The Darweshkhel ( ps, دروېش خېل) is a section of the
Wazir Pashtun
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 re ...
tribe found in
South Waziristan
South Waziristan District ( ps, سويلي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) was a district in Dera Ismail Khan Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before splitting in to Lower South Waziristan District and Upper South Waziristan District and ...
,
North Waziristan
North Waziristan District ( ps, شمالي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanis ...
, and
Frontier Region Bannu in the
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
, conventional_long_name = Federally Administered Tribal Areas
, nation = Pakistan
, subdivision = Autonomous territory
, image_flag = Flag of FATA.svg
, image_coat = File:Coat of arms ...
of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
on its border with
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 bordere ...
.
The tribe comprises two geographically separate subgroups. The
Utmanzai are settled in the
North Waziristan Agency and the
Ahmadzai are in the
South Waziristan Agency
South Waziristan District ( ps, سويلي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) was a district in Dera Ismail Khan Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before splitting in to Lower South Waziristan District and Upper South Waziristan District and t ...
and
Bannu District.
Those subgroups are in turn divided further, for example into Utmanzai tribes such as the Bakakhel and Janikhel.
Origin legend
The Darweshkhel are said to descend from Musā, son of Khidrai, son of Wazīr. Musā was a religious man and so was nicknamed ''Darwesh'' ("
fakir"). Musa is said to have died in the hills near Khwāja Khidar, at the border between present-day South and North Waziristan.
Another son of Khidrai was Masud, who is said to be the progenitor of the
Masid tribe, another branch of the Waziri confederacy.
Besides Musa Darwesh and Masud, Khidrai is also said to had a third son Mubarak, who in turn had a son called Gurbuz, the namesake of the third branch (Gurbuz) of the Waziri confederacy. The Gurbuz now live in westernmost North Waziristan and in southern
Khost
Khōst ( ps, خوست) is the capital of Khost Province in Afghanistan. It is the largest city in the southeastern part of the country, and also the largest in the region of Loya Paktia. To the south and east of Khost lie Waziristan and Kurram ...
.
References
Further reading
*
Karlani Pashtun tribes
{{Pakistan-stub