Amb () or the State of Amb was a princely state in the present-day

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

region of Pakistan. Together with

Phulra Phulra or the State of Phulra () was a Muslim princely state in the days of British Raj and ruled by the Tanoli tribe, located in the region of the North West Frontier to the east of the nearby parent princely state of Amb (Tanawal). T ...

, it was known as Feudal Tanawal ruled by Tanoli tribe. A Royal Tenure start from

Timurid Empire The Timurid Empire was a late medieval, culturally Persianate, Turco-Mongol empire that dominated Greater Iran in the early 15th century, comprising modern-day Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, much of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and parts of co ...

and end on Last Nawab Muhammad Farid Khan Tanoli. Amb was only powerful state incorporated in Pakistan with armed civilized military of 12,000 men, 300

Howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

with their own manufacturing arms factory, today part of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

.Syed Murad Ali,"Tarikh-e-Tanawaliyan"(Urdu), Pub. Lahore, 1975, pp.84Ghulam Nabi Khan"Alafghan Tanoli"(Urdu), Pub. Rawalpindi, 2001, pp.244 Amb had a influence control roots in

Swat A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...

, Dir and

Chitral Chitral () is a city situated on the Kunar River, Chitral River in northern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Lower Chitral District, and was previously the capital of Chitral District, and before ...

. A gaining of powerful roots of Amb military start from

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company which took place from 1848 to 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab region, Punjab and what sub ...

when

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

provide military equipment to Jehandad Khan Tanoli to fight against Sikh, and then next

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

Second anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the latter was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dy ...

. At the end of December 1947, the Nawab of Amb state acceded to Pakistan while retaining internal self-government. Amb continued as a princely state of Pakistan until 1969, when it was incorporated into the North West Frontier Province (now

). The state was named after the town of Amb. After the death of the last Nawab, Muhammad Farid Khan Tanoli, the fighting between the descendants of the state of Amb for power continued, which ended in 1971, when the

Pakistani army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

ended or occupied the integration. In 1972, the recognition of their royal status was ended by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

. In 1974, the

Tarbela Dam Tarbela Dam (, ) is an embankment dam, earth-filled dam along the Indus River in Pakistan, Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It is mainly located in Haripur Tehsil. It is about from the city of Topi, Pakistan, Swabi KPK, northwest of Isla ...

completely destroyed the capital of Amb and the palaces of the Amb state.

List of Nawabs of Amb

Wealth and military status

Amb was considered a powerful and important state during

Durrani The Durrānī (, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes, tribal confederation of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan (Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, ...

, Mughal and

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. The total revenue of the state in 1901 was 36-42 lakhs when the price of 1 tola gold is 20 British Rupee. In 1901, state's income was 6 lakhs and second part of its revenue was the collection of tax from other state's

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

s and

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

hs, who used the routes of Tanawal and

Attock Attock ( Punjabi, ), formerly known as Campbellpur (Punjabi, ), is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, not far from the country's capital Islamabad. It is the headquarters of the Attock District and is 36th largest city in the Punjab and 61st largest c ...

for visiting other countries. This tax was also collected by Traders and

Merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

s who used that routes. In this way, Nawab of Amb fought many wars with British,

and

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

this is the main cause of war.

History

Amb state, once known as ''Mulk-e-Tanawal'' (country/area of Tanawal), was the home of the Tanoli. The region's early history dates back to the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

, when around year 1647, the Tanoli tribe conquered and settled by the Indus River, surrounded by wide area, which came to be known as Tanawal. Before Tanawal, it was known as the Pakhli Sultanate (

Karluks The Karluks (also Qarluqs, Qarluks, Karluqs, , Qarluq, Para-Mongolic languages, Para-Mongol: Harluut, zh, s=葛逻禄, t=葛邏祿 ''Géluólù'' ; customary phonetic: ''Gelu, Khololo, Khorlo'', , ''Khallokh'', ''Qarluq'') were a prominent no ...

