Mohammadzai (), also spelled Moḥammadzay (meaning "descendants of Mohammad"), is a Pashtun sub-tribe or clan of the Barakzai 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 in neighbouring Pakistan. The Mohammadzai ruled Afghanistan from 1823 to 1978, for a total of 155 years. Their rule ended under Daoud Khan 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 are the descendants of Sultan Mohammad Khan, 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.

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 descending from the chiefs of the Barakzai tribe (belonging to the Mohammadzai). *Amir Sultan Mohammad Khan - First Muhammadzai Ruler of Afghanistan *Amir Dost Muhammad Khan Barakzai *Amir Sher Ali Khan - Emir of Afghanistan *Amir Mohammad Yaqub Khan - Emir of Afghanistan, Signed treaty of Gandamak. *Amir Abdur Rahman Khan - Emir of Afghanistan (October 1879/July 22, 1880 – October 3, 1901) *Amir Habibullah Khan - 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 (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 &

. Father of All Barakzai's/Mohammadzai's *King Mohammed Nadir Shah (October 17, 1929 - November 8, 1933). *King Mohammed Zahir Shah (November 8, 1933 - July 17, 1973.) *President Mohammed Daoud Khan (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