The nameAfghānistān (Dari:افغانستان,AfġānistānDari pronunciation:[afɣɑnɪsˈtʰɑn];Pashto:افغانستانAfġānistānPashto pronunciation:[avɣɒnisˈtɒn,abɣɒnisˈtɒn][note 1])[1] means "land of the Afghans",[2] the name "Afghan" originally referred to a member of thePashtuns.[3] which originates from theethnonymAfghan. Historically, Pashtuns were referred to as Afghans, the largestethnic group of Afghanistan.[2][4] The earliest reference to the name is found in the 10th-centurygeography book known asHudud al-'Alam.[5] The last part of the name,-stān is aPersiansuffix for "place".
In the early 19th century,Afghan politicians adopted the nameAfghanistan for the entireDurrani Empire after its English translation had already appeared in various treaties withQajarid Persia andBritish India.[6] The first time the word Afghanistan was officially used was during signing ofTreaty of Gandamak, after defeat of Afghan Emir Yaqoob Khan duringSecond Anglo-Afghan War.
According toTa'rikh-i Yamini (author being secretary ofMahmud of Ghazni), Afghans enrolled inSabuktigin'sGhaznavid Empire in the 10th century[7] as well as in the laterGhurid Kingdom (1148–1215).[8] From the beginning of the Turko-AfghanKhalji dynasty in 1290, Afghans are becoming more recognized in history among theDelhi Sultanate ofIndia. The laterLodi dynasty andSur dynasty ofDelhi were both made up of Afghans, whose rule stretched to as far as what is now Bangladesh in the east. Other Afghan dynasties emerged during the 18th century, namely theHotak dynasty and theDurrani Empire which covered huge swathes of Central and South Asia.
The wordAfghan is mentioned in the form ofAbgan in the third century CE by theSassanians[9] and asAvagana (Afghana) in the 6th century CE by Indian astronomerVarahamihira.[4] A people called theAfghans are mentioned several times in a 10th-centurygeography book,Hudud al-'Alam, particularly where a reference is made to a village: "Saul, a pleasant village on a mountain. In it liveAfghans."[10]
Al-Biruni referred to them in the 11th century as various tribes living on the western frontier mountains of theIndus River.[11]Ibn Battuta, a famousMoroccan scholar visiting the region in 1333, writes: "We travelled on toKabul, formerly a vast town, the site of which is now occupied by a village inhabited by a tribe of Persians calledAfghans. They hold mountains and defiles and possess considerable strength, and are mostly highwaymen. Their principle mountain is calledKuh Sulayman."[12]
The earliest mention of the term "Afghanistan" appears in the 13th century in Tarikh nama-i-Herat of Sayf ibn Muhammad ibn Yaqub al-Herawi, mentioning it as a country betweenKhorasan andHind, paying tributes to the country ofShamsuddin.[13]
Furthermore the name"Afghanistan" is mentioned in writing by the 16th centuryMughal rulerBabur, referring to a territory south ofKabulistan.
The road from Khorasān leads by way ofKandahār. It is a straight level road, and does not go through any hill-passes.... In thecountry of Kābul there are many and various tribes. Its valleys and plains are inhabited byTūrks,Aimāks, andArabs. In thecity and the greater part of the villages, the population consists ofTājiks* (Sarts). Many other of the villages and districts are occupied byPashāis,Parāchis, Tājiks, Berekis, andAfghans. In the hill-country to the west, reside theHazāras and Nukderis. Among the Hazāra and Nukderi tribes, there are some who speak the Moghul language. In the hill-country to the north-east liesKaferistān, such asKattor and Gebrek. To the south isAfghanistān.[14]
— Babur, 1525
The name "Afghanistan" is also mentioned many times in the writings of the 16th century historian,Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah (Ferishta), and many others.