Turk), which ruled over Hazara, who came to

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

around 1380 to 1390. This was the only state of the

which did not pay tax to Delhi. The rule of the

ended when the Swatis arrived. The last Karluks ruler was Sultan Mehmood Khurd, accordingly the start of Tanoli's rule.Swati invasion vre The ancestry can be traced back to the

Ghilji The Ghiljī (, ; ) also spelled Khilji, Khalji, or Ghilzai and Ghilzay (), are one of the largest Pashtuns, Pashtun tribes. Their traditional homeland is Ghazni and Qalati Ghilji in Afghanistan but they have also settled in other regions throu ...

who are the descendants of Bettani. When the Durrani tribe arrived in India, the Tanoli chieftain

Suba Khan Tanoli Zabardust Khan Tanoli, known by his nickname Suba Khan Tanoli, was a chieftain of the Tanoli tribe and the Nawab of Kashmir and Mashrik-i- Kandahar (present day Khyber Paktunkhwa) in 18th century Mughal India. He fought at the Third Batt ...

accepted

rule in 1755 and helped the empire during the

Third Battle of Panipat The Third Battle of Panipat took place on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha Empire and the invading army of the Durrani Empire. The battle took place in and around the city of Panipat, approximately north of Delhi. The Afghan (ethnonym), Af ...

. In 1854, the British frontier officer General James Abbott postulated that Aornos was located on the Mahaban range, south of modern

Buner District Buner District (, ) is a district in the Malakand Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Before receiving the status of a district in 1991, it was a tehsil within Swat District. Buner's elevation starts at 1200 ft in the S ...

. In 1839, he proposed to recognise Embolina, as had

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia M ...

's mercenary General Claude Auguste Court, as the village of Amb situated on the right bank of the Indus eight miles east of Mahaban. This became the location from which it is thought that the

s of Amb took their title in later years. File:Field_Marshal_Sir_Claude_John_Eyre_Auchinleck%2C_Commander_in_Chief_of_India_reviewing_Tanoli_soldiers_from_Amb_State_Guard%2C_Darband%2C_1941.jpg, The army of Amb state get trained by Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck. File:Nawab Mohammad Khan Zaman Khan.jpg, Nawab Sir Muhammad Khan Zaman Khan Tanoli, Nawab of Amb. At Darband, Amb State, 1923 File:1917 Darband, SIR GEORGE ROOSE KEPPEL, SAHIBAZADA SIR ABDUL QAYUM.jpg, This picture is from 1917, Darband. In this photo: Nawab Sir Muhammad Khan Zaman Khan Tanoli (seated second from left), Sir George Roos-Keppel (seated third from left), Sahibzada Sir Abdul Qayyum Khan (seated first from right). (Sitting ground centre) Nawabzada Muhammad Farid Khan Tanoli (son and successor of Nawab Sir Muhammad Khan Zaman Khan of Amb) File:Nawabzada Mohammad Ismail Khan Of Amb State.jpg, Standing, left to right: Doctor Masdar Ali (Physician of the Nawab of Amb), some servants of the Nawab of Amb) Sitting: Nawabzada Mohammad Ismail Khan Tanoli of Chanser and brother of Nawab Khan i Zaman Khan Tanoli File:Islamia_College_Peshawar_(Public_Sector_University),_Khyber_Pakhtunkhwa,_Pakistan_cropped.jpg, Islamia college Peshawar Made by Muhammad Khan Zaman Khan Tanoli. File:Shergarh_Fort.jpg, Shergarh fort is the last standing fort of the Nawab of Amb.

Descent and ruling dynasty

The Tanoli are basically Afghans and Pashtuns The Tanoli submitted to British colonial rule in the 1840s.

Nawab Khan Tanoli

Mir Nawab Khan Tanoli was the ruler of The Tanawal valley and the Chief of the Hazara region from circa 1810 until he died in 1818. During his rule, he faced many attacks from the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...

and

Durrani Empire The Durrani Empire, colloquially known as the Afghan Empire, or the Saddozai Kingdom, was an Afghanistan, Afghan empire founded by the Durrani tribe of Pashtuns under Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747, which spanned parts of Central Asia, the Iranian ...

