Mohammadzai (), also spelled Moḥammadzay (meaning "descendants of Mohammad"), is a

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

sub-tribe or clan of the

Barakzai Bārakzai (, plur. , ) 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. According to the Encyclopædia Iranica, "In the detailed Pash ...

which is part of the

Durrani The Durrānī (, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes, tribal confederation of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan (Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, ...

confederacy of tribes. They are primarily centered on

Kandahar Kandahar is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city, after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118 in 2015. It is the capital of Kandahar Pro ...

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

and

Ghazni Ghazni (, ), historically known as Ghaznayn () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana (), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan with a population of around 190,000 people. The city is strategica ...

in Afghanistan as well as in the city of

Charsadda Chārsadda (; ; ; ) is a town and headquarters of Charsadda District, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The Mohammadzai ruled Afghanistan from 1823 to 1978, for a total of 155 years. Their rule ended under

Daoud Khan Mohammad Daoud Khan (Dari/) also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan; 18July 190928April 1978) was an Afghan head of state, military officer and politician who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 1973 ...

when the Communists took power via a Soviet-backed coup.

Distribution

Mohammadzai are the most prominent and powerful branch of the

confederacy, and are primarily centered on

. They can also be found in other provinces throughout Afghanistan as well as across the border in present-day

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Musahiban The Musahiban (mus-hi-been; the name derives from Persian ''Muṣāḥib'', meaning "courtier" or "aide de camp") are a Mohammadzai family who founded the Afghan Barakzai dynasty, and members of the royal lineage that ruled Afghanistan as emir, ...

are the descendants of

Sultan Mohammad Khan Sultan Mohammad Khan (Pashto/ Persian: ; 1795 – 1861), also known as Ghazi Sardar Sultan Mohammad Talaei, and known by his epithet, Sultan Mohammad Khan the Golden, was an Afghan chief minister and regent. He was a powerful half-brother of Dost ...

, also known as "Telai". Telai means

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

Dari Dari (; endonym: ), Dari Persian (, , or , ), or Eastern Persian is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the Afghan government's official term for the Persian language;Lazard, G.Darī – The New Persian ...

. He was the elder brother of

Dost Mohammed Khan Dost Mohammad Khan Barakzai (Pashto/; 23 December 1792 – 8 June 1863), nicknamed the Amir-i Kabir, was the founder of the Barakzai dynasty and one of the prominent rulers of Afghanistan during the First Anglo-Afghan War. With the decline of ...

Language

The principal language of the Mohammadzai is

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

, more specifically the Southern (Kandahari) dialect of Pashto.

is also used as the language for records and correspondence., ''Khyber.org'' (retrieved 30 January 2008)

Politics

From 1823 to 1978, rulers of Afghanistan belonged to the two branches of one

Barakzai dynasty The Barakzai dynasty (, "Sons of Barak"), also known as the Muhammadzai dynasty ("the ruling sub-clan of the Barakzai"), ruled what is now Afghanistan from 1823 to 1978, when the monarchy ended de jure under Musahiban Mohammad Zahir Shah and ...

descending from the chiefs of the

tribe (belonging to the Mohammadzai). *Amir

- First Muhammadzai Ruler of Afghanistan *Amir Dost Muhammad Khan Barakzai *Amir

Sher Ali Khan Sher Ali Khan (Dari/; c. 1825 – 21 February 1879) was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879. He was one of the sons of Dost Mohammed Khan, founder of the Barakzai dynasty in Afghanistan. Life Sher Al ...

- Emir of Afghanistan *Amir

Mohammad Yaqub Khan Mohammad Yaqub Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 1849November 15, 1923) was Emir of Afghanistan from February 21 to October 12, 1879. He was a Pashtun and the son of the previous ruler, Sher Ali Khan. Mohammad Yaqub Khan was appointed as the governor of He ...

- Emir of Afghanistan, Signed treaty of Gandamak. *Amir

Abdur Rahman Khan Abdur Rahman Khan (Pashto: ) (between 1840 and 1844 – 1 October 1901) also known by his epithet, The Iron Amir, was Amir of Afghanistan from 1880 to his death in 1901. He is known for perpetrating the Hazara genocide, but also uniting the ...

- Emir of Afghanistan (October 1879/July 22, 1880 – October 3, 1901) *Amir

Habibullah Khan Habibullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 3 June 1872 – 20 February 1919) was the Emir of Afghanistan from 1901 until his assassination in 1919 by Shuja-ud-Daula Ghourbandi. He was the eldest son of the Emir Abdur Rahman Khan, whom he succeeded by rig ...

- Emir of Afghanistan (October 3, 1901 - February 20, 1919) *Amir

Amanullah Khan Ghazi (warrior), Ghazi Amanullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 26 April 1960) was the head of state, sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emirate of Afghanistan, Emir and after 1926 as Kingdom of Afghanistan, King, until his abdic ...

- Emir of Afghanistan (February 28, 1919 - 1926) *King

- King of Afghanistan (1926 - January 14, 1929) *King

Inayatullah Khan Inayatullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ), (20 October 1888 – 12 August 1946) was the King of Afghanistan for three days in January 1929. He was the son of former Afghan Emir, Habibullah Khan. Inayatullah's brief reign ended with his abdication. ...

(January 14, 1929 - January 17, 1929). *Sardar Kohan Dil Khan - Ruler of

Baluchistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region of de ...

. *Sardar Rahmdil Khan - Ruler of

. *Sardar Payinda Khan - Ruler of

Pashtunistan Pashtunistan () or Pakhtunistan is a historical region on the crossroads of Central and South Asia, located on the Iranian Plateau, inhabited by the Pashtun people of southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan, wherein Pashtun cu ...

. Father of All Barakzai's/Mohammadzai's *King

Mohammed Nadir Shah Mohammad Nadir Shah (Pashto/Dari: محمد نادر شاه April 1883 – 8 November 1933) was King of Afghanistan from 15 October 1929 until his assassination in November 1933. He became the king after his victory in the Afghan Civil War of ...

(October 17, 1929 - November 8, 1933). *King

Mohammed Zahir Shah Mohammad Zāhir Shāh (15 October 1914 – 23 July 2007) was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning from 8 November 1933 until he was deposed on 17 July 1973. Ruling for 40 years, Zahir Shah was the longest-serving ruler of Afghanistan since t ...

(November 8, 1933 - July 17, 1973.) *President

Mohammed Daoud Khan Mohammad Daoud Khan (Dari/) also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan; 18July 190928April 1978) was an Afghan head of state, military officer and politician who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 19 ...

(First Afghan President) (July 18, 1973 - April 28, 1978) *minister of military (Sardar abdul rashid khan mohammadzai] in 1927-1931] in kandahar arghandab.

References

{{Pashtun tribes Durrani Pashtun tribes Barakzai dynasty Emirate of Afghanistan Kingdom of Afghanistan 1823 establishments in Afghanistan 1973 disestablishments in Afghanistan 1973 disestablishments in Asia

Distribution

Language

Politics

See also

References