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An Article about the Hazaras

Yazp

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Here's a small article I've written about my people, The Hazaras:
I will add more parts to this as I get time to write them in follow up posts on this same thread :D
Enjoy!



Origins:


The word Hazara comes from the Persian word “Hazar” which means a thousand. This is a reference to one of Ghengeis Khan's military units, the “Mingghan” a regiment made up of 100 “Arbans” (One Arban is a hundred men).



Most Hazaras came to Afghanistan with Ghengeis Khan during his Khwarezmian campaign. ( It was not originally the intention of the Mongol Empire to invade the Khwarezmid Empire. According to the Persian historian Juzjani, Genghis Khan had originally sent the ruler of the Khwarezmid Empire, Ala ad-Din Muhammad, a message seeking trade and greeted him as his neighbor: "I am master of the lands of the rising sun while you rule those of the setting sun. Let us conclude a firm treaty of friendship and peace”. Which the “Sultan” broke after he beheaded an innocent Mongol caravan.)


After taking a city from the enemy, a Garrison was stationed in the city, Thus the Mongols settled there and somewhat merged with the local population, slowly abandoning Mongolian and shifting to Dari.


The second wave of Hazaras coming to Afghanistan was during the 1251 when Halagu Khan was sent to:


Suppress the Ismaili Ḥashshāshīnrebellion

and to Suppress the Abbasid Caliphate which now had rebelled, when they had agreed to be a Mongol Vassal when Ghengeis Khan had come.

Thus, he assembled the biggest Mongol Army to date and marched onto the Middle east with orders to either have the Abbasid Caliphate to submit, or to be utterly destroyed.


Conquest of Baghdad:

First of all, Watch this video and see the Mongolian Cavalry and their superior tactics in all of their glory.





and this:
Hulagu_Khan.jpg


After defeating the Assassins, Hulagu sent word to Al-Musta'sim, demanding his acquiescence to the terms imposed by Möngke. Al-Musta'sim refused, in large part due to the influence of his advisor and grand vizier, Ibn al-Alkami. Historians have ascribed various motives to al-Alkami's opposition to submission, including treachery and incompetence, and it appears that he lied to the Caliph about the severity of the invasion, assuring Al-Musta'sim that, if the capital of the caliphate was endangered by a Mongol army, the Islamic world would rush to its aid.


Though replying to Hulagu's demands in a manner that the Mongol commander found threatening and offensive enough to break off further negotiation, Al-Musta'sim declined to gather armies to assist the forces available to him in Baghdad, nor did he strengthen the city's walls. By January 11, the Mongols had reached the vicinity of the city, establishing themselves on both banks of Tigris so as to form a pincer round the city, and Al-Musta'sim finally decided to confront them, sending out a force of 20,000 cavalry to attack the Mongols. The cavalry were decisively defeated by the Mongols, whose engineers broke dikes along the Tigris River and flooded the ground behind the Abbasid forces, trapping them.


maxresdefault.jpg

Mongols feared that a supernatural disaster would strike if the blood of Al-Musta'sim, a direct descendant of Muhammad (S.A.W)'s uncle Al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib (R.A), and the last reigning Abbasid caliph in Baghdad, was spilled. The Shias of Persia stated that no such calamity had happened after the deaths of Husayn Ibn Ali (A.S) nevertheless, as a precaution and in accordance with a Mongol taboo which forbade spilling royal blood, Hulagu had Al-Musta'sim wrapped in a carpet and trampled to death by horses on 20 February 1258. (A Mongolian execution only given to high ranking people in which no blood is spilled)


The Ilkhanate:


The word “Ilkhanate” means Subordinate khanate, under the Mongol Great Khan. Halagu Khan was permitted to establish his own Khanate in the region. Meanwhile the Mongols were fighting in China. The incompetent Khan, Kublai Khan kept failing, thus the Great Khan himself came to lead, leaving his son Arik Boke to manage his empire until the Campaign was over. However his father did not return from China as he died from Malaria or some other similar disease. Kublai Khan and his Chinese Generals marched onto the Mongol capital, Karakoram and destroyed it along with Arik Boke.

