The Aimaq, Aimaq Persians (), or Chahar Aimaq (), also transliterated as Aymaq, Aimagh, Aimak, and Aymak, are a collection of

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

and mostly Persian-speaking

nomadic Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...

and semi-nomadic tribes. They live mainly in the central and western highlands of

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 ...

, especially in

Ghor Ghōr, also spelled Ghowr or Ghur (), is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in the western Hindu Kush in central Afghanistan, towards the northwest. The province contains eleven districts, encompassing hundreds of vil ...

and Badghis. Aimaqs were originally known as ''chahar'' ("four") Aymaqs: Jamshidi, Aimaq Hazara, Firozkohi, and Taymani. The Timuri, which is a separate tribe but is sometimes included among Aimaqs, which is known as ''Aimaq-e digar'' ("another Aimaq"). The Aimaq speak several subdialects of the

Aimaq dialect Aimaq or Aimaqi () is the dominant eastern Persian language, Persian ethnolect spoken by the Aimaq people in central northwest Afghanistan (west of the Hazarajat) and eastern Iran. It is close to the Dari varieties of Persian. The Aimaq people are ...

of the

Persian language Persian ( ), also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Farsi (, Fārsī ), is a Western Iranian languages, Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian subdivision ...

, but some southern groups of Taymani, Firozkohi, and northeastern Timuri Aimaqs have adopted the

Pashto language 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 ...

Etymology

The word "Aimaq" is derived from the Turkic- Mongolic word "Oymaq" that means "tribe" and "group of tribes".

Origin

The Aimaqs claim different origins based on their tribal background. Some claim to be descended from the troops of

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

. The Taymani and Firozkohi claim descent from

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 ...

tribes.

Culture and society

The Aimaq are largely nomadic to semi-nomadic goat and sheep herders. They also trade with villages and farmers during migrations for pastures for their livestock. The material culture and foodstuffs of the Aimaq include skins, carpets, milk, dairy products and more. They trade these products to settled peoples in return for vegetables, grains, fruits, nuts, and other types of foods and goods.

Religion

Aimaqs are largely

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

except for the Jamshidi who are mainly Isma'ili Shia Muslims.

Demographics

In 2021, the Aimaq made up 4% of Afghanistan's population.

Notes

References

External links

Aimaq Man with Children, Pal-Kotal-I-Guk, Ghor Province

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aimaq Aymaq Afghan nomads Iranian nomads Nomads Ethnic groups in Afghanistan Modern nomads