Encounter Atlas
The barmanou is an upright, hairy wild man reported by shepherds in the mountains of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially the Chitral district. Its range sits between the Himalaya of the Yeti and the Central Asian home of the Almas.
Local stories describe it as part human and part ape, sometimes draped in animal skins, and say it has tried to carry off women. The name comes from the Khowar language and is used across several regional languages.
Spanish-born zoologist Jordi Magraner searched for it from 1987 and said he collected more than 50 eyewitness accounts. In 1994 he and colleagues reported hearing deep guttural calls one evening in the Shishikoh valley. Magraner was murdered in the region in 2002, and no physical evidence has been confirmed.
What witnesses report
- A hairy, upright figure in high valleys
- Animal skins worn on the back or head
- Deep guttural calls at dusk
- Said to carry off women
Famous cases
- 1994Magraner's team hears unexplained guttural calls in the Shishikoh valley
Chitral, Pakistan
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