After the Great Khan died, and his heir murdered, nor the Golden horde or the Ilkhanate wanted to stay a part of the federation.


The Ilkhante consisted of modern day Iran, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Armenia.
Ilkhanate_in_1256–1353.PNG



Initially the Mongols allied with the Franks in the 7th Crusade against a common foe, the Mamluks.

The Mamluks were honorable and respectable warriors and a formidable foe.

( You wont hear that from a Mongol everyday.)


Ghazan the Great converted to Islam on the 16th of June, 1295. All of his subject and most Mongols converted to Islam as well.
539px-DiezAlbumsStudyingTheKoran.jpg

Ghazan studying the Quran.

The Ilkhanate ceased to exist in 1335, After successful Uzbek rebels and the Uzbek turned Mughal “Timur the Lame” took over what was left of the Ilkhanate and established the Timurd empire (Which in turn was destroyed by Shia rebels the same way the Uzbeks rebelled against the Ilkhanate) One of the descendants of Timurd, Babur established the Mughal Emprie in the subcontinent.

Don't confuse Hazaras with the Mughals.



Just note that it has some parts which is a copy and paste from wikipedia :D:P
 
Last edited:
Yep, Your thread is better! I don't even know if mine is in the correct category either.
It's correct and quite informative. Keep up the good work. More history and background. Recent history, would have rated it too. hard work deserves appreciation. New at this i suppose, keep up the good work.
 
Yep, Your thread is better! I don't even know if mine is in the correct category either.

Great thread and it is in the correct category. Appreciate your effort. Maybe you could list the contribution made to Pakistan by the Hazara's community like soldiers, sports people etc. I love football and the place my brother works ( UK ) has a young Hazara lad who apparently is like the next Maradona.

Maybe you could kick off with General Musa Khan?

@xenon54 Is there any Turkish connection here?
 
Great thread and it is in the correct category. Appreciate your effort. Maybe you could list the contribution made to Pakistan by the Hazara's community like soldiers, sports people etc. I love football and the place my brother works ( UK ) has a young Hazara lad who apparently is like the next Maradona.

Maybe you could kick off with General Musa Khan?

@xenon54 Is there any Turkish connection here?

Hehe, I'll add the part about him later on when I write the Pakistani Hazaras chapter.
 
Hehe, I'll add the part about my Great Grandfather later on when I write the Pakistani Hazaras chapter.

This sounds very interesting. I certainly look forward to it. I notice the Ilkhanate covered almost all of present day Balochistan, Pakistan. Catch you later.

@WAJsal I think we might have "living history" here. This is what we need at PDF !!!
 
I know this guy, Pakistani hazara fashion desginer. Originally from Quetta, now live in Islamabad or Lahore.

Mohsin Ali

mohsin-ali.jpg
 
When persecution started:


In 1830, Abdur Rahman came to power, and wanted to tax the Hazaras.

The Hazaras, who had never been forced to pay taxes to anyone revolted against him, three times.
In the Third revolt (1893) The initial Hazara push took the government by surprise, thus we took back the whole of Hazaristan.
After many months of fighting, we had to surrender because of the shortage of food.


It was during this time that the Hazaras and Pashtuns became rivals for many years to come.
After this revolt, more than 60% of Hazaras were either massacred or displaced out of Afghanistan. Hazara lands, and properties were confiscated and the population was expelled. Most of them going to Mashad, Iran and Quetta, British India.


In 1901 Habibullah, Abdur Rahman's successor granted amnesty to all the people who were forcefully removed, but the rift between Hazaras and Pashtuns was already made to deep in Abdur Rahman's time.



During the forced exile of the Hazaras, the British started to recruit from the Hazaras, making the 106th Hazara Pioneers a part of the British Indian Army.
Indian_pioneers.png

A member of the 106th Pioneers depicted alongside other British Indian Pioneers. Third from the right side.

In 1940, Zahir Shah imposed special taxes on Hazaras only. Once again, the Hazaras revolted and started to kill government officials and soldiers. Later on the tax was forced to be removed.
 

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