The Yusufzai or Yousafzai ( ps, یوسفزی, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ) are one of the largest
tribes
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
of ethnic
Pashtuns
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically r ...
. They are natively based in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, to which they migrated to from
Suliman mountains
The Sulaiman Mountains, also known as Kōh-e Sulaymān ( Balochi/ Urdu/ fa, ; "Mountains of Solomon") or Da Kasē Ghrūna ( ps, د كسې غرونه; "Mountains of Kasi"), are a north–south extension of the southern Hindu Kush mountain syste ...
during the 16th century, but they are also present in smaller numbers in parts of
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...
, including
Kunar,
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) 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; it is administratively divided into #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...
,
Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...
and
Farah. Outside of these countries, they can be found in
Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand (previously Rampur State) is a region in the northwestern part of Uttar Pradesh, India, that is centered on the Rampur, Bareilly and Moradabad divisions. It is part of the upper Ganges Plain, and is named after the Rohilla tribe. ...
,
Bannu
Bannu ( ps, بنو, translit=banū ; ur, , translit=bannū̃, ) is a city located on the Kurram River in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the capital of Bannu Division. Bannu's residents are primarily members of the Banuchi tr ...
Ghoriwala (Mughal Khel),
Balochistan
Sibi (
Akazai) and
Chagai (
Hassanzai).
Their name may originate from the names of the ''Aspasioi'' and the ''
Aśvakan'', who were the ancient inhabitants of the Kunar,
Swat
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
, and adjoining valleys in the
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Province ...
.
Most of the Yusufzai speak a
northern variety of
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...
and some
southern variety of
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...
(as in case of
Mughal Khel) and Afghan dialect
Persian; the Yusufzai dialect is considered prestigious in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Etymology
In
Pashto phonology, as /f/ is found only in loanwords and tends to be replaced by /p/, the name is usually pronounced as ''Yūsəpzay'' or ''Īsəpzay''. The name literally means "descendant of
Yusuf" in Pashto; ''Yūsuf'' () is an
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
and
Aramaic
The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated i ...
masculine given name meaning "(God) shall add."
According to some scholars, including philologist
J.W. McCrindle, the name ''Yūsəpzay'' or ''Īsəpzay'' is derived from the tribal names of ''Aspasioi'' and ''Assakenoi'' – the ancient inhabitants of the
Kunar Valley
Kunar Valley is a valley in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Afghanistan the length of the valley is almost entirely narrow with steep and rugged mountains on both sides. The center of the valley is occupied by the Kunar River flowing south where ...
and the
Swat Valley
Swat District (, ps, سوات ولسوالۍ, ) is a district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. With a population of 2,309,570 per the 2017 national census, Swat is the 15th-largest district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pro ...
who offered resistance when
Alexander invaded their land in 327–326 BCE. According to historian
R.C. Majumdar, the ''Assakenoi'' were either allied to or a branch of the larger ''Aspasioi'', and both of these ancient tribal names were probably derived from the word ''
Aśvaka'', which literally means "horsemen", "horse breeders", or "
cavalrymen
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating a ...
" (from ''
aśva
Ashva () is the Sanskrit word for a horse, one of the significant animals finding references in the Vedas as well as later Hindu scriptures. The word is cognate to Avestan (), Latin '' equus'', Ancient Greek (), Proto-Germanic *''ehwaz'', obsol ...
'' or ''aspa'', the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
and
Avestan
Avestan (), or historically Zend, is an umbrella term for two Old Iranian languages: Old Avestan (spoken in the 2nd millennium BCE) and Younger Avestan (spoken in the 1st millennium BCE). They are known only from their conjoined use as the scrip ...
words for "
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
").
McCrindle noted: "The name of the ''Aśvaka'' indicates that their country was renowned in primitive times, as it is at the present day, for its superior
breed of horses. The fact that the Greeks translated their name into "Hippasioi" (from ''ἵππος'', a horse) shows that they must have been aware of its etymological signification."
