Afridi (Pashtun)

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Afridi fighters seen in a battle.

Afridi (Pashto: اپريدي, Urdu: آفریدی) is the name of a Pashtun (pathan) tribe. The Afridis inhabit about 1,000 square miles (3,000 km²) of rough hilly area in the eastern Safed Koh range, west of the Peshawar Valley and east of Torkham, and Maidan in Tirah, which can be accessed by the Kajurhi plains and the valleys of Bara and Churah. Some afridi clans also inhabit in india, most noted are the Kuki Khel of Jammu and Kashmir and in some parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. The tribe contains about 415,000 people.

1 History
2 Clans
3 Religion
4 Description
5 Cuisine
6 Famous Afridis
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

[edit] History

The famous historian Herodotus mentions a country bordering on the banks of the Indus occupied by a people called the Pactyans who were divided into four nations, one which was the Aparthea, or Aparutai, identified with the modern Afridis. They lay claim to an inaccessible upland area of refuge, the Tirah and its central place, Maidan and at Bagh. As a result, they have literally have been able to force every passing conqueror to pay toll tax for use or passage through the Khyber Pass.

Some writers think that some tribes like the Afridis and Khattaks are indigenous, considering, for instance, that the Afridis inhabited this terrain even during pre-historic times, which is before the recorded movement of other notable Pashtun tribes to their present abodes. Olaf Caroe and Aurel Stein are reported to have suggested that the Afridis may be the original inhabitants of the Gandhara area rather than an integral part of the great clans allegedly descended from the tribes of Israel. Thus, the Afridi tribe is one of the infamous Karlanri tribes, who have a formidable reputation as warriors.

Some historians think that Afridis are the direct descendants of the Greeks. During the time of Alexander The Great, some of his troops made this terrain their permanent abode. The Albanians amongst his troops constitute a considerable number in the Pashtun population.

According to Pashtun folklore, the Afridi tribe can trace its origin back to the eponymous ancestor of all Pashtuns, Qais Abdur Rashid, through his youngest son, Karlan. Some claim that Afridis are in fact one of the lost tribes (Ephraim) of the ancient Israelites.

[edit] Clans

Tribe	Subtribes	Clans of Tribe	Division of Clans	Subdivsion	Section of Subdivision	Minor Fractions	Other Fractions
Afridi	Adam Khel	Gallai	Zargun Khel	Muhammad Khel
			Tor Sapar	Feroz Khel
	Aka Khel	Saib Jan	Kamal Khel	Basi Khel	Mirghat Khel	Adili Khel
	Kuki Khel	Sherkhan Khel
		Mitha Khan Khel	Hassan Khel	Kattia Khel	Futteh Khel
					Mohmand Khel	Dildar Khel	Behram Kor	Adala Kor
				Mannia Khel	Mashi Khel	Feroz Khel
	Kambar Khel	Bar Kambar Khel
		Shalubar Kambar Khel	Dray Plari	Zona Khel	Zapari
			Sheikhmal Khel
			Wand
	Kamar Khel
	Malikdeen Khel		Umar Khan Khel		Shahi Khel
	Sipah	Urmuz Khel	Abdul Khel
		Landi Khel	Abdul Rahman Khel
	Zakha Khel	Budai	Pakhai	Hassan Khel	Nikki Khel	Ahmad Khel

All of the Afridi clans have their own areas in the Tirah, and most of them extend down into the Khyber Pass over which they have always exercised the right of toll. The Malikdin Khel live in the center of the Tirah and hold Bagh, the traditional meeting place of Afridi jirgas or assemblies. The Aka Khel are scattered in the hills south of Jamrud. All of this area is included in the Khyber Agency. The Adam Khel live in the hills between Peshawar and Kohat. Their preserve is the Kohat Pass. In which several of the most important Afridi gun factories are located. The Adam khel Afridis are further divided into seven clans.

The Khyber Rifles from 1895 comprising an all Afridi personnel.

