Afghanistan. A History from 1260 to the Present - Jonathan L. Lee (2018)

afghanistan

group belonging to the Nizari Isma‘ili tradition, whose spiritual head is the
Aga Khan. Herat too has a substantial Shi‘a minority, while Kabul’s Shi‘a
Qizilbash are descendants of the Safavid garrisons that were incorporated
into the Saddozai kings’ royal guard. Kabul is also home to a substan-
tial Hazara Shi‘a and Isma‘ili community. The Pushtun tribes of Bangash,
Orakzai and Turi, who live in the provinces of Paktiya and Paktika and
across the Pakistan frontier in the Khurram agency, are also Shi‘a. A large
community of Tajik Nizari Isma‘ilis live in Badakhshan and the shrine of
the Isma‘ili propagandist and poet Nasir Khusrau, at Yamgan, is highly
venerated. Pul-i Khumri, Kayan, Doshi and the Tala wa Barfak districts
of southwestern Baghlan are other major Isma‘ili centres.

table 3: Principal Dynasties of Afghanistan, 1256–1858

Dynasty Dates (ruling

Afghanistan)

Capital(s) Regions of

Afghanistan ruled

Ethnicity; comments

Chaghatai

Khanate

1259–1346 Almaliq E. Afghanistan,

including Kabul,

Ghazni, Qunduz,

Badakhshan

Shamanism, Bud-

dhism, Christian;

Mongol; after death

of Chinggis Khan,

empire divided

between his 4 sons

Ilkhanids 1256–1333 Maragha, then

Ta b r i z

Herat, Balkh,

Zaranj, Kandahar

Shamanism, later

Sunni Muslim;

Mongol

Timurid 1370–1507 Balkh, then

Samarkand and

Herat

Herat, Balkh,

Kandahar, Kabul

Sunni Muslim,

Sufism and

Shamanism; Turco-

Mongol descendants

of Timur Lang

(Tamurlaine)

Shaibanid 1428–1599 Bukhara Balkh and N.

Afghanistan

(briefly Herat and

Kabul)

Sunni Muslim;

Uzbek, descendants

of Chinggis Khan

Tuqay-

Timurid

(Jani Begid;

Astrakhanid)

1599–1785 Bukhara N. Afghani-

stan from Bala

Murghab to

Qataghan and

Khulm; Bada-

khshan under an

independent Mir

Sunni Muslim;

Turco-Mongolian

descendants of

Chinggis Khan

and Timur Lang

Safavid 1501–1722 Isfahan Herat, Kandahar Shi‘a Muslim;

Turco-Persian

Mughal 1526–1858 Kabul, then

Delhi

Kabul, Ghazni,

Nangahar, Kanda-

har (disputed with

Safavids)

Sunni Muslim;

Turco-Mongolian;

descendants of

Chinggis Khan

and Timur Lang