, resulting in a significant loss of territory. He was 26 years old, when he was assassinated by Azim Khan on October 13, 1818 in the Stratagem of Peshawar. The main reason for the war is that Mir Nawab Khan defied

and the other main reason was that, when Azim Khan's mother was traveling to

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

via Tanwal, Nawab Khan's soldier collected the taxes from her. Azim Khan then traveled through Tanwal and then Nawab Khan's soldiers collected taxes through Azim Khan as well. After Azim Khan took the complaint to the Afghan court, the Afghan Ruler of that time immediately sent his army. Nawab Khan Tanoli's sons, Painda Khan and Maddad Khan began the series of rebellion against the

Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...

and

, which continued throughout his lifetime.

Painda Khan Tanoli

From about 1813, Painda Khan Tanoli is famed for his staunch rebellion against Maharaja

's governors of Hazara. He was the son of

Mir Nawab Khan Tanoli Mir Nawab Khan Tanoli was the ruler of The Tanawal valley and the Chief of the Hazara region from circa 1810 until he died in 1818. During his rule, he faced many attacks from the Sikh Empire and Durrani Empire, resulting in a significant loss ...

. From about 1813, Painda Khan Tanoli engaged in a lifelong rebellion against the

, who, realizing the potential dangers of his rebellion, set up forts at strategic locations to keep him in check.

Hari Singh Nalwa Hari Singh Nalwa (29 April 1791 – 30 April 1837) was the commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army, Sikh Khalsa Fauj, the army of the Sikh Empire. He is known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Peshaw ...

took this initiative during his governorship. To consolidate his hold on Tanawal and to unite the Tanoli people, Tanoli first had to contend with his major rivals within the tribe itself, that is, the chiefs of the Suba Khani/Pallal Khel section, whom he subdued after a bitter struggle. Tanoli set the tone for regional resistance in Upper Hazara against Sikh rule. In 1828, he created and gifted the smaller neighbouring state of

to his younger brother

Maddad Khan Tanoli Maddad Khan Tanoli (1809-1888) was the younger brother of Mir Painda Khan. He played a considerable part in fighting the Sikh Empire with his brother Mir Painda Khan, Painda Khan. His brother Painda Khan gifted him land as Jagirdar. His one of d ...

. Painda Khan briefly took over the valley of Agror in 1834. Agror was restored to Ata Muhammad Khan, the chief of that area, a descendant of Akhund Ahmed Sad-ud-din.

Jehandad Khan Tanoli

He was the son of Mir Painda Khan Tanoli. In 1852, Jehandad Khan Tanoli was summoned by the President of the Board of Administration about a murder enquiry of two British officers, supposedly on his lands. In fact, this was related to the murder of two British salt tax collectors by some tribesmen in the neighbouring Kala Dhaka or Black Mountain area, which eventually led to the punitive First Black Mountain campaign/expedition of 1852. The Board of Administration President was Sir John Lawrence (later the Lieutenant-Governor of the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

), and he visited Haripur, in Hazara, where he invited many Hazara chiefs to see him on various matters, at a general Durbar. Jehandad Khan Tanoli succeeded in establishing his innocence and consolidated his position. Jahandad Khan Tanoli's relationship with

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

is summed in the following lines in a letter dated 8 January 1859 from R. Temple, Secretary to the Punjab Chief Commissioner, addressed to the Punjab Financial Commissioner: "'5. The term "Jagir" has never appeared to me applicable in any sense to this ehandad Khan'shereditary domain pper Tannowul for it was never granted as such by the Sikhs or by our Government; we upheld the Khan as we found him in his position as a feudal lord and large proprietor.' Jehandad's son, Nawab Bahadur Sir Muhammed Akram Khan Tanoli, was given the title of ''Nawab'' (Sovereign Ruler) in perpetuity by the British.

Muhammad Akram Khan Tanoli

The next chief of the Tanoli, a son of Jahandad Khan Tanoli, was Akram Khan Tanoli KCSI 68–1907). He was a popular chief. During his tenure, the fort at Shergarh was built along with forts in Dogah and Shahkot. His rule was a peaceful time for Tanawal. He opposed construction of schools in the state, on advice given by British.

Muhammad Khan Zaman Khan Tanoli

Khan Zaman Khan Tanoli succeeded his father, taking over the reins of power in Tanawal in Amb. He helped the British in carrying out the later Black Mountain (Kala Dhaka/Tor Ghar) expeditions.

