Hazaras
Hazaras are an ethnic group and a principal component of Afghanistan's population. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, primarily residing in the Hazaristan region in central Afghanistan. Hazaras also form significant minority communities in Pakistan, mainly in Quetta, and in Iran, primarily in Mashhad. They speak Dari and Hazaragi, dialects of Persian. Dari, also known as Dari Persian, is an official language of Afghanistan, alongside Pashto.
Between 1888 and 1893, more than half of the Hazara population was massacred under the Emirate of Afghanistan, and they have faced persecution at various times over the past decades. Widespread ethnic discrimination, religious persecution, organized attacks by terrorist groups, harassment, and arbitrary arrest for various reasons have affected Hazaras. There have been numerous cases of torture of Hazara women, land and home seizures, deliberate economic restrictions, economic marginalization of the Hazara region and appropriation of Hazara agricultural fields and pastures leading to their forced displacement from Afghanistan.
Etymology
The etymology of the word "Hazara" is disputed, with differing opinions on its origin.Nasir Khusraw Balkhi, the 11th-century Persian-language poet and scholar, refers to the word "Hazara" in his poetry:
One of the earliest mentions of the Hazaras appears in the Baburnama, written by Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, in the early 16th century. The text specifically refers to prominent Hazara tribes, including the Sultan Masudi and Turkoman Hazaras.
- Historian Abdul Hai Habibi suggests that the word "Hazara" is of ancient origin, derived from the term "Hazala", which gradually evolved into "Hazara" over time, and originally meant "good-hearted."
- The name "Hazara" is thought to derive from the Persian word "Hazar", meaning "thousand." It may be a translation of the Mongolic word, which referred to a military unit of thousand soldiers during the time of Genghis Khan. The term might have been used as a substitute for the Mongolic word to represent the group of people. Sayed Askar Mousavi, however, questions the theory that these military units were permanently settled by direct order of Genghis Khan or his commanders in what is now Hazarajat. He argues that no known primary sources support such a claim, and views this interpretation as lacking historical foundation. Nevertheless, a number of other historians maintain that Mongol military garrisons were indeed left behind in the region following the 13th-century invasions, and that these settlements played a significant role in the ethnogenesis of the Hazara people. According to Rashid al-Din, the Mongols established permanent military units across Central Asia, including in Khorasan. He specifically mentions a commander named Tumay, who was stationed as a military governor in Khorasan, indicating long-term garrison activity in the area.
Origin
Despite being one of the principal population groups in Afghanistan, the origins of the Hazara people have not been fully reconstructed. Genetic and linguistic analyses describe Hazaras as an ethnically mixed group, with varying degrees of ancestry linked to contemporary Turkic, Mongolic, and Iranic populations. The physical characteristics of some Hazaras and Char Aimaks are Mongolian, likely a legacy of the Mongol invasion. Additionally, the Hazaras share common racial traits, physical features, and a strong resemblance to the Turkic populations of Central Asia. Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire in the early 16th century, mentioned the Hazaras in the Baburnama, referring to some as "Turkoman Hazaras."Over the centuries, various Mongol and Turkic groups, notably the Qara'unas, Chagatai Turco-Mongols, Ilkhanate, and Timurids, merged with local indigenous Turkic and Iranic populations. Scholars agree that the Hazaras are the result of this historical blending, representing a unique ethnogenesis shaped by Turkic, Mongolic, and Iranic influences.
Although the Hazaras are a mix of multiple distinct ethnicities, a number of researchers focus on their Mongolic component. Some authors, including Elizabeth Emaline Bacon, Barbara A. West, Yuri Averyanov, and Elbrus Sattsayev, refer to them as "Hazara Mongols". Scholars such as Vasily Bartold, Ármin Vámbéry, Vadim Masson, Vadim Romodin, Ilya Petrushevsky, Allah Rakha, Fatima, Min-Sheng Peng, Atif Adan, Rui Bi, Memona Yasmin, and Yong-Gang Yao have written about the historical use of the Mongolian language by the Hazaras. According to Sayed Askar Mousavi, the term "Moghol Hazaras" has not been found in historical documents, and no scholars have encountered "Mogholi-speaking Hazaras". However, 19th-century Hungarian orientalist Ármin Vámbéry, who personally traveled through Afghanistan, reported that some Hazara groups in the region of Herat still spoke a Mongolic dialect in his time. He also noted that the Hazaras preserved distinct Mongolian physical traits and cultural features. Similarly, the Mughal emperor Babur, in his memoirs, mentioned that some Hazara communities spoke Mongolian. These historical observations are frequently cited by scholars who support a Mongol origin of the Hazaras.
