Kalash Community School - Birir Valley

The Kalash are a tribal people who live in three valleys of the Hindu Kush mountain range in Pakistan's Northwest.

Their ancestry is enveloped in mystery and is the subject of controversy. Some historians believe the Kalash are descendants of the soldiers of Alexander the Great. Others say the Kalash ancestors migrated to Afghanistan from a distant place in South Asia and that they are indigenous who came from what is now the Nuristan area. However, it has been established that the Kalash migrated to Chitral, Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, from Afghanistan in the 2nd century B.C. by the 10th century A.D.

The Kalash are a friendly and cheerful bunch, who love music and dancing, particularly on their religious festivals. With original customs, clothes, religion and beliefs, this people are unique in the Muslim universe around Pakistan and have tried to keep their traditions and heritage alive througout the times.

The thriving Kalash culture began to fall in 1320 A.D. when villages were subjected to mass Islamic conversion. Its population decreased from 10.000 in 1951 to 3.700 in 1998 and nowdays the Kalash are one of the world's endangered minority communities.