Hazaras - Genghis Khan-era legacy in the mountains of Afghanistan

In the south of Central Asia, in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, a very motley ethnic pattern has developed. Here, over the centuries, Iranian-speaking and Turkic peoples have mixed together, who penetrated here from neighboring and remote regions. One of the modern peoples of this mountainous region are the Hazaras, who have appeared here since the conquest of these lands by the Mongol troops led by Genghis Khan.

The Hazaras are a generalized concept of the inhabitants of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, who are of Mongolian origin, but at present most of them speak the languages of the Iranian group, just like their neighbors. According to ethnographers, modern Hazaras are descendants of the Mongol conquerors who came to this region with the troops of Genghis Khan in the XIII century. Over time, the Mongol tribes mingled with neighboring Iranian-speaking peoples, but Mongoloid features are still visible in the appearance of the Hazaras. The Mongoloid origin of the Hazaras is also confirmed by genetic studies.

Over time, the influence of the Mongol Empire in this region began to weaken, and the descendants of the Genghis Khan warriors more and more mixed with the local Iranian-speaking tribes. The situation of the Hazaras in Afghanistan and Pakistan markedly worsened in the 19th century, when they were forced out of the arid highlands of the country unsuitable for life. Nevertheless, today about 5 million Hazaras live in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in Afghanistan, where their community exceeds 3 million people, they are the third largest nation in the country.

Hazaras profess Shia Islam. According to linguists, their language originates from the Old Tajik dialect, but at the same time retains about 10% of the vocabulary of Turkic and Mongolian origin. Today, most Hazaras still live in remote mountainous areas, farming or leading a nomadic lifestyle. More and more young people are moving to cities or leaving the countries of their traditional residence, which is associated with both economic and international problems. Recently, there has been a tendency to strengthen ties with Mongolia, where young Hazara students are increasingly leaving to study.