The name of the ''Aśvakan'' or ''Assakan'' is also the origin of the ethnonym ''
Afghān'', which has been historically used for all Pashtuns.
Mythical genealogy
According to a popular mythical genealogy, recorded by 17th-century Mughal courtier
Nimat Allah al-Harawi
Ni'mat Allah al-Harawi (also known as Niamatullah; ) was a chronicler at the court of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir where he compiled a Persian history of the Afghans, the ''Makhzan-i-Afghani''. Its translated copies appear as ''The History of the A ...
in his book ''Tārīkh-i Khān Jahānī wa Makhzan-i Afghānī'', the Yusufzai tribe descended from their
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
ous ancestor Yūsuf, who was son of Mand, who was son of Khashay (or Khakhay), who was son of Kand, who was son of Kharshbūn, who was son of Saṛban (progenitor of the
Sarbani tribal confederacy), who was son of
Qais Abdur Rashid (progenitor of all Pashtuns). Qais Abdur Rashid was a descendant of
Afghana
Afghana or Avagana is a tribal chief or prince of Pashtuns, who is traditionally considered the progenitor of modern-day Pashtuns,Socio-economic Behaviour of Pukhtun Tribe By Dipali Saha, Dipali Saha - 2006 - 282 pages - Page 124.India and the ...
, who was described as a grandson of the
Israelite
The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan.
The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stel ...
king
Saul
Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...
and commander-in-chief of the army of prophet
Solomon
Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
. Qais was claimed to be a contemporary of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...
and a kinsman of
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
commander
Khalid ibn al-Walid
Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in ...
. When Khalid ibn al-Walid summoned Qais from
Ghor to
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
, Qais accepted Islam and the prophet renamed him ''Abdur Rashīd'' (meaning "Servant of the Guide to the Right Path" or "Servant of God" in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
). Abdur Rashid returned to Ghor and introduced Islam there. The book stated that Yūsuf's grandfather (and Mand's father), Khashay, also had two other sons, Muk and Tarkalāṇī, who were the progenitors of the
Gigyani and
Tarkani
The Tarkani ( ps, ترکاڼي '; ur, ترکانی) or Tarkalani ( ps, ترکلاڼي '; ur, ترکلانی) is a Pashtun tribe mainly settled in Bajaur Agency, Lower Dir district of Pakistan but originally hailed from the Laghman province of m ...
tribes, respectively. Yūsuf had one brother, Umar, who was the progenitor of the
Mandanr tribe, which is closely related to Yusufzais.
The 1595 Mughal account ''Ain-i-Akbari'' also mentioned the
tradition of Israelite descent among Pashtuns, which shows that the tradition was already popular among 16th-century Pashtuns.
History
Peace treaty with Babur
During the
early modern period, the Yusufzai tribe of Afghans was first explicitly mentioned in ''
Baburnama
The ''Bāburnāma'' ( chg, ; literally: ''"History of Babur"'' or ''"Letters of Babur"''; alternatively known as ''Tuzk-e Babri'') is the memoirs of Ẓahīr-ud-Dīn Muhammad Bābur (1483–1530), founder of the Mughal Empire and a great-great- ...
'' by
Babur
Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through hi ...
, a
Timurid ruler from
Fergana
Fergana ( uz, Fargʻona/Фарғона, ), or Ferghana, is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 420 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km west of Andijan, and less than 20 km ...
(in present-day
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
) who captured
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) 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; it is administratively divided into #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...
in
1504. On 21 January 1519, two weeks after his
Bajaur massacre
The Bajaur massacre or Battle of Bajaur was a military conflict waged by Babur against the tribes inhibiting Bajaur region, on 6–7 January 1519. Babur, a Timurid (and later Mughal) ruler from Fergana (in present-day Uzbekistan) who captured ...
