Heartstrings of the Khyber: A Collection of Pashto Folktales

Nineteen stories from the Pashto tradition.

A stunning collection of Pashto folktales, Heartstrings of the Khyber offers a comprehensive exploration of South and Central Asian cultural and literary heritage. Knowledgeable readers and novices alike can learn about the history and traditions of Pashto culture through medieval tales never before shared with the English-speaking literary world. By translating, transcribing, and compiling stories from the oral tradition, Shaherzaad Laila and Komal Salman have curated a critical resource for preserving Pashto customs and narratives.

Heartstrings of the Khyber features epics, fairy tales, and folk romances portraying Pashto culture through previously untranslated stories. Within this carefully curated collection, readers are able to explore themes of love, loss, longing, and honor throughout the cultural ethos of the Pashtuns. Laila and Salman have created an essential read for folklore appreciators and scholars alike.

Shaherzaad Laila, the cotranslator for Heartstrings of the Khyber, has also been one of the pioneering members at Folkloristan since the early days of Folkloristan’s inception at the Digital Media Wing, a project begun by former prime minister Imran Khan’s government. With an expertise in folk music, Shaherzaad also works at Rung, an institute dedicated to instructing and conserving Pakistani folk music. She has worked for WWF, PTV, and other private and public institutions as an Urdu writer.

Komal Salman is the founder of Folkloristan, a digital platform dedicated to preserving and sharing Pakistani oral tradition. Driven by a passion for storytelling, both textual and visual, Komal’s work revolves around the translation, documentation, and visualization of local folktales. She believes that technology is key to making these age-old tales accessible to a global audience and redefining the way we connect with cultural heritage in the digital age. She is also one of the pioneering members of the Ethnology and Folklore Guild South Asia--a collective for cultural and academic collaboration across borders in the region.