Noorzai () is the name of a

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 ...

tribe, part of the

Panjpai The Panjpai are a Durrani Pashtun tribal confederation found primarily in southern Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It ...

section of

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, ...

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghan (ethnon ...

. Their name means "son of light" whereas Nur is an Arabic word that means "light", and "zai" means "son of" in the Pashto language. Tribally speaking, they are disputed by many Zirak Pashtuns to neither be Durrani nor

Ghilji The Ghiljī (, ; ) also spelled Khilji, Khalji, or Ghilzai and Ghilzay (), are one of the largest Pashtuns, Pashtun tribes. Their traditional homeland is Ghazni and Qalati Ghilji in Afghanistan but they have also settled in other regions throu ...

. Historically the Noorzai tribe can be found in Kandahar province, as well as

Helmand province Helmand (Pashto language, Pashto/Dari language, Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering ...

Herat Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...

and Farah. Furthermore, the tribe is even spread out as far as

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# ...

. They are specifically centered in

Panjwai district Panjwayi (; also spelled Panjwaye, Panjwaii, Panjway, Panjawyi, Panjwa'i, or Panjwai) is a district in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It is located about west of Kandahar. The district borders Helmand Province to the southwest, Maywand Distri ...

Maywand district Maiwand District is situated in the western part of the Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. It borders Helmand Province to the west, Ghorak District to the north, Khakrez District to the northeast, Zhari District to the east, and Panjwayi District to ...

, Nawzad, Garmsir and Washir districtbr>
These places were infamous for being one of the main battlegrounds during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), war in Afghanistan.

Notable individuals

Hibatullah Akhundzada Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada (born 19 October 1967), also spelled Haibatullah Akhunzada, is an Afghan cleric who is the supreme leader of Afghanistan in the internationally unrecognized Taliban regime. He has led the Taliban since 2016, and ...

, Supreme Commander of the Taliban and Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan * Bashir Noorzai, Former Afghan drug lord known for being the "Pablo Escobar of the Middle East". He was one of the earliest members of the Afghan militant group

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

. *Maulavi Ubaidurrahman Nurzai, Was a Taliban commander who fought against a NATO-led coalition in

. He took part in the

battle of Garmsir The Battle of Garmsir (also Garmser) was a battle between United States Marines and other ISAF coalition forces, and Taliban insurgents in Garmsir, southern Afghanistan. It was part of the Helmand Province campaign and took place primarily ...

. * Mohammad Arif Noorzai, Former minister of border and tribe affairs for

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 ...

. *

Wali Muhammad Noorzai Wali Muhammad Noorzai is a Pakistani politician from Quetta District. He is currently serving as a member of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan since February 2024. Career He contested the 2024 general elections as an Independent Indepen ...

, prominent MPA and Noorzai tribal leader in Balochistan. He represents Quetta District and advocates for his constituents' rights and development. As a respected tribal leader, he resolves disputes and promotes peace, bridging the gap between government and tribal communities. *

Abdul Jabar Qahraman General officer, General Abdul Jabar Qahraman (; 1959 – October 17, 2018) was an Afghan Officer (armed forces), military officer, warlord and politician who came to prominence for his ability to mobilize large amounts of men to join his pro-gov ...

, Afghan army general who was an influential leader and politician. *

Zalmay Khalilzad Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad (born March 22, 1951) is an American diplomat and foreign policy expert. Khalilzad was the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation from September 2018 to October 2021. Khailzad was appointed by Preside ...

, American diplomat and foreign policy expert. He was the highest muslim-american in government during his time in office. Furthermore, he was the former ambassador to

during the bush administration. He took part in the Doha-agreement which caused the American armed forces to withdraw from

References

{{authority control Durrani Pashtun tribes Tribes of Afghanistan Ethnic groups in Kandahar Province