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 Hazarajat (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 MasudiZahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad Babur (1921)."Memoirs Of Zehir-Ed-Din Muhammed Babur. Volume 1.". Oxford University Press. Pages 44, 243, 279." 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."یزدانی، حسینعلی. پژوهشی در تاریخ هزارهها. چاپخانه مهتاب. ص 96 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 a 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. He views this interpretation as historically unfounded. Nevertheless, several 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. p. 728. According to Rashid al-Din Tabib Hamadani, 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 (emir) in Khorasan, indicating long-term garrison activity in the area.Рашид-ад-дин. Сборник летописей. Т.I, кн.2. М., Л., 1952 Москва. p. 275-276. In Russian: "Тысяча Илак-Туа, который был старшим братом Элджигитая от кости тамгалык ветви племени сулдус; из их потомства в этом государстве — Тумай, который был в Хорасане эмиром-тысяцким."
In their native language, the Hazaras refer to themselves as "Azra" (both as as well as ).
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 (Turco-Mongol) and Turkic groups, notably the Qara'unas, Chagatai Turco-Mongols, Ilkhanate, and Timurids, merged with local indigenous Turkic and Iranic populations.B. Campbell, Disappearing people? Indigenous groups and ethnic minorities in South and Central Asia in Barbara Brower, Barbara Rose Johnston (Ed.) International Mountain Society, California, 2007
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,Elizabeth E. Bacon. (1951). "The Inquiry into the History of the Hazara Mongols of Afghanistan". Southwestern Journal of Anthropology. Vol. 7. No. 3. pp. 230–247. Barbara A. West, Yuri Averyanov,Аверьянов Ю. А. (2017). "Хазарейцы - ираноязычные монголы Афганистана"". Мир Центральной Азии. pp. 110–117. and Elbrus Sattsayev,Сатцаев Э. Б. (2009). "Монголы-хазарейцы Афганистана и аспекты "народного шиизма"". Единая Калмыкия в единой России: через века в будущее. pp. 413–415. refer to them as "Hazara Mongols". Scholars such as Vasily Bartold,Бартольд. В. В. (2022). Ислам. Культура мусульманства. Москва: Litres. p. 162. In Russian: "...еще в XVI веке говорили хазарейцы по-монгольски в северной части Афганистана..." Ármin Vámbéry,Ármin Vámbéry (2003). Путешествие по Средней Азии. Москва: Восточная литература. In Russian: "Говорят, что хазарейцы ... были перевезены Чингисханом из Монголии, своей прародины, на юг Средней Азии и благодаря влиянию шаха Аббаса II обращены в шиизм. Поразительно, что они заменили свой родной язык персидским, который даже в населенных ими областях не повсеместно распространен, и лишь небольшая часть, оставшаяся изолированной в горах поблизости от Герата и уже несколько столетий занимающаяся выжиганием угля, говорит на некоем жаргоне монгольского языка." Vadim Masson, Vadim Romodin,Массон В. М., Ромодин В. А. (1964). История Афганистана. Том I. С древнейших времен до начала XVI века. Москва: Наука. pp. 289–290. In Russian: "Еще в XVI в., по сообщению Бабура, среди хазарейцев был распространен монгольский язык, а небольшая часть их, по-видимому, и в XIX в. говорила на языке, близком к монгольскому." Ilya Petrushevsky,Петрушевский И. П. (1952). Рашид-ад-дин и его исторический труд. Москва/Ленинград: Издательство Академии Наук СССР. P. 29. In Russian: "Как известно, большой массив монгольского населения (хезарейцы), отчасти сохранявшего свой язык еще в XIX в., сложился на территории Афганистана..." 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.Allah Rakha, Fatima, Min-Sheng Peng, Atif Adan, Rui Bi, Memona Yasmin, Yong-Gang Yao (2017)."mtDNA sequence diversity of Hazara ethnic group from Pakistan". Forensic Science International: Genetics. Volume 30: Pages e1-e5. In English: "Moreover, there are also lines of evidence that some of the remote tribes of Hazaras spoke Mongol language till last century. Their central Asian facial features including sparse beards, high cheekbones and epicanthic eye folds further supports their Mongol origin." 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 (Baburnama), 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 (amir) in Khorasan, indicating long-term garrison activity in the area.
In the Ghilji neighborhood, Hazaras are called Mongols.Temirkhanov L. (1968). "О некоторых спорных вопросах этнической истории хазарейского народа". Советская этнография. 1. P. 91. In Russian: "Ближайшие соседи хазарейцев – гильзаи – называли и называют их «монголы»." 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,Temirkhanov L. (1968). "О некоторых спорных вопросах этнической истории хазарейского народа". Советская этнография. 1. P. 91. In Russian: "Об участии монголов в этногенезе хазарейцев свидетельствуют и данные лингвистики... также исторические источники (например, «Записки Бабура») и данные топонимики" and population genetics studies.Sabitov Zh. M. (2011)."Происхождение хазарейцев с точки зрения ДНК-генеалогии". The Russian Journal of Genetic Genealogy. 2 (1): pp. 37–40. 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.
Some scholars consider it historically plausible that the Hazara people's origin is rooted in Mongolic and Turkic groups who gradually entered the mountainous regions between Persia, Central Asia, and India from the 13th to 15th centuries, intermixed with local populations and adopted 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.