Sunday, June 7, 2009

Yousafzais

The Yousafzai is the largest ethnic Afghan/ Pashtun tribe. Yousafzai translates into English as "The Sons of Joseph": Yousaf = Joseph, zai = son of. Their spoken langagues is Pashto, which the Yousefzai are considered to have the most pure spoken form of.
Other spellings include:
Euzefzai
Yusefzai
Yosefzai
Yousefzai
majority of them r in pakistan and live in the areas of mardan malakand and swabi
Yousafzais have great history of bravery against their rivals through out the over past centuries esp against the Pashtun tribes Swati, Dilazak , Mohmand and some others. But some Historians have different views as they were have the support of Mughal King Babur against the different Pashtun tribes even the soldiers and chiefs of Moghal Army took part in Wars to win for them. Suleman shah was the elder of Yousafzais when Alag Baig was the ruler of Kabul. Bibi Mubarka of Yousafzai had been honored as Queen of the King Babar. Shiekh Mali, Khan Kajo, Shah Mansoor and Malik Ahmed are the worth moentioning personalities of the tribe. They have captured the whole Swat, Malakad and Dir in a long period of time. Yousafzais migeratted from Kabul to refudge in the plains of Peshawar and the hilly areas of Swat , where nine hundred Chiefs heads have been chopped off by Mirza Alag baig in the late 14th century. Actually the Pashtun's living in Swat are also for the most part Yousafzai's. And while these residents of Swat may be referred to as Swati's there is in fact no Pashtun tribe of that name in Swat. The original Pashtun Tribe Swati now lives in Hazara and some in Dir of N.W.F.P of Pakistan, where Swatis defeated the Turks and captured the hills and plains of Pakhali (now called Hazara division. So now the people living in Swat are totally Yousafzais and if someone calling him Swati would be considered wrong. Pashtun's own pronounciation of Yousafzai would sound as "eeSupzaye" Quite often they have trouble pronouncing the letter "P". Some of the famous clans and subsections of the Yousafzais are Eessa, Moosa, Malizai, Akozai, Chagharzai, Orba, Madakhel and Bazikhel.

4 comments:

  1. you mentioned yousafzais as the son of joseph, i beg to differ, this name is derived from aspzai (the son of horse rider) you can see the detail in Saadullah Jan Barq book "pashtoon aor nasliyate hindokush".

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  2. They are called Yousafzai becacuse their forefather name was Yousafa, a Pashtoon elder somewhere in 13th century AD

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  3. They are called Yousafzai becacuse their forefather name was Yousafa, a Pashtoon elder somewhere in 13th century AD

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  4. Aafridi clan from armour barakai now karlani the adobted son of Qais Abdul Rasheed yusufzai.mandy.khashi.kharbun.Sarbani.Qais Abdul Rasheed sons

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