, Babur wrote: "On Friday we marched for Sawad (
Swat
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
), with the intention of attacking the Yusufzai Afghans, and dismounted in between the water of
Panjkora
The Panjkora River ( ur, ) is a river in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of the northwest of Pakistan. The river runs through the mountainous northern part of the province, and forms the Kumrat Valley. It passes from Dir, Timergara and meet at ...
and the united waters of Chandāwal (Jandul) and Bajaur. Shah Mansur Yusufzai had brought a few well-flavoured and quite
intoxicating confections
Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categorie ...
."
As part of a treaty with Yusufzai Afghans, Babur married
Bibi Mubarika
Bibi Mubarika Yusufzai ( ps, بيبي مبارکه یوسفزۍ;) was the Empress consort of the Mughal Empire. She was the fifth wife of Emperor Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire and the first Mughal emperor.
She is frequently mentioned in ...
, daughter of Yusufzai chief Shah Mansur, on 30 January 1519.Bibi Mubarika played an important role in the establishment of friendly relations of Yusufzai Pashtun chiefs with Babur, who later founded the
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
after defeating Pashtun Sultan
Ibrahim Lodi
Ibrahim Khan Lodi (or Lodhi) (Pashto: ابراهیم خان لودي), (1480 – 21 April 1526) was the last Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, who became Sultan in 1517 after the death of his father Sikandar Khan Lodi. He was the last ruler of th ...
at the
First Battle of Panipat
The first Battle of Panipat, on 20 April 1526, was fought between the invading forces of Babur and the Lodi dynasty. It took place in North India and marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire and the end of the Delhi Sultanate. This was one o ...
in 1526. One of Mubarika's brothers, Mir Jamal Yusufzai, accompanied Babur to India in 1525 and later held high posts under Mughal emperors
Humayun
Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northe ...
and
Akbar
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
.
Skirmishes with Mughal forces
During the 1580s, many Yusufzais and
Mandanrs rebelled against the Mughals and joined the
Roshani movement of
Pir Roshan. In late 1585, Mughal Emperor
Akbar
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
sent military forces under
Zain Khan Koka
Zain Khan Koka (died 1601) was a leading official in the Mugal Empire under Akbar, including serving for a time as governor of Kabul.
Zain Khan was the son of Akbar's wetnurse and thus received the title "Koka" which means foster brother. He wa ...
and
Birbal to crush the rebellion. In February 1586, about 8,000 Mughal soldiers, including Birbal, were killed near the
Karakar Pass between Swat and
Buner by the Yusufzai lashkar led by Kalu Khan. This was the greatest disaster faced by the
Mughal Army
The Army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 15th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselves, ...
during Akbar's reign.
In 1630, under the leadership of
Pir Roshan's great-grandson, Abdul Qadir, thousands of Pashtuns from the Yusufzai, Mandanrs,
Kheshgi,
Mohmand,
Afridi,
Bangash, and other tribes launched an attack on the Mughal Army in
Peshawar
Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...
. In 1667, the Yusufzai again revolted against the Mughals, with one of their chiefs in Swat proclaiming himself the king. Muhammad Amin Khan brought a 9,000 strong Mughal Army from
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
to suppress the revolt. Although the Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb
Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
was able to conquer the southern Yusufzai plains within the northern
Kabul valley, he failed to wrest Swat and the adjoining valleys from the control of the Yusufzai.
Durrani period
Ahmad Shah Durrani
Ahmad Shāh Durrānī ( ps, احمد شاه دراني; prs, احمد شاه درانی), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the founder of the Durrani Empire and is regarded as the founder of the modern Afghanistan. In July 1747, Ahm ...
(1747–1772), the founder of the Afghan
Durrani Empire
The Durrani Empire ( ps, د درانيانو ټولواکمني; fa, امپراتوری درانیان) or the Afghan Empire ( ps, د افغانان ټولواکمني, label=none; fa, امپراتوری افغان, label=none), also know ...
, categorized all
Afghan tribes into four ''ulūs'' (tribal confederacies) for administrative purposes:
Durrani,
Ghilji
The Ghiljī ( ps, غلجي, ; fa, خیلجی, Xelji) also spelled Khilji, Khalji, or Ghilzai or Ghilzay (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes. Their traditional homeland is Ghazni and Qalati Ghilji in Afghanistan but they have also sett ...
