The story of the Alpha One
The Alpha One is a funny little bird that was thought to have vanished from the mountains of Afghanistan, until two French zoologists in sandals, travelling on foot from Paris to Goa, rediscovered it after a nap in a mines field.
The Alpha One, also know as Bearded Alpha and, in the Tajik mountains, as the Coughing Alpha, was named after a famous adventurer dating back to the Great game period. This solitary man, reknowned for his exploits, had come one day from a distant country and joined a group of Turkmen tribesmen. He had sworn to support them in their attempt at safeguarding their independance from the advancing Russian invader and was seen during several battles fighting side by side along the fiercest of the Turkmen. The manner in which his dignity and intelligence made him stand out in any crowd led people to nickname him the Alpha or Alpha male. In his old years, after three decades spent among the tribesmen, he was finally elected as their leader and therefore renamed Alpha One.
However, his dignified long blond beard and the signal he gave before attacking the ennemy - a long rough cough - explain the various names under which he is also known.
Several legends revolve around this brave and dignified man. These would have fallen in the limbo of history, had it not been for the Iranian traveller, Mohammad Raza Ali, who wrote the famous 'Battles of the Two Worlds: Legends of the Brave in the Great Game'. I wish to recollect in particular two stories of interest.
First, a few months after joning the Turkmen, the tribe decided the courage and faithfulness of Alpha One had to be put to the test. They therefore sent him on a spying mission all the way to Cashmeer, where he was expected to find out the plans of the advanced garrison of the East India Company. For his travel, he planned to cross the arid Turkmen and Uzbek plains, cut through the Hindu Kush and thereafter take the Khyber pass towards the east. Unexpectedly, his lonely days as a traveller mostly went without problems and his well-known language and spying skills allowed him to gather sufficient evidence about the Company's plans to put the Turkmen's mind at rest. On his way back, however, the donkey that had been faithfully carrying him throughout the journey felt. While his first reaction was anger, he realised within seconds that the sad beast of burden had developed a tumor underneath his left hind leg, and could not possibly have walked another step. Alpha One also realised the animal must have been under tremendous pain for days, as the tumor was the size of a clenched fist. Taking pity in such a faithful companion, and although local practices would have had him killing it and leaving it by the side of the road, Alpha One took the poor animal and threw him upon his shoulder. Bemused passers-by spread the story that, in the Hindu Kush, a blond bearded man had become a beast of burden, and could be seen carrying his donkey on his back. Determined, Alpha One carried on indeed, undeterred by the laughters and stopping only to massage the poor animal's leg. He carried him all the way back to the Turkmen country, where the poor animal died during surgery.
On another occasion, Alpha One was preparing for battle agsinst a battalion of 1500 Cosaks advancing towards Cabul. On the morning of the battle, it is said that the 500-strong Turkmen troop took to smoking from the narghile under the orders of Alpha One, to give them strength and courage. The Turkmen took the Cosaks by surprise, while the sun was already high in the sky, and the battle went on uninterrupted for three days and three nights. While the Turkmen were far fewer than the Cosaks, their fierceness surpassed even that of the wild Cosaks and at the end of the third day, 150 Turkmen had died, but the entire imperial batallion had been decimated. Alpha One, still strong and standing, ordered his men to return to the camp and rest, as the following day would be used to burry friends, while foes were left to the birds. Upon departing, he heard however the sound of a bird, coming from nearby the battlefield. When he approached, he discovered a kind of bearded sarling locked up in a cage. Alpha One took the bird under his protection and took upon him, during the next few days, to teach him the practices that belong to wild animals until, after a month, the sarling was released. Several sketches drawn by Alpha One himself somehow reached the famous 1812 Guide to Botanical and Zoological Treasures of Central Asia, published by Cooper and Stills. A brief excerpt on the meeting between the bird and Alpha One was provided next to the drawing and, as a result, given that it was the first discovery of this species of starling, scientists chose to call the bird the 'Alpha One', a name that remains to this date.
There are many other stories surrounding the enigmatic Alpha One, including those reminding of these daughters of kings and viziers that travelled from remote lands to meet the wise man. I will however keep these for another date and encourage you to post any information you may have on Alpha One, the warrior of Central Asia.
