Popalzai

Popalzai or Popalzay (Pashto: پوپلزی), also known as Popal, are Durrani (formerly called Abdali or Bor Tareen) Pashtuns of Afghanistan. The Popalzai are part of the Zirak confederation of Pashtun tribes.^[1] The origin of the Abdali forefathers of the Sadozai tribe is probably the Hephthalites.^[2] 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.^[3] The tribe's origin is Kandahar, Afghanistan. The majority of the Popalzai live in the southern areas of Afghanistan such as in Kandahar, Helmand or Uruzgan. A small number of Popalzais and Sadozais live in Pakistan, particularly in the cities of Quetta, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Sudhanoti District, Poonch, In Azad Kashmir, Sadhan is known as Sadozai, a branch of the Popalzai tribe. ^[4] Peshawar and Multan. 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.^[5][6]

Popalzai پوپلزی
Coronation of Ahmad Shah Durr-i-Durrān by Abdali chiefs at Kandahar in 1747
Ethnicity	Pashtun
Location	Afghanistan, Pakistan
Parent tribe	Zirak (Durrani)
Branches	Sadozai
Language	Pashto
Religion	Islam

Pedigree of King Dost Mohammad Khan, Emir of Afghanistan. Figure shows the branching of the Abdal dynasty into the Popal (founder of the Popalzai; spelled 'Fofal' in figure), Barak (founder of the Barakzai), and Alako (founder of the Alakozai) line. (The fourth branch, Achakzai, is missing.)^{[citation needed]}

Notable people

• Ahmad Shah Durrani, Founder of the Durrani Empire
• Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan 2001–2014
• Abdul Ghani Baradar, co-founder and deputy leader of the Taliban
• Ahmed Wali Karzai
• Jan Mohammad Khan
• Omid Popalzay
• Naim Popal
• Khairullah Khairkhwa

References

1. Giustozzi, Antonio (2012). Decoding the New Taliban: Insights from the Afghan Field (Reprinted ed.). Hurst Publishers. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-84904-226-0.
2. Kurbanov, Aydogdy (2010). "The Hephthalites". Refubium. Freie Universität Berlin. doi:10.17169/refubium-12565.
3. Life of the Amîr Dost Mohammed Khan, of Kabul: with his political ..., by Mohan Lal, Volume 1. Page 1-3.
4. Moorehead, Catherine (30 September 2013). THE K2 MAN (AND HIS MOLLUSCS) THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF HAVERSHAM GODWIN-AUSTEN CATHERINE MOOREHEAD FOREWORD BY JIM PERRIN. ISBN 9781906000608. The Sadozai (Sudhun) are a lineage of the Popalzai clan of the Abdali tribe of the ethnic Pashtun. The lineage takes its name from its ancestor, Sado Khan This book is a reference
5. "Hamid Karzai | president of Afghanistan".
6. "Karzai family tree". BBC News. 13 July 2011.