,
Sur, and
Bar Durrani ("Upper Durranis"). The Yusufzai were included in the Bar Durrani confederacy along with other eastern Pashtun tribes, including the
Mohmand,
Afridi,
Bangash, and
Khattak.
[The Pearl of Pearls: The Abdālī-Durrānī Confederacy and Its Transformation under Aḥmad Shāh, Durr-i Durrān by Sajjad Nejatie. https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/80750.] The Bar Durrani were also known as the
Rohilla
Rohillas are a community of Pashtun ancestry, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region. The Roh ...
, and comprised the bulk of those Pashtuns who settled in
Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand (previously Rampur State) is a region in the northwestern part of Uttar Pradesh, India, that is centered on the Rampur, Bareilly and Moradabad divisions. It is part of the upper Ganges Plain, and is named after the Rohilla tribe. ...
, India.
Najib ad-Dawlah, who belonged to the Yusufzai tribe, was a prominent Rohilla chief. In the 1740s, he founded the city of
Najibabad
Najibabad is a town in the Bijnor district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, located near the city of Bijnor. It is a major industrial city and is well connected to all major cities of India by roadways via NH 119 and NH 74 respectively a ...
in Rohilkhand. In 1757, he supported Ahmad Shah Durrani in his attack on Delhi. After his victory, Ahmad Shah Durrani re-installed the Mughal emperor
Alamgir II
Aziz-ud-Din Muhammad (6 June 1699 – 29 November 1759), better known as Alamgir II, was the fifteenth Mughal Emperor of India, who reigned from 3 June 1754 to 29 November 1759. He was the son of Jahandar Shah.
Born Aziz-ud-Din, the second ...
on the Delhi throne as the titular Mughal head, but gave the actual control of Delhi to Najib ad-Daula. From 1757 to 1770, Najib ad-Daula served as the governor of
Saharanpur
Saharanpur is a city and a municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district.
Saharanpur city's name was given after the Saint Shah Haroon Chishti.
Saharanpur is declared a ...
, also ruling over
Dehradun
Dehradun () is the capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, district and is governed by the Dehr ...
. In 1761, he took part in the
Third Battle of Panipat and provided thousands of Rohilla troops and many guns to Ahmad Shah Durrani to defeat the
Marathas. He also convinced
Shuja-ud-Daula, the
Nawab of Awadh
The Nawab of Awadh or the Nawab of Oudh was the title of the rulers who governed the state of Awadh (anglicised as Oudh) in north India during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Nawabs of Awadh belonged to a dynasty of Persian origin from Nish ...
, to join the Durrani forces. Before his departure from Delhi, Ahmad Shah Durrani appointed Najib ad-Dawlah as ''mir bakshi'' (paymaster-general) of the Mughal emperor
Shah Alam II
Shah Alam II (; 25 June 1728 – 19 November 1806), also known by his birth name Ali Gohar (or Ali Gauhar), was the seventeenth Mughal Emperor and the son of Alamgir II. Shah Alam II became the emperor of a crumbling Mughal empire. His po ...
. After his death in 1770, Najib ad-Dawlah was succeeded by his son,
Zabita Khan, who was defeated in 1772 by the Marathas, forcing him to flee from Rohilkhand. However, the descendants of Najib ad-Dawlah continued to rule Najibabad area until they were defeated by the British at
Nagina
Nagina is a town and a municipal board in Bijnor district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
History
Nagina is the word for ''"Jewel"'' (See Negin), it was named by Syed's who received this place as jagir by the Mughals.
During the Briti ...
on 21 April 1858 during the
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...
.
Today, many Yusufzais are settled in India, most notably in Rohilkhand region, as well as in
Farrukhabad, which was founded in 1714 by Pashtun Nawab
Muhammad Khan Bangash.
