Mongol – Trakhanid battle had the Mongols fled through the Thui pass. Thus, it was more probable that Sau Malik used a similar strategy near Darkot to decimate the fleeing Mongols whereas the
Darband Strategem was restricted to the use of Chitralis. Sau Malik must have employed a similar strategy to heavily damage the fleeing Mongol army in a narrow defile south of the Darkot pass and then confronted them directly near the widening gorges up north. He must have tore apart the Mongol lines near Darkot, since his army did not march any further in their chase.
Sojourn In Badakshan
The events that followed are a source of contention amongst historians. Hashmatullah and Ghulam Muhammad were of the opinion that in the midst of battle, Sau Malik intruded deep into enemy lines and was struck down and imprisoned. He was taken to Badakshan without the captives knowing of his identity. Whereas A.H. Dani and Shah Ra’is Khan were of the opinion that this took place centuries prior to the war between Sau Malik I (Sumalek) and the Tatars, and that it was his son who was imprisoned. We shall be briefly following the former account.
According to this account, Sau Malik was taken to Badakshan and made to work as a chef in the ruler’s palace. He used to collect wood for the kitchen. Years passed and, getting tired of such a life, Sau Malik once again put his craftsmanship to work. One day he started weeping and did not speak to any inquirer passing by. The word of the crying man spread to the palace and the King called for Sau Malik to be brought to the court. Sau Malik informed him that he saw the decaying bones of Tullufer; one of the fastest horses in existence. The King, intrigued by his knowledge of horses, put him in charge of the stables with the sole aim of breeding him a Tullufer horse.
Darband, Yarkhun
Sau Malik accepted and immediately bred him one as well as started taking care of it. A few years passed and the horse was now young and ready. Sau Malik asked for the King to arrange a large banquet for all his neighbours. The day came and all of the dignitaries were huddled in the Royal Gardens. Just as the Mir approached the horse, Sau Malik at once jumped on the mount and in his loud voice proclaimed to the gathering that it was he who had defeated the Mongols, and had been imprisoned and that he was returning to his country. Anyone who could dare catch him could try their best. With this he departed from the Gardens of the Palace in Badakshan and in a frenzied chase where he was being followed by 4 horsemen, he successfully managed to return to Gilgit and resume his duty as the sovereign of the Western Himalayas.
Sau Malik’s rule came to an end in 1345 after 70 years of peace and tranquility. He must have been around 94 years old at the time of his vanishing from the annals of history. His valour against the Mongols formed one of the many instances that the people of Gilgit and Chitral resisted invasions. The last of these invasions took place in 1868, when the last Central Asian army to ever march into South Asia was decimated by the Chitralis at the site of Darband and thus the series of Invasions through the northern passes of the Subcontinent came to an end.
It is clear to deduce that the history of Sau Malik is one difficult to chart out properly, mostly owing to the intermingling of the oral accounts over a span of some eight centuries.
