THE ANCIENT ORIGIN OF THE “KALASA

by Efstathia Karavatsou

The Kalasa according to what it is said, are descendants of the Greek troops of the army of Alexander the Great. They have named their first king Selefkos who according to history was one of the generals of Alexander’s army.

 

Their homeland, their residence and their country, is in and within three (3) valleys located at the borders of Pakistan with Afghanistan.

 

They are a peaceful and religious community which with real heroism, insistence and endurance, survived through many centuries facing always very hard conditions. Survived through many centuries facing always very hard conditions.

 

They maintain, from generation to generation, possibly for more than 2.000 years many very old Greek traditions, customs, manners and practices, obvious treasures of the long deep past which now should be safeguarded. The precious traditions, which are carried by the Kalasa as a sacred load on, their solders are of enormous ethnological importance with worldwide value and significance.

 

The existence at present of almost 4.000 Kalasa is by itself a fact of a strong historic importance, which should command the respect and attract the interest of all of us.