Shah Borray

Shah Borray of the Dilzak

Imagine an excellent archer, with a hard bow slung across the shoulder demonstrating excellent horsemanship, kamarband around a narrow waist surrounded by men who are in awe. Always in the middle of the thickest of battle, never missing a mark with either spear or arrow, this salar of the Muqadmatil-jaish was known for night raids (shabkhoon). An arrow from her bow would pierce through the hardest of surfaces, and no battle started without her. This remarkable woman was present at jirgas and battles, dressed in mens clothes, no one thought her an odd sight.

Briefly mentioned in Tavarikh-e-Rahmath Khani, Shah Boorray is one of the few women who is actually mentioned by name and that too with awe and reverence.
Shah Boorray the daughter of Abdur Rhamn Umarkhail Dilazak, lived in the village of Kalpanri. This village back then was split in half by a deep stream and the two sides were bridged by bamboo trunks tied together. Surrounded by tall bamboos (up to 7 yards tall), and narkal trees teaming with man eating wildlife, it was a tough place to live in.
For unknown reasons she had turned her back on the life of women and had somehow managed to break conventions and be accepted as an equal among men. She owned property and wealth in her own right and refused to get married.
One day in the search of some runaway slaves she set out with a group of her relatives, as they spread out that day to cover more ground she found herself alone with a man from her tribe called Rustam. As dusk approached they settled down for the night and it was decided Shah Boorray would take first watch. When it was Rustam's turn Shah Boorray lay down to sleep.
Rustam watched over the sleeping woman and was tempted to kiss her. Knowing her refusal to get married, Rustam thought he could trick her into marrying him. He also knew that she would not take kindly to what she would see as betrayal of her trust, so as dawn broke he moved her sword and bow out of her reach and saddled his horse. He stole one quick kiss and then bit her cheek hard enough to break the skin and leave his teeth mark. Rudely awakened Shah Boorray reached to grab her weapons only to find them missing. Rustam jumped on to his horse and galloped off as fast as his horse would carry him and went into hiding.
Embarrassed, humiliated and extremely angry she searched for him, but the news spread among the Dilazak like wild fire, so she went home and refused to come out. She was obsessed with killing Rustum and plotted ways to murder him, yet she acknowledged that killing him would not remove the stain of shame that she felt. Rustam in the mean while had proposed marriage and Shah Boorray refused yet again saying she would rather marry someone else than let him win.
After a while she came to the conclusion that either way if she killed him or married another man she would never be able to change what had happened or stop the sneering. She finally reached the conclusion that the best way to get even would be to marry him.
For the first time that people could remember Shah Boorray wore womens clothes and had her hair braided, with a lot of fanfare she married Rustam. She started to observe purdah, but always carried her bow and arrows with her. A few times she did join battles with her husband but wore a veil.
When Babar at the urging of Malik Hamza Gigiani came to attack the Dilazak, he attacked one side of the village in the early dawn, while the other side awakened by the screaming and fracas thinking it was a man eating beast that had attacked were slow to respond. Once they figured out what was happening the men armed themselves and tried to cross the bridge only to find the Mughals waiting for them. The ensuing battle gave enough time for the women children and elderly to run to the mountains.
Rustam was sick and could not go to battle nor could Shah Boorray convince him to leave the village and escape. She had fought hard that day convinced that they would not be defeated but she saw everyone she knew fall around her. She went back to Rustam and asked him to leave telling him that she would cover their backs, but he refused yet again saying that he would only endanger her safety by slowing her down. Hard headed they both refused to budge and in the end Shah Boorray took her bow and arrows and standing just inside her doorway keeping an eye on Rustam she killed many men.
Her arrows never missed and always hit their mark, as the approaching front line Mughals started falling, it terrified those behind them and they shouted that surely this must be the work of some treacherous creature. They changed track and approached from behind where they showered arrows till there was no response from inside. On entering they found a woman clutching a bow on the ground and a man who was dead. Babar who had heard of this excellent archer wanted to see who it was and on being told that it was a woman he ordered that she be brought before him with great respect and honor.
When they went to bring her she had already died and it is said that Babar was very sad. He had her buried with great respect. For as long as he lived if anyone ever talked about the battle or the Dilazak, Babar never failed to mention the brave Shah Boorray and her incredible marksmanship.

courtesy: pashtunwomen.org