The Kom or Kam are a Nuristani tribe in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

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# ...

. Most used alternative names are Kamozi, Kamoz/Camoze, Caumojee/Kaumoji, and Camoje.M. Elphinstone, George Robertson, Richard Strand).

History

Until the late 19th century, the Kom were a sub-group of the

Siah-Posh Kafirs The Nuristanis are an Indo-Iranian ethnic group native to the Nuristan Province (formerly Kafiristan) of northeastern Afghanistan and Chitral District of northwestern Pakistan. Their languages comprise the Nuristani branch of Indo-Iranian la ...

("black-robed unbelievers") and their political (factional) headquarters was at Kombrom. They gave allegiance to the Mehtar (crown prince) of

Chitral Chitral () is a city situated on the Kunar River, Chitral River in northern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Lower Chitral District, and was previously the capital of Chitral District, and before ...

. At that time, following their conquest by

Emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

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 ...

, the Kom converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. Kafiristan ("Land of Unbelievers") was renamed

Nuristan Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Pashto: ; Katë: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven districts and is Afghanistan's least populous province, with a ...

("Land of Light") and its inhabitants became collectively known as

Nuristanis The Nuristanis are an Indo-Iranian ethnic group native to the Nuristan Province (formerly Kafiristan) of northeastern Afghanistan and Chitral District of northwestern Pakistan. Their languages comprise the Nuristani branch of Indo-Iranian la ...

(sometimes loosely translated as "enlightened ones").

References

George Scott Robertson Sir George Scott Robertson, (22 October 1852 – 1 January 1916) was a British soldier, author, and administrator who was best known for his arduous journey to the remote and rugged region of Kafiristan in what is now northeastern Afghanistan ...

(1896), ''The Kafirs of Hindukush'' *

Mountstuart Elphinstone Mountstuart Elphinstone (6 October 1779 – 20 November 1859) was a Scottish statesman and historian, associated with the government of British India. He later became the Governor of Bombay (now Mumbai) where he is credited with the open ...

(1815), ''An Account of the Kingdom of Caubol'', London * J. Biddulph (1971), ''Tribes of Hindukush'', Craz (Austria) * The Kom. Retrieved July 4, 2006, from ''Richard F. Strand: Nuristan, Hidden Land of the Hindu-Kush'

Ethnic groups in Afghanistan Nuristani tribes Ethnic groups in Pakistan {{Pakistan-ethno-stub

History

See also

References