The men ofKábul andKhilj also went home; and whenever they were questioned about theMusulmáns of the Kohistán (the mountains), and how matters stood there, they said, 'Don't call it Kohistán, but Afghánistán; for there is nothing there but Afgháns and disturbances.' Thus it is clear that for this reason the people of the country call their home intheir own language Afghánistán, and themselves Afgháns. The people of India call themPatán; but the reason for this is not known. But it occurs to me, that when, under the rule of Muslims, they first came to the city ofPatná, and dwelt there, the people of India (for that reason) called them Patáns—butGod knows![15]
— Ferishta, 1560-1620
The coined term of Afghanistan came into place in 1855, officially recognized by the British during the reign ofDost Mohammad Khan while he was forging his campaigns to re-unite Afghanistan following its 70 year civil war with theBarakzai-Durrani feud following theexecution of Wazir Fateh Khan Barakzai.[16]
Regarding the modernsovereign state of Afghanistan,Encyclopædia Britannica,Encyclopædia Iranica and others explain that thepoliticalhistory of Afghanistan begins in 1709 with the rise of theHotak dynasty,[17][18][19] which was established byMirwais Hotak who is regarded as "Mirwais Neeka" ("Mirwais the grandfather").[20]
The modern Afghan kingdom begins with the rise to supremacy first of theGhalzais and shortly afterwards of theDurranis underAhmed Shah.[21]
TheEncyclopaedia of Islam states:[22]
The country now known as Afghanistan has borne that name only since the middle of the 18th century, when the supremacy of the Afghan race became assured: previously various districts bore distinct apellations, but the country was not a definite political unit, and its component parts were not bound together by any identity of race or language. The earlier meaning of the word was simply 'the land of the Afghans', a limited territory which did not include many parts of the present state but did comprise large districts now either independent or within the boundary ofBritish India.[23]
— M. T. Houtsma
British India eventually became what is now Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(October 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Modern terms forAfghanistan andAfghan in relevant modern languages:
| Language | Afghanistan | Afghan (noun) |
|---|---|---|
| Dari Persian | افغانستان (Afğânestân)[afɣɒːnɪstɒːn] | افغان (afğân)[afɣɒːn] |
| Pashto | افغانستان (Afġānistān)[afɣɑnɪstɑn] | افغان (afǧân)[afɣɑn] |
| Uzbek | Afgʻoniston | Afgʻon |
| Turkmen | Owganystan | Owganystanda |
| Urdu | افغانستان (Afġānistān)[əfɣaːnɪstaːn] | افغان (afġān)[əfɣaːn] |
| Balochi | افغانستان | |
| Brahui | Aoģánistán | |
| Kyrgyz | Ооганстан (Ooganstan) | ооган (oogan) |
| Arabic | أفغانستان (ʾAfḡānistān)[ʔafɣaːnistaːn] | أفغانيʾafḡāniyym.[ʔafɣaːnijj] أفغانيةʾafḡāniyyaf.[ʔafɣaːnijja] |
| Chinese | 阿富汗 (Āfùhàn)[áfûxân] | 阿富汗人 (Āfùhànrén)[áfûxânʐə̌n] |
| Hindi | अफ़ग़ानिस्तान (Afġānistān)[əfɡaːnɪstaːn] | अफ़्ग़ान (afġān)[əfɡaːn] |
| Punjabi | ਅਫ਼ਗ਼ਾਨਿਸਤਾਨ /افغانستان (Aphagānīstān) | |
| Russian | Афганистан (Afganistan)[ɐvɡənʲɪˈstan] | афганец (afganets)m.[ɐvˈɡanʲɪt͡s] афганка (afganka)f.[ɐvˈɡankə] |
| Tajik | Афғонистон (Afġoniston)[afɣɔːnistɔːn] | афғон (afġon)[afɣɔːn] |
| Uyghur | ئافغانىستان (Afghanistan) |
TheAfghans andKhaljies who resided among the mountains having taken the oath of allegiance toSubooktugeen, many of them were enlisted in his army, after which he returned in triumph toGhizny.
| Sovereign states |
|
|---|---|
| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other territories | |
