Barakzay
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (several millions) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Afghanistan, Pakistan | |
| Languages | |
| Pashto, Dari, Balochi | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Pashtun tribes |
Bārakzai (Pashto: بارکزی, bārakzay, plur. bārakzī) is the name of a Pashtun tribe from present-day , Kandahar, Afghanistan. '"Barakzai" is a common name among the Pashtuns and it means "son of Barak" in Pashto. There are seven distinct Pashtun tribes named Barakzai, with the Zirak branch of the Durrani tribe being the most important and largest tribe with over 4 million people.
Many people from the Barakzai tribe moved to Pakistan. They are living in Chhachh in Pakistan.
Ludwig W. Adamec wrote that the Barakzai are "an important section of the Zirak branch of the Durrani to which the former Barakzai/Muhammadzai ruling family belongs. In numbers, economic, and political strength, the Barakzai were the paramount tribe of Afghanistan...They were soldiers in the service of Nadir Shah, founder of the short-lived Afsharid dynasty in Iran, and were settled on land seized from the Ghilzai. They continued to hold jagirs, fiefs, in exchange for their military services to Ahmad Shah Durrani. When Painda Khan, leader of the Barakzais, was assassinated, the Barakzai chiefs under Dost Muhammad ousted and replaced the Sadozai dynasty. The Barakzai continue to possess large areas of agricultural land and extensive flocks in the area between Herat and Kandahar."
Mohammadzai are the most prominent & powerful sub-tribe of Barakzai, they belong to the Zirak branch of the Durrani confederacy, and are primarily centered around Kandahar. They can also be found in other provinces throughout Afghanistan as well across the border in the Pakistan's Balochistan Province.
The Musahiban, originally the Yahya Khel clan, are descendants of Sultan Mohammad Khan. Mohammadzai Barakzai are closely related to Amanullah Khan.
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Wikipedia