| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Estimated 100,000 in 2023[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mostly inAfghan Turkestan with a smaller presence in other regions | |
| Languages | |
| Afghan Tatar language (very small minority) Dari,Pashto,Uzbek,Turkmen | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyIslam (Sunni majority,Shia minority) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherTurkic peoples (especially otherTatars) |
Afghan Tatars are aTurkic ethnic group inAfghanistan. A very small community speaks the Afghan Tatar language, while the vast majority speaks eitherDari,Pashto,Uzbek, orTurkmen.[2]
Afghan Tatars claim descent fromTatar nomads who joined theGolden Horde and came to Afghanistan, first settling inAfghan Turkestan. They are primarily rural nomads, mostly residing inSamangan andBalkh in Afghan Turkestan. They are also found in various other provinces of Afghanistan. Local community leaders of the Afghan Tatars estimate that their population is around 100,000 people, although there hasn't been an Afghan census in decades. The Afghan Tatar language today is critically endangered, with only a very small minority speaking the language. The majority of Afghan Tatars adopted the language of the region they settled in, such as Dari, Pashto, Turkmen, Tajik or Uzbek. They have lived a remote and secluded life for the majority of their history.[3]
The Afghan Tatars are mostlyHanafiSunnis with aShia minority.[4] It has been reported that Afghan Tatars are moderate and do not support extremist or fundamentalist principles, although it is not certain. In the past, they have fought in many local conflicts. TheTaliban has been opposed to Afghan Tatar traditions, having invaded the homes of Afghan Tatars, burning their books, and destroying much cultural heritage.[5]
The Afghan Tatar community had a role in preserving theBuddhas of Bamiyan from the Taliban, which they considered a part of their heritage.[6] Most Afghan Tatars followed Islam, although they were not strict. Afghan Tatars regularly ate pork, celebrated the spring festivalYilgayaq, and honored their traditional saints.[7]
Afghan Tatars never held high positions in the Afghan government, although during there was one Afghan TatarMP before the2021 Taliban takeover. Afghan Tatars were not recognized as an ethnic group in Afghanistan until March 2021. The National Statistics Office of theIslamic Republic of Afghanistan listed them as an ethnicity, which would allow them to have their ethnicity written on the new planned Afghan national ID cards, although the Taliban takeover happened after a few months and the ID cards never happened. The Afghan Tatar Cultural Foundation helped Afghan Tatars establish relations with ethnic Tatars over the world. They have ties to the World Tatar Congress ofTatarstan,Russia.[3][5]
The Afghan Tatar Cultural Foundation's goal is to reconnect Afghan Tatars with their culture as well as revive the almost-extinct Afghan Tatar language, aKipchak language closely related to theTatar language. The World Tatar Congress helped them with much of it, and since 2005 have been inviting Afghan Tatar to Tatarstan to discuss issues. The World Tatar Congress assisted them in launching online education courses to revive their language since March 15, 2021.[4][3][8] In January 2023, Danis Shakirov, with the World Tatar Congress, led a meeting inKazan, where they spoke about what to do for Afghan Tatars. Shakirov stated that life for Afghan Tatars worsened after the Taliban takeover, and that the World Tatar Congress was planning on sending 1,000 Afghan Tatars to various universities inIndia andChina who were willing to accept them. Shakirov also claimed that the World Tatar Congress has saved thousands of Afghan Tatars from starvation and promised to help save their language in the future.[1]