Popalzai or Popalzay (), also known as Popal, are Durrani (formerly called Abdali or Bor Tareen)

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 ...

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 ...

. The Popalzai are part of the Zirak confederation of Pashtun tribes. The origin of the Abdali forefathers of the Saddozai tribe is probably the

Hephthalites The Hephthalites (), sometimes called the White Huns (also known as the White Hunas, in Iranian languages, Iranian as the ''Spet Xyon'' and in Sanskrit and Prakrit as the ''Sveta-huna''), were a people who lived in Central Asia during the 5th to ...

. The forefathers of Ahmad Shāh Durrānī, the founder of the Durrani Empire, were from the Sadozai tribe which is a subtribe of the Popalzai. According to Mohan Lal, the Zirak line begins with Sulaiman Zirak Khan, who was the father of Popalzai, Barakzai, and Alakozai. The tribe's origin is Kandahar,

. The majority of the Popalzai live in the southern areas of Afghanistan such as in Kandahar, Helmand or Uruzgan. Some members of the Popalzai tribe have migrated with their families to the European Union, North America, and Oceania. Notable members of the Popalzai tribe include Hamid Karzai and his extended family, Karim Popal, Naim Popal, and Khalida Popal.

Notable people

* Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder and deputy leader of the Taliban * Ahmad Shah Durrani, Founder of the Durrani Empire * Jahan Khan, Commander-in-Chief of the Durrani Empire * Ahmed Wali Karzai * Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan 2001–2014 * Khairullah Khairkhwa * Jan Mohammad Khan * Khan Mohammad Khan * Ghulam Jilani Popal

References

{{Pashtun tribes Durrani Pashtun tribes Ethnic groups in Kandahar Province Ethnic groups in Balochistan