The smell of gunpowder: In the arms of Darra Adam Khel
Said Rahman Afridi collects guns used during independence war
Said Rahman Afridi collects guns used during independence war. PHOTOS: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
Wanting to relieve some of the thunder of days past, gun enthusiasts in the province collect vintage weapons – a part of their heritage which they pass on as heirlooms.
Said Rahman Afridi, one such collector, told The Express Tribune these guns were used by his elders during the war against the British Raj.
The guns which Said Rahman collects and many others like him were in use decades ago and handcrafted in Darra Adam Khel, a frontier region notorious for being a hub of gun-making. Some of these are replicas, also made in the same area.
As famous as it might be, exploding with myths and dark shadows, no one knows when arms manufacturing actually started in Darra Adam Khel. Locals say the activity was started by Indian craftsmen who came to the region, most likely from Punjab.
Said Rahman himself has collected dozens of these guns from various sources after much effort. The enthusiast has also exported some of them abroad. “Like other Pukhtuns, I’m proud of my collection but unlike modern guns, these muskets cannot be used now,” he said. “[The guns] are our heritage that has to be preserved but most of them were taken away by western countries.”
Locked and loaded
Some of the guns in Said Rahman’s collection were made solely for the protection of workers and owners of the ammunition factories of Darra Adam Khel.
The types and uses of these guns trace the technical evolution and historical legacy of firearms in the area. His collection provides rare insight into 200-year-old weapons, originally owned by locals.
Armed with history
Said Rahman’s guns are an integral part of history; they provide a tangible reference of how these weapons were used by people to resist the British government.
Among the unique items in the collection is a 17th century gun of the nawab of Bahawalpur. The weapon is also embossed with intricate handicraft.
Said Rahman also owns British-made Mark-I dated 1898 rifles, the American submachine gun Thompson, dated 1819, and a number of other hunting weapons. The owner said these can be used today but they are not as effective as their modern cousins. For the collector, these are more decorative as collector’s items.
Exports
He said Darra’s guns were exported to other countries especially Malta, US and Great Britain in the past and huge amounts of revenue used to be generated. He said customs has tightened regulations and now no antiques can be send abroad without a licence.
“We can [still] make our own guns and export it to the world, if the government supports us,” he said. Not even the antiques are exported to foreign countries; they are cheap buys in the local market.
The price of a vintage gun ranges between Rs70, 000 and 200,000. According to Said Rahman, prices are also based on how intricate the work is on the guns and their buttstocks, their condition and their association with people whom they were associated with in the past.
Tales of yore
The use and ownership of guns is part of the social fabric of Fata as well as the settled areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The ownership of weapons is passed down from one generation to the next – the birth of gun collections.
There are also endless tales associated with the collections of “gun people”. Some say guns were given as a reward for their forefathers’ bravery by the British Raj, whereas some fancy their elders used it against the Raj during the resistance.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2016.
Wanting to relieve some of the thunder of days past, gun enthusiasts in the province collect vintage weapons – a part of their heritage which they pass on as heirlooms.
Said Rahman Afridi, one such collector, told The Express Tribune these guns were used by his elders during the war against the British Raj.
The guns which Said Rahman collects and many others like him were in use decades ago and handcrafted in Darra Adam Khel, a frontier region notorious for being a hub of gun-making. Some of these are replicas, also made in the same area.
As famous as it might be, exploding with myths and dark shadows, no one knows when arms manufacturing actually started in Darra Adam Khel. Locals say the activity was started by Indian craftsmen who came to the region, most likely from Punjab.
Said Rahman himself has collected dozens of these guns from various sources after much effort. The enthusiast has also exported some of them abroad. “Like other Pukhtuns, I’m proud of my collection but unlike modern guns, these muskets cannot be used now,” he said. “[The guns] are our heritage that has to be preserved but most of them were taken away by western countries.”
Locked and loaded
Some of the guns in Said Rahman’s collection were made solely for the protection of workers and owners of the ammunition factories of Darra Adam Khel.
The types and uses of these guns trace the technical evolution and historical legacy of firearms in the area. His collection provides rare insight into 200-year-old weapons, originally owned by locals.
Armed with history
Said Rahman’s guns are an integral part of history; they provide a tangible reference of how these weapons were used by people to resist the British government.
Among the unique items in the collection is a 17th century gun of the nawab of Bahawalpur. The weapon is also embossed with intricate handicraft.
Said Rahman also owns British-made Mark-I dated 1898 rifles, the American submachine gun Thompson, dated 1819, and a number of other hunting weapons. The owner said these can be used today but they are not as effective as their modern cousins. For the collector, these are more decorative as collector’s items.
Exports
He said Darra’s guns were exported to other countries especially Malta, US and Great Britain in the past and huge amounts of revenue used to be generated. He said customs has tightened regulations and now no antiques can be send abroad without a licence.
“We can [still] make our own guns and export it to the world, if the government supports us,” he said. Not even the antiques are exported to foreign countries; they are cheap buys in the local market.
The price of a vintage gun ranges between Rs70, 000 and 200,000. According to Said Rahman, prices are also based on how intricate the work is on the guns and their buttstocks, their condition and their association with people whom they were associated with in the past.
Tales of yore
The use and ownership of guns is part of the social fabric of Fata as well as the settled areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The ownership of weapons is passed down from one generation to the next – the birth of gun collections.
There are also endless tales associated with the collections of “gun people”. Some say guns were given as a reward for their forefathers’ bravery by the British Raj, whereas some fancy their elders used it against the Raj during the resistance.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 10th, 2016.