Ilaqai Nasal is the 2nd of two regional strains from the Tirah Valley, Pakistan area formally called FATA, or Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Today it is a part of Pakistan. This is the legendary Khyber Sativa from old catalogues. It was grown much more extensively in the past, and today is grown mainly by the Afridi Tribe, the largest landowners in the Valley. It’s lower yielding than the loosely related Amalgamated Tirah, and this one is all Sativa, capable of reaching 15 feet outdoors. Originally said to have been brought by the Afridi from India 600 years ago, (keeping in mind. Pakistan and India were one nation at the time). From where? I have a good idea, but you’ll have to.make your own guesses😁.
This is the plant used to make the famous Tirah Maiden hash. I’ve kept them small by using small containers. I expect some serious stretch coming up soon. First night of flowering is tonight.
Interesting look to the leaves, with most fingers being the same length.
I don’t know if this is a common occurrence, certainly haven’t noticed that too often.
Here’s mine, not a landrace though.
You run some of the coolest strains dude, these Middle East sativas are a trip, I never new they even existed until your threads, thank you for that 
I’m here for the ride @Upstate it’s not the destination, but the Journey! My friend 
thank you
Every single plant of that region interests me 
, thanks for sharing… 
Definitely an interesting looking plant, got to love those pure sativas. Keep up the good work.
Quite some interesting strains, glad to be along for the ride. 
Love seeing your work, Upstate.
They really are stretching! Are those 1 gal containers you’ve kept them in? I’m excited to see these babies in flower.
They are unique, aren’t they. I don’t know that I’ve seen it before myself. They are small for sativa leaves, but may grow with transplanting. We’ll see. Certainly this is not the same Landrace as Peshawar, which I had been wondering about.
They are all fun to go thru, but it’s South Asian this time… the Middle East ends at Iran…heres a decent map.
i just love exploring new( to me) landraces. Life is like a box of landraces. You never know what you’re going to get😄
I’ll find that KO smoke for you yet. Amalgamated Tirah has what you seek, I just need to isolate it for you. Miss Pistachio is killer. I don’t even know I have a body after smoking it lol. Very relaxing after an initial rush.
Until a couple weeks ago they were in one gallon. Now in two gallon. They are 30 inches tall or so. They’ve jumped up a foot to a foot and a half in 2 weeks since transplanting.
You and me both! This is a longtime dream come true. @LandraceWarden hand picked seed from the best plants, and he has a great eye. Kids under the age of 18 are not allowed to smoke Tirah Maiden hash. It’s said to make them crazy 
I need a little crazy…
Well maybe I don’t need anymore crazy, but I do want some more lol.
Looking forward to this, love everything you do and always look forward to your threads and work! Definitely down for this one
I have not heard any claim of farmers bringin in South indian landraces in Tirah.
The same leaflet is also being observed in wild type population of Hindu kush near Kalam valley. The leaflets are of same length.
One of the farmers from Tirah told me this and I read the same thing on ILE website. The India border was all the way to the Indus River and beyond…possibly including Kalam Valley at the time, so it didn’t have to come from very far away from Tirah to have been called Indian…but I think it could originally have been Himalayan or Kashmiri myself, due to the unusual great height.
More than one farmer has said it is not Indian as well, but given the animosity between the two countries, and the fact that 600 years of plant history would only be known by a select few, I won’t rule out the story. Very few people do know the history of a landrace going back even 50 years.
When I heard this info, I said to myself, what would a farmer have to gain telling me this if it is untrue, and the answer is, nothing. Why make it up?
I’ll have to check out some photos. Kalam is nearly on the border of what used to be India 600 years ago…
Check out this map from 1500
Looks like Kalam Valley might be within the borders of that map.
I know the history very well, but the wild population to which it resembles is still not Himalayan old geography or new, it is Hindu Kush. I would love to connect with that farmer. Kalam features a very humid climate as well. Also, Fata, commercial hub of modern-day Hindu Kush wasn’t included in Subcontinent, it was only until Peshawar. The Afridi’s Frontier Pakhtoons (not Pashtuns) are mainly originated from Emirate Afghanistan Safed Koh mount. Also, the taxonomists are still in a debate Wheater the plant originally came from Central Asia/Siberia/ Ancient China then who we are to claim regarding the plants coming into Fata 100 years ago or so from India, or it could be other way around too…
Have you found extremely tall plants in the Hindu Kush? I’ve only seen them in the Himalayas, and on the wild Azad Kashmir you found. The tall height could be related to Tirah Valley precipitation, no doubt, and could have developed over 600 years in the area, so the height doesn’t mean everything.
I have grown a Himalayan with similar small leaves, which along with the height and limited branching made me think it could have come from there originally.
Whatever it was, it is the Afridi Sativa, Ilaqai Nasal now, no doubt. 600 years of domestication makes it one of the oldest landraces I know of. I’d love for you to find me it’s wild ancestor😁. I’d try Kalam Valley to compare. Find me the tallest wild landrace with small leaves that you can find.
I’ll try to find my conversation with that farmer that called it Indian. Going to take me a while. No extra time right now.
Azad Kashmir is way too rogue and very different, also lots of difference in flowering from north to north east there, long short and auto as well.
One more thing is that different genotype can have similarities in phenotype expressions.
I would manage to go there and see if I am able to capture them again but in flowering whilst completing several projects of hunting.
I appreciate your support in spreading the right knowledge to the people regarding the genetics and I have learned a lot from a year of connection with you and yes the due diligence is important to make the right decision.
So we can rule that one out then. I showed a friend from India the pictures and asked him what region he thought they were from and he chose the same Himalayan area I’m thinking of. I try to keep an open mind. Everything came from somewhere else at one time, except for that very first patch of weed.
The Hindu Kush is so dominant in crosses that so far it seems to me to be amongst the oldest or even the oldest landrace out there. As you know, lots of evidence points to Tibet as well.
That would be great! That orange smelling stem rub is unique to me. I’d look for that smell. I’ve never smelled it in another landrace. Also, the amount of overall stink is impressive. It’s a very stinky landrace 
if I brush against the plants or handle the leaves, my hands smell for a long time afterwards. I’m sure the stink level has increased from selections over the years, but the ancestor must also be a real stinker.
I’ll get some fresh pictures this weekend. These are hard to train. I bend the branches and they pop right back into place. Luckily I’m more stubborn than the plants😅
Looking fwd to the update the orange and spice is signature aroma and is more dominantly present, stinky sour poop curry aroma haha this aroma could be the one you mentioned as stinks, me and my freind describe it such way.
Best description yet, lol. I can’t put it into words. It’s a dank smell. I get the same smell with other landraces( that smell after 5 minutes is kind of typical of everything good to my nose), but I only get it with harvested buds. With the Ilaqai Nasal I’m getting it from stems and fan leaves:sunglasses: