Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Pashto belongs to a family of Iranian languages, which was introduced to the Iranian plateau
by people from south central Asia, 2nd Millenium BC onwards.
Pakhtunkhwa also has other languages spoken within it, including Ormuri, which is spoken by
the Barakis. mhis has been mentioned in the early sixteenth century biography of Babur,
the founder of the Indian Moghul Dynasty, who spent time in the borderlands, preparing for
his invasion of the subcontinent.1
North of Kabul, Paraci, another Iranian language was also spoken.2 Both Ormuri and Paraci
belong to a group of south-east Iranian language branch and Pashto belongs to northeast
Iranian branch.3 Another language in this branch includes Pamir language of Badakhshan.
North Indian Pashtun, Khwaja Ni¶mat Allah described the tribal structure and origin of Pashtun
society in his work, µMakhzan-i-Afghani¶. Although this isn¶t a reliable historical source, it
paints a picture of how Pashtuns see themselves as a group. How Pashtuns see
themselves and their history and culture can be very different to the outcome of any
academic research/resources about the Pashtuns. Some Pashtuns debate findings
resulting from academic research, especially if it contradicts their passed down oral history
of their people.
mhis is a very debatable subject, especially amongst the Pashtuns themselves and the
different tribes. mhis has resulted in many different theories. As mentioned earlier,
tribal structure consists of descent groups, which creates some sort of abstract
pyramid with an ancestor placed on top. Qays µAbd al-Rashid Pathan had 3 sons,
who Pashtuns are said to be ancestors of, plus another 4th group. According to
traditional genealogies, Al-Rashid Pathan is descended from King Sarul (Saul), a
Jewish king.
hinwari tribe
Live in Jalalabad
area
Ghurghust
He is an ancestor for many tribes spread
mhroughout Pakhtunkhwa
mo the east side are the Yusufzai tribe, who live north of Peshawar.
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6ritten records exist, based on oral traditions, which talk about migration of Pashtun groups in
the 15th and 16th centuries from south Afghanistan via the Kabul valley to the plains of
Peshawar and beyond. mhis migration is supported by historical evidence and dates to the
17th-18th centuries.4 mribes settling in these parts were Abdalis/Durranis.