Muhammad Farid Khan Tanoli

Muhammad Farid Khan Tanoli had good relations with

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

and

Liaqat Ali Khan Liaquat Ali Khan (1 October 189516 October 1951) was a Pakistani lawyer, politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 1947 until Assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan, his assassinati ...

. His contributions to the Pakistan movement have been acknowledged by letters from Jinnah.Quaid-I-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah Papers: First Series, Volume III: On the Threshold of Pakistan, 1–25 July 1947 By Mahomed Ali Jinnah, Z. H. Zaidi Contributor Z. H. Zaidi (Oxford University Press, 1997, , , 1120 pages, digitized 29 August 2008) In 1947, he acceded his state to Pakistan by signing the

Instrument of Accession The Instrument of Accession was a legal document first introduced by the Government of India Act 1935 and used in 1947 to enable each of the rulers of the princely states under British paramountcy to join one of the new dominions of Dominion ...

in favour of Pakistan. In 1969, the state was incorporated into the North West Frontier Province (now

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a province of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the fourth largest province of Paki ...

) and in 1972, the Government of Pakistan ceased to recognise the royal status of the Nawab.

Muhammad Saeed Khan Tanoli

Muhammad Saeed Khan Tanoli, son of Muhammad Farid Khan Tanoli, the last nawab of Amb, studied at the Burn Hall School in

Abbottabad Abbottabad is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It is the 40th largest city in the country and 6th largest in the province by population, and serves as the headquarter of its namesake tehsil and district ...

(now the Army Burn Hall College) and the Gordon College in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

. Nawab Saeed Khan Tanoli ruled for a period of three years.

Salahuddin Saeed Khan Tanoli

Salahuddin Saeed Khan Tanoli is the present chief of Tanolis and the titular Nawab of Amb. He is the son of Nawab Muhammad Saeed Khan Tanoli. He holds the record as the youngest parliamentarian ever elected to the Pakistan National Assembly, and then went on to be elected five times to the Pakistan National Assembly (from 1985 to 1997), a feat achieved by only seven other Pakistani parliamentarians, including the former Pakistani prime minister,

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...

.Pakistan Election Commission – Unique Stats: http://www.ecp.gov.pk/content/uniquestats.html

Amb State Postal Service and Passport

Existing alongside

were hundreds of princely states, some 565 in all, but most of them did not issue postage stamps. Only around forty of the states issued their own postage stamps, and Amb State was one of them, having its own postal service. The rest used the stamps of the All India Postal Service.

Present geography

The state consists of the following present day Union Councils of

Mansehra Mansehra (Urdu, ) is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. By population, it is the List of largest cities in Pakistan, 71st largest city in the country and the List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, ...

, Torghar, and Haripur Districts: The Mansehra and Torghar districts include Bandi Shungli, Shergarh, Karorri, Nika Pani, Darband, Dara Shanaya, Swan Miara, Lassan Nawab,

Perhinna Perhana () is a village and union councils of Pakistan, union council (an administrative subdivision) of Mansehra District in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is located in the south of the district and lies to the west of the distr ...

, Phulrra, Jhokan, and Palsala. The Haripur district includes Baitgali, Nara AmaNara Amazz, Kalinjar, and

Beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

Also read

Politics of Pakistan The Politics of Pakistan ( ; ISO: ''Siyāsiyāt-e-Pākistāna'') takes place within the framework established by the constitution. The country is a federal parliamentary republic in which provincial governments enjoy a high degree of ...

History of Pakistan The history of Pakistan prior to its independence in 1947 spans several millennia and covers a vast geographical area known as the Greater Indus region. Anatomically modern humans arrived in what is now Pakistan between 73,000 and 55,000 yea ...

List of Indian princely states Before the partition of India in 1947, about 584 princely states, also called "native states", existed in India. These were not part of British India, the parts of the Indian subcontinent which were under direct British administration, but ...

* Shergarh, Tanawal

References

External links

Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amb (Princely State) History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Princely states of Pakistan 1507 establishments in India 1969 disestablishments in Pakistan States and territories established in the 19th century States and territories disestablished in 1969 Amb (princely state)