States of Swat and Dir
In 1849, Yusufzais established the
state of Swat
State of Swat (Urdu, ps, ; locally called as Dera Swat) was a kingdom established in 1849 that was ruled by chiefs known as Akhunds. It was then recognized as a princely state in alliance with the British Indian Empire between 1926 and 19 ...
under the leadership of
Saidu Baba, who appointed Sayyid Akbar Shah, a descendant of
Pir Baba, as the first emir. After Akbar Shah's death in 1857, Saidu Baba assumed control of the state himself. In
Dir, descendants of 17th-century Akhund Ilyas Yusufzai, the founder of the city of
Dir, laid the foundation of the
state of Dir. In 1897, the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
annexed Dir and granted the title of the "Nawab of Dir" to Sharif Khan Akhundkhel, the ruler of Dir (1886–1904).
In 1926, the British Raj granted the title of the "Wali of Swat" to
Miangul Abdul Wadud, the ruler of Swat (1918–1949).
The princely states of Swat and Dir existed until 1969, after which they were merged into
West Pakistan
West Pakistan ( ur, , translit=Mag̱ẖribī Pākistān, ; bn, পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান, translit=Pôścim Pakistan) was one of the two Provincial exclaves created during the One Unit Scheme in 1955 in Pakistan. It was ...
, and then in 1970 into the
North-West Frontier Province
The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followi ...
(present-day
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...
) of Pakistan.
Their area is part of the present-day
Buner,
Lower Dir
Lower Dir District ( ps, لر / کوز دير ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Timergara city is the district headquarter and largest city. The district was formed in 1996, when Dir District was di ...
,
Upper Dir,
Malakand,
Shangla, and
Swat
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
districts.
Pashto dialect
Yusufzai Pashto, which is a variety of
Northern Pashto
Northern Pashto ( ps, شمالي پښتو) comprises the North Western ( Pashto: ) and North Eastern ( Pashto: ) dialects.
North Eastern
Northeastern Pashto, is spoken primarily in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Yusapzai
Yus ...
, is the prestige variety of Pashto in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Some of its consonants differ from the other dialects:
Society
The Yusufzai Pashtun
aristocracy
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At the time of the word' ...
was historically divided into several communities based on patrilineal segmentary groups:
;''Khān''
The ''khān'' referred to the Yusufzai landowners. In the 16th century, saint Sheikh Milli, a prominent Yusufzai dignitary, distributed the Yusufzai land among the major Yusufzai tribal clans (''khēl''). However, to avoid inequalities, he ordered that the lands should not become permanent property of the clans, but rather they should be realloted within the patrilineal clans periodically after every ten years or so. In this system (''wēsh''), each landowning ''khān'' would own shares (''brakha'') representing his proportion of the total area distributed. Through a regular rotation of ownership, the Yusufzai landowners would migrate for up to 30 miles for their new share after each cycle, although the tenants cultivating the land would stay on.
The ''wēsh'' system operated among the Yusufzai of Swat region until at least 1920s.
;''Hamsāya''
The ''hamsāya'' or "shade sharers" were the clients or dependents from other (non-Yusufzai) Pashtun tribes who became attached to the Yusufzai tribe over the years.
;''Faqīr''
The ''faqīr'' or "poor" were the non-Pashtun landless peasants who were assigned to the Yusufzai landowners. As dependent peasants, the ''faqīr'' used to pay rent for the land they cultivated.
In the 19th century, the distinction between ''hamsāya'' as a "dependent Pashtun tribe" and ''faqīr'' as "non-Pashtun landless peasants" became blurred. Both terms were then interchangeably used to simply refer to landless dependents or clients.
;''Mlātəṛ''
The ''mlātəṛ'' or "supporters" provided services to their patrons as artisans (''kasabgar''), musicians (''ḍəm''), herders, or commercial agents, mostly in return for a payment in grain or rice.
;''Ghulām''
The ''ghulām'' or "slaves" were more closely attached to their patron and his family and frequently entrusted with a variety of functions within their master's household. Although the ''ghulām'' were less free as compared to the ''hamsāya'' or the ''faqīr'', they generally enjoyed a higher status in the society.