The Alpha One, also know as Bearded Alpha and, in the Tajik mountains, as the Coughing Alpha, was named after a famous adventurer dating back to the Great game period. This solitary man, reknowned for his exploits, had come one day from a distant country and joined a group of Turkmen tribesmen. He had sworn to support them in their attempt at safeguarding their independance from the advancing Russian invader and was seen during several battles fighting side by side along the fiercest of the Turkmen. The manner in which his dignity and intelligence made him stand out in any crowd led people to nickname him the Alpha or Alpha male. In his old years, after three decades spent among the tribesmen, he was finally elected as their leader and therefore renamed Alpha One.
However, his dignified long blond beard and the signal he gave before attacking the ennemy - a long rough cough - explain the various names under which he is also known.
Several legends revolve around this brave and dignified man. These would have fallen in the limbo of history, had it not been for the Iranian traveller, Mohammad Raza Ali, who wrote the famous 'Battles of the Two Worlds: Legends of the Brave in the Great Game'. I wish to recollect in particular two stories of interest.
First, a few months after joning the Turkmen, the tribe decided the courage and faithfulness of Alpha One had to be put to the test. They therefore sent him on a spying mission all the way to Cashmeer, where he was expected to find out the plans of the advanced garrison of the East India Company. For his travel, he planned to cross the arid Turkmen and Uzbek plains, cut through the Hindu Kush and thereafter take the Khyber pass towards the east. Unexpectedly, his lonely days as a traveller mostly went without problems and his well-known language and spying skills allowed him to gather sufficient evidence about the Company's plans to put the Turkmen's mind at rest. On his way back, however, the donkey that had been faithfully carrying him throughout the journey felt. While his first reaction was anger, he realised within seconds that the sad beast of burden had developed a tumor underneath his left hind leg, and could not possibly have walked another step. Alpha One also realised the animal must have been under tremendous pain for days, as the tumor was the size of a clenched fist. Taking pity in such a faithful companion, and although local practices would have had him killing it and leaving it by the side of the road, Alpha One took the poor animal and threw him upon his shoulder. Bemused passers-by spread the story that, in the Hindu Kush, a blond bearded man had become a beast of burden, and could be seen carrying his donkey on his back. Determined, Alpha One carried on indeed, undeterred by the laughters and stopping only to massage the poor animal's leg. He carried him all the way back to the Turkmen country, where the poor animal died during surgery.
On another occasion, Alpha One was preparing for battle agsinst a battalion of 1500 Cosaks advancing towards Cabul. On the morning of the battle, it is said that the 500-strong Turkmen troop took to smoking from the narghile under the orders of Alpha One, to give them strength and courage. The Turkmen took the Cosaks by surprise, while the sun was already high in the sky, and the battle went on uninterrupted for three days and three nights. While the Turkmen were far fewer than the Cosaks, their fierceness surpassed even that of the wild Cosaks and at the end of the third day, 150 Turkmen had died, but the entire imperial batallion had been decimated. Alpha One, still strong and standing, ordered his men to return to the camp and rest, as the following day would be used to burry friends, while foes were left to the birds. Upon departing, he heard however the sound of a bird, coming from nearby the battlefield. When he approached, he discovered a kind of bearded sarling locked up in a cage. Alpha One took the bird under his protection and took upon him, during the next few days, to teach him the practices that belong to wild animals until, after a month, the sarling was released. Several sketches drawn by Alpha One himself somehow reached the famous 1812 Guide to Botanical and Zoological Treasures of Central Asia, published by Cooper and Stills. A brief excerpt on the meeting between the bird and Alpha One was provided next to the drawing and, as a result, given that it was the first discovery of this species of starling, scientists chose to call the bird the 'Alpha One', a name that remains to this date.
There are many other stories surrounding the enigmatic Alpha One, including those reminding of these daughters of kings and viziers that travelled from remote lands to meet the wise man. I will however keep these for another date and encourage you to post any information you may have on Alpha One, the warrior of Central Asia.
posted by Babs @ 11:06 AM
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