According to historian Lutfi Temirkhanov, Mongolian detachments left in Afghanistan by Genghis Khan or his successors became the foundational layer of Hazara ethnogenesis. Sayed Askar Mousavi, however, questions the theory that these military units were permanently settled by direct order of Genghis Khan or his commanders in what is now Hazarajat. He argues that no known primary sources support such a claim, and views this interpretation as lacking historical foundation. Nevertheless, a number of other historians maintain that Mongol military garrisons were indeed left behind in the region following the 13th-century invasions, and that these settlements played a significant role in the ethnogenesis of the Hazara people. According to Rashid al-Din, the Mongols established permanent military units across Central Asia, including in Khorasan. He specifically mentions a commander named Tumay, who was stationed as a military governor in Khorasan, indicating long-term garrison activity in the area.
In the Ghilji neighborhood, Hazaras are called Mongols. In turn, the Qarluq, Khalaj, and Turkoman peoples also contributed to the ethnogenesis of the Hazaras, with tribal names such as Qarluq and Turkoman still present among them today. Evidence for the Mongol influence in Hazara ethnogenesis includes linguistic data, historical sources, toponymy, and population genetics studies. However, alternative theories have also been proposed, highlighting the complex origins of the Hazara people.
Some historians argue that the Bamiyan Buddha statues constructed around the 5th and 6th centuries and noted for their resemblance to the Hazaras in facial features and appearance, suggest the deep historical roots of the Hazara people in the central regions of present-day Afghanistan.
Without taking a definitive stance, some scholars consider it historically plausible that the origins of the Hazara people are rooted in Mongolic and Turkic groups who gradually entered the mountainous regions between Persia, Central Asia, and India from the 13th to 15th centuries, intermixing with local populations and adopting their language. Additionally, earlier Turko-Mongolic groups such as the Hephthalites, who inhabited the region in the 5th and 6th centuries, may have also contributed to Hazara ethnogenesis.
History
A mention of the Hazaras appears in Babur's Baburnama in the early 16th century, particularly referring to tribes such as the Sultan Masaudi Hazaras, Turkoman Hazaras, and Kedi Hazaras.It is reported that the Hazaras embraced Shia Islam between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, during the Safavid period. In the 18th century, Hazara men, together with individuals from other ethnic groups, were enlisted into the army of Ahmad Shah Durrani.
19th century
During the second reign of Dost Mohammad Khan in the 19th century, Hazaras from Hazarajat were taxed for the first time. However, for the most part, they managed to maintain their regional autonomy until the 1892 Battle of Uruzgan and the subsequent subjugation by Abdur Rahman, which began in the late 19th century.When the Treaty of Gandomak was signed and the Second Anglo-Afghan War ended in 1880, Abdur Rahman set a goal to bring Hazaristan, Turkistan, and Kafiristan under his control. He launched several campaigns in Hazaristan in response to resistance from the Hazaras, during which his forces committed atrocities. The southern part of Hazaristan was spared, as its inhabitants accepted his rule, while other regions rejected Abdur Rahman and supported his uncle, Sher Ali Khan. In response, Abdur Rahman waged war against the tribal leaders who opposed his policies and rule. This conflict is known as the Hazara Uprisings.
These campaigns had a catastrophic impact on the demographics of the Hazaras, resulting in the massacre of over sixty percent of the total Hazara population, with many being displaced and exiled from their own lands. The Hazara lands were distributed among loyalist villagers from nearby non-Hazara communities. The repression following the uprising has been characterized as genocide or ethnic cleansing in the history of modern Afghanistan.
After these massacres, Abdul Rahman forced many Hazara families from the Hazara areas of Uruzgan and other parts of Hazaristan to leave their hometowns and ancestral lands, prompting many Hazaras to flee to neighboring countries such as Central Asia, Iran, British India, Iraq, and Syria. Those Hazaras living in the northern Hindu Kush migrated to Tsarist Russia, primarily settling in the southern cities, while some moved to Iran. Over time, many Hazaras living in Tsarist Russian regions lost their language, culture, and ethnic identity due to the similarities in racial background and physical appearance of the local population, leading them to assimilate. The fleeing Hazaras settled in former Tsarist Russia regions, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Dagestan. Meanwhile, the Hazaras from northwestern Afghanistan migrated to Iran, settling in neighborhoods in and around Mashhad, where they later became known as Khawari or Barbari. Another group of Hazaras from the southeastern regions of Afghanistan moved to British India, where they reside in Quetta and parts of present-day India. Additionally, some Hazaras settled in Syria and Iraq. Unlike those who migrated to Tsarist Russia, the Hazaras in Pakistan, India, Iran, Syria, and Iraq were unable to integrate fully due to differences in physical appearance, allowing them to retain their language, culture, and ethnic identity.