Subtribes
*
Abakhel
*
Akazai
*
Babuzai
Babuzai is a Union Council located in Mardan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The reason Babuzai is called Babuzai is because one of Pashtun tribe Babuzai is living here.
District Mardan has 3 Tehsil Each Tehsil comprises certain numbers ...
*
Balarkhel
*
Chagharzai
*
Degankhel
*
Hassanzai
*
Kamalzai
*
Khan Khel[Dictionary of the Pathan Tribes of the North West Frontier of India"''](_blank)
(Part I. North of the Kabul River, including all Mohmands, and tribes west of the Indus), published by The General Staff Army Headquarter, Calcutta, India - (Originally Published 1910) :: The ''Khan Khel'' are mentioned on Page 26 (under ‘K’ -''Khan Khel'')
*
Khwaja Khel (Khwajgan)
*
Madakhel
*
MahabatkhelMughal Khelref>
*
Mandanr
**
Khadarzai
**
Babakhel
**
Barakhankhel
*
Niamatkhel
Niamat Khel is a Yusufzai subtribe. They are mainly found in the Galoch, Sirsiani, Kanju, Aligrama, Hazara, and Gul Jaba villages of Swat
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons a ...
*
Akozai
*
Nikpikhel
*
Ranizai
The Ranizai are a sub tribe of the Yusufzai Pashtun tribe in the Malakand District in North-West Frontier Province
The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Prov ...
*
Tahirkheli
The Tahir Kheli (also Tar Kheli) is a Pashtun tribe which mainly dwells in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
See also
* Tahir Kheli Pashtun people
* Hazara people
The Hazaras ( fa, , Həzārə; haz, , Āzə ...
*
Mulakhel
*
Edadkhel
Notable Yusufzais/Yousafzais
*
Gaju Khan
*
Bibi Mubarika
Bibi Mubarika Yusufzai ( ps, بيبي مبارکه یوسفزۍ;) was the Empress consort of the Mughal Empire. She was the fifth wife of Emperor Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire and the first Mughal emperor.
She is frequently mentioned in ...
*
Kalu khan
Kalu Khan is a village located between Shawwa-Adda and Adina village on the main Mardan–Swabi road in Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Kalu Khan was upgraded to the status of "Tehsil Headquarters" of District Swabi during the ANP (A ...
*
Bhaku Khan Yousafzai
*
Najib khan Yousafzai
*
Captain Sher Khan
*
Rahimullah Yusufzai
Rahimullah Yusufzai (رحیم اللہ یوسُفزئی) (10 September 1954 – 9 September 2021) was a Pakistani journalist, political and security analyst, best known for having interviewed Osama bin Laden, and Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Om ...
*
Murad Saeed
Murad Saeed ( ur, ; born 17 August 1995) is a Pakistani politician who served as Ministry of Communications (Pakistan), Federal Minister for Communications and Ministry of Postal Services (Pakistan), Federal Minister for Postal Services from Dec ...
*
Nigar Johar
*
Junaid Khan
*
Abaseen Yousafzai
Abaseen Yousafzai ( ur, اباسين يوسفزے) ( ps, اباسین یوسفزے) is a Pashtun poet from Pakistan. He is the chairman of Pashto Department in Islamia College Peshawar. Yousafzai has had his poetry published across the Durand ...
*
Salim Khan (Ancestral, born in
Balaghat
Balaghat is a city and a municipality in Balaghat district, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Balaghat District. Wainganga River flows beside the town.
Geography
Balaghat is located at . It has an ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
)
*
Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan (
Speaker from
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
)
Notes
* In Pashto, "Yusufzai" (,
usəpˈzay is the masculine singular form of the word. Its feminine singular is "Yusufzey" (,
usəpˈzəy, while its plural is "Yusufzi" (,
usəpˈzi.
References
{{Pashtun tribes
Social groups of Pakistan
Groups claiming Israelite descent