Zerok District (), also spelled Zirok, is a district of

Paktika Province Paktika (Pashto: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktika has a population of about 789,000 residents, who are mostly ethnic Pashtuns but sma ...

that once was a part of

Paktia Paktia (Pashto – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughly 623,0 ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. The main town is

Zerok Zēṛōk, also known as Ziruk, () is the main town of Zerok District in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It is located within the heart of Zadran land on the main Khost-Urgun road. History On 5 May 1978, two Hezbi Islami members, Jalaludin Ha ...

located on the main

Khost Khōst () is the capital of Khost Province in Afghanistan. It is the largest city in the southeastern part of the country, and also the largest in the region of Loya Paktia. To the south and east of Khost lie Waziristan and Kurram Agency, Kurram i ...

Urgun Urgun () is the main town of the Urgun District of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. With an estimated population of 10,665,Spera District Spera District is situated in the most southwestern part of Khost Province, Afghanistan. It borders with Paktia Province to the south and west, Shamal District to the north. The district is within the heartland of the Zadran tribe of Pashtuns. T ...

Khost province Khost (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan located in the southeastern part of the country. Khost consists of thirteen districts and the city of Khost serves as the capital of the province. Historically, Khost used to be a par ...

, to the southwest by Nika District, to the west by

Urgun District Urgun (, ) is a district of the remote Paktika Province in Afghanistan. Administrative seat The administrative seat of this district is the like-named town of Urgun, also known as ''Loy Urgun'', meaning "Greater Urgun". History Urgun town used ...

and to the north by

Waziristan Waziristan (Persian language, Persian, Pashto, Ormuri, , ) is a mountainous region of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Waziristan region administratively splits among three districts: North Waziristan, Lower South Waziristan Dis ...

. The district has a population of roughly 43,190. The district is within the heartland of the Zadran tribe of

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghan (ethnon ...

. The people speak

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

with Zadran accent.

Demographics

Tribally, the people of Zerok are anikhon Khail, but there are some sub-tribes including: * Soorai (سوری) * Schawzai (شوزی) * Madakai (مدکی) * Alamai (عالمی) * Khudkai (خودکی) * Inbikai (انبکی) * Dabb (ډاب کلی) Dabb is the capital (district centre) of Zerok district. It hosts the District Governor's office, the police headquarters, and a US

Forward Operating Base A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may contain an airbase, hospital, machine shop, and othe ...

(FOB). Some people live outside the villages near the corner of Zerok's basin. These dwellings are called Kasski (). 'Soorgul Kaskai' is located in the west of Zerok and belongs to the Schawzi tribe. The people are united and lesson to their elder. Generosity and hospitality are the other characteristics that are found in Zerok society. Zerok green site

Education

Zerok is known for its interest in modern education. Zerok also has a high number of graduates. The level of education and the percentage of educated people is not higher to compare to other districts such as

Urgun Urgun () is the main town of the Urgun District of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. With an estimated population of 10,665,US base. Students and teachers left their school building because of a possible Taliban mortar missile.

Economy

The economy of Zerok is mainly based on mountains and cultivation. Zerok's mountains contain pine fruit which is comparatively expensive dry fruit. The area of Zerok's mountains is large and enough part is received by each family. When the pine crop is ripe, the elders prepare to divide it according to the number of male persons. In this area, mountains belong to common people not to the government. Each year the pine crops are divided among people. Each person receives a dadai, a certain area or a certain amount of pine trees. This is calculated according to male persons. Women are not calculated for achieving any dadai. Once divided, people go to mountains group by group for harvesting or collecting the pine fruit. It takes 15–30 days to collect the fruit. During this time people live in tents. After harvesting, the cones of pine trees are then put in sunlight in order to prepare for releasing the seeds (fruit). The fruit is then put in sacks and sold in markets. Other crops such as wheat, beans, maize, peas and vegetables such as spinach, carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes are also grown. Other sources for the economy outside of agriculture are truck driving, trade and cattle keeping. Pine Tree with Cones in Paktika

Village life

The life of the people is very simple. People wake up early in the morning and usually at least one person per family go to mountains to bring wood for burning and oak branches for cattle. Zerok's tall mountains are covered with trees and birds. In winter, the mountains are completely covered by snow. Homes are made of mud and stone and due to lack of land, they are built in two and three stories. The villagers sit on the way (piles of small stones) (وړۍ) near shops and have

green tea Green tea is a type of tea made from the leaves and buds of the '' Camellia sinensis'' that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millenn ...

with sweets in their free time. They wear traditional clothes, waist-coats,

turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dolband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...

s (لونګۍ) and boots.

Wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

and

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

ceremonies are also performed according to tradition. Women sing songs, while men dance with local

Attan ''Attan'' (), the national dance of Afghanistan, is a traditional dance originating from the tribal Pashtun regions. The dance is performed during weddings or other celebrations (engagements, weddings and informal gatherings). The Attan was also ...

().