[edit] Religion

Most Afridis follow the religion of Islam. The Afridis are said to have been initially converted to Islam during the time of Mahmud of Ghazni, and then during the time of Muhammad of Ghor. The Afridis are found to throng the Masjids at the time of prayers. A pleasant surprise comes, at the time of Eid Milad-ul-Nabi (the Holy Prophet's birthday), when the festival is held with unusual fervour and religious zeal, which is a spectacular sight. They are also observed to subscribe to many religious rituals.

[edit] Description

Olaf Caroe refers to their Grecian features, standing as a model of the Greek god Apollo, and the elderly lot resembling Zeus. To Spain they convey an impression of an assembly of Old Testament Prophets because of their light skin, Hebraic cast of features and beards.

[edit] Cuisine

Meat is an important part of their diet which they eat in the form of döner kabab (minced meat fried in oil in a special way), lamb curry (lamb is the favourite meat of Afridis in contrast with other groups in Pakistan who mostly like goat), chicken curry, goat curry and much more. The hotels in Peshawar Namak Mandi Bazar represent the traditional food of Afridis, especially Lamb Karahi. In vegetable cuisine bindi (okra), rajma (kidney beans), dal (lentils) and sag (spinach) are notable. Their desserts include kheer (rice pudding), meenchai (sugared noodles). They drink a lot of kava (green tea).

[edit] Famous Afridis

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Nawab Zaman Khan Afridi Kuki Khel Sherkhan Khel, awarded the Khan Bahadur Laqab posthumously. He had three sons Ajab Khan, Muhammad Ali Khan and Khaleefa Khan (original name Saifullah). Muhammad Ali Khan remained a member of the legislative assembly while Khaleefa Khan was the member of Majlis-e-Shura from 1983-84. The White Fort of Tirah in Khaist/Dwa Toey still witness the glory and command of his leadership towards his great tribe of Afridis. He and his family commanded the tribe for almost a century.
Ajab Khan Afridi, a brave Pashtun who fought with the British soldiers, kidnapped the daughter of the then British Army Chief in the region and handed her back to them himself. She was kept in respect and hospitality and when she went back to her family and army, she used to tell stories of the respect and hospitality that was given to her by the family of Ajab Khan Afridi.
Khatir Afridi, a prominent poet who wrote over 40,000 poems in his only four years of writing poetry. He died very young at the age of 32. Only one of his sons is still alive, and this man has collected all his poems and made a book out of them, a book which has achieved a good market value among speakers of Pashto.
Nawabzada Malik Inayat Khan Afridi, Grandson of Nawab Zaman Khan Afridi, he is an Ex-Senator and a promiment leader of the KukiKhel Tribe. He was given the title of "fakhr-e-kabail" (Pride of tribals) by President General Parvez Musharaf. He will be remembered for his untiring and selfless efforts to keep all the afridi tribes united.
Shahid Afridi, Pakistani cricketer. Holds world record for fastest century (off only 37 balls).
Malik Nader Khan Afridi Zakka Khel, A leader in the Khyber Agency.
Barrister Salman Hamid Afridi, a prominent lawyer and philanthropist.
Dr. Munawar Khan Afridi, Chairman & President of WHO.
Retd Lt Gen K K Afridi, Ex-Governor of Balochistan (Pakistan).
Masood Khan Afridi, Deputy Inspector, General of Police .
Rehmat Shah Afridi, owner and chief editor of the Frontier Post.
Abdul Latif Afridi, famous lawyer and politician (ex-member of parliament) and current president of Peshawar Bar Association
Peer Sher Bahadur Khan Afridi Bar Qambarkhel, a respected figure in the Khyber Agency.
Dr. Ashna Gul Afridi (Shalubar Qamber Khel), A Famous Physician of Bara Khyber Agency.
Rehmat Gul Afridi (Malikdin Khel), Chief of Pakistan Kyo Ko Shin Karate.
Farhad Shabab Afridi (Malikdin Khel), A Famous politician of Khyber Agency as well as President of Pakistan Peoples Party Parlimenterian (PPPP) Khyber Agency.