glossarykhutba the sermon delivered at Friday prayers, during which the name of the
reigning sovereign is mentioned
khwāja; khōja (a) saint, holy man (b) Sufi teacher or head of a Sufi sub-order
kōh mountain, hill
kōhistān (a) a mountainous region (b) a region of Parwan province in the
mouth of the Panjshir
kōtal mountain pass
kōtwāl (a) an individual in charge of a fort (b) mayor-magistrate; the individual
responsible for maintaining security in a town and supervising prisoners
and jails
kūchī (a) nomad (in Afghanistan the term is usually applied to the semi-
nomadic Durrani and Ghilzai tribes); (b) a migrant
kufr blasphemy, unbelief
lakh 100,000
lalmī non-irrigated land usually planted with spring wheat
landai a Pushtun epigram consisting of two lines of poetry
langar khāna Sufi retreat or place where free food is distributed to pilgrims
laqab (a) by-name or nickname (which usually refers to the individual’s trade
or a physical/personality characteristic) (b) pseudonym
lashkar army, a military division
Lōya Jirga Grand (Tribal) Assembly, Afghanistan’s national consultative
assembly established in the early twentieth century
madrasa Islamic school; seminary
mahala a city precinct, quarter, district or suburb
Mahdī the ‘Guided One’ who, in Sunni eschatology, will return at the end of the
age to rid the world of evil. In Shi’a theology the Mahdi is the Twelfth Imam
who is believed not to have died but is hidden, or in occultation, until the
end of the world
mahram a close male relative who escorts adult females who leave the family
home
majlis assembly, meeting, gathering, council
māl property, possessions, particularly herds of domestic animals
malang (a) a shrine attendant (b) an itinerant mendicant
māldār (a) nomadic or semi-nomadic Pushtuns (b) a rich person or anyone
with substantial possessions
malik (a) village head (b) a tribal or clan representative appointed by
government; (c) a king or regal title
mansabdār a rank of nobility under the Mughals. There were varying degrees
within the mansabdārī system that covered both military and civil office
mashrūta constitution
mashrūtīyya constitutional
maulawī (maulvī, maulānā) title accorded to Sunni religious scholars who have
attained a high level of Islamic knowledge
mazār a shrine mausoleum
mazhab (a) a school of Islamic jurisprudence (b) sect (c) religion (in popular
usage)
mehmān nawāzī hospitality