Traditions

As the people living here belong to

Loya Paktia Lōya Paktiā (; lit. Greater Paktia) is a historical and cultural region of Afghanistan, comprising the modern Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia, and Paktika, as well as parts of Logar

, very old traditions are still alive in this society. We can mention the following for examples:"Interview script of Sahib Gul, 02.11.2013", Ziruk District Wedding واده: According to the local elder Sahib Gul, the ceremony performed in weddings is of very old traditions. A boy and girl are not allowed to have any type of relations before the wedding. Neither boys nor girls are allowed to perform any kind of action for their engagement. The engagement decision is in their parent's hands. Usually, the mother of a boy goes any home to ask for the relation of any girl to her son. Once the girl engaged to a boy after sometime marriage ceremony is performed. On the day of marriage, women sing songs while men perform their local Attan. Guns are also fired into the air at some weddings. The bride is decorated by her girlfriends in her home. After her decoration, she is woken up by her brother-in-law usually. The

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

is loaded in trucks and brought to the bridegroom's home along with the people singing on the way. The bridegroom is decorated with confetti and well suited as well. As in European and other countries, there is no

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

in Zerok and in all Zadran tribe. Once the bride has reached the bridegroom's home, women sing songs and the men dance to drum with the local Attan. The people () are served food (dinner or lunch). Rose in ziruk morning

Akhtar or Eid اختر: As in other

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

tribes, people in Ziruk also celebrate Akhtar or Eid () with great preparations. Children are mostly involved in this regard. There are two Eids in a year; Eidul Adha () and Eidul Fitar (). Children make early preparations for celebrating Akhtar. They collect wood, used tires etc. () for burning fire on the Akhtar night. Women and children decorate hands with

henna Henna is a reddish dye prepared from the dried and powdered leaves of the henna tree. It has been used since at least the ancient Egyptian period as a hair and body dye, notably in the temporary body art of mehndi (or "henna tattoo") resulti ...

(). They collect money from neighbors on the Akhtar night. In the morning (on the first day of Akhtar) they collect sweets () and money from their relatives. Adults pray the Akhtar prayer on the first day of Akhtar. People walk home to eat lunch. Zerok's famous dish 'rice with peas' () is mostly welcomed on this day. Youths play by hitting eggs with each other. Akhtar is celebrated for three days. Funeral ceremony د جنازې مراسم: The people are very supportive during death ceremonies. If someone dies, the owner announces the death to the villagers through the mosques' loudspeakers. For three days the owner of the dead is not allowed to cook anything in their home. Dinner, lunch and breakfast are given by neighbours. The government does not support. The relatives of the dead are noticed and as soon as they reach and see their dead relative, start to cry. The dead are buried after the deceased is seen by almost all of their relatives and friends. After the burial, a suitable amount of money is divided among people as the charity for the dead. Pagara پګړه یا اشر: When someone needs to do any hard task and he or she can not do it alone or want to do it in short time, or if there is a public work such as constructing a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

, road, water canal etc. then people are collected in a group shape called Pagara (). With the help of Pagara, a very hard task is completed in a short time. Narkh نرخ: Narkh is the local law made by the elders of the whole Zadran region. When there is a dispute between two persons or tribes then the issue or dispute is solved according to Narkh. If the Narkhchyan (The people who solve issues and know about Narkh) blame someone or any side, they have two options- to accept or reject. In case of acceptance, the issue is solved while in case of rejection the opponents find other Narkhchyan and want to challenge the former Narkhchi. Narkhchi نرخ ویونکی: The people who know more about Narkh and can solve issues. An amount of money called Bedona is given to them. The plural for Narkhchi is Narkhchyan. Bedona بدونا: The amount of money given to Narkhchi is called Bedona. Amount of Bedona is selected by Narkhchyan. Nanawathy ننوتي: If any conflict occurs between two persons or tribes e.g. one person or tribe kill anybody from another, then a

ram Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

is brought and slaughtered by the murderer to the murdered relatives' home for rehabilitation. If it is accepted by the relatives of the murdered then the dispute is peacefully solved otherwise Badi is caused between them. Badi بدي: Badi is the enmity between two opponents. Chigha چیغه: When something dangerous or illegal has happened to one of the villagers, e.g. other villagers have beaten or killed someone. In such cases, the people collectively come out of their homes and try to catch the criminals. Chigha is formed in extreme emergency situations.

Shrines

The people of Zerok are religious. They accept those as

saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...

who seem sinless in the society. They believe saints are close to

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

and when they pray, Allah accepts it soon. When such people die, their graves are made as tombs and people go there and alongside pray to Allah when they want something special. They believe Allah accepts the demands of those better who begin

shrines A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daemon, or similar figure of respect, wh ...

. There are many shrines in Zerok but the famous one is Kari shrine ().

Folklore

The people of Zerok have interesting beliefs, music, oral poetry, jokes and stories.

Beliefs

Eye blinking: Eye blinking is supposed as remembering of someones by others. When someone's eye start to blink he/she says someone remembers me. People think they are praised somewhere. Crow's caw: When a

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

caws on the top of someone's home or on a tree near the home, they think someone has come home. The caw is believed as a message of any guest coming.

Sport and hobby

There are different plays played by residents according to season. The most famous hobbies are

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

(), Andai (),

marbles A marble is a small spherical object often made from glass, clay, steel, plastic, or agate. These toys can be used for a variety of games called marbles, as well being placed in marble runs or races, or created as a form of art. They are ofte ...

(), and

checkers Checkers (American English), also known as draughts (; English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), is a group of Abstract strategy game, strategy board games for two players which involve forward movements of uniform game ...

(). Those who do not play pass their time in tea shops. They order black and green tea along with sweets and sit down in circles. They share the daily news and joke with each other.

References

{{Paktika Province Districts of Paktika Province