https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Aimaq_peopleAimaq people - Revision history2026-07-31T20:01:12ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Aimaq_people&diff=460537&oldid=prevIgornqa at 18:28, 22 November 20252025-11-22T18:28:53Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Persian-speaking nomadic ethnic group of Afghanistan}}<br />
{{Redirect|Aymāq|other uses|Aimaq (disambiguation)}}<br />
{{Infobox ethnic group<br />
| group = Aimaq<br />{{small|{{lang|fa|ایماق}}}}<br />
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| population = '''1,593,418''' (2021)<br/> 4% of the population of Afghanistan{{Efn|The last census in Afghanistan was conducted in 1979, and was itself incomplete. Due to the [[Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)|ongoing conflict]] in the country, no official census has been conducted since.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://afghanistan.unfpa.org/en/node/15230 |title=Population Matters |date=3 March 2016 |access-date=29 September 2021 |archive-date=16 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816021136/https://afghanistan.unfpa.org/en/node/15230 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/afghanistan-population |title="Afghanistan Population 2021" |author=World Population Review |date=19 September 2021 |publisher= |via=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/afghan-ethnic-groups-brief-investigation |title=Afghan Ethnic Groups: A Brief Investigation |website=reliefweb.int |date=14 August 2011 |publisher= |via=}}</ref><br />
| langs = [[Aimaq dialect]] of [[Persian language|Persian]]<ref name="ir1">{{cite encyclopedia|title=AYMĀQ |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] |publisher=[[Columbia University]] |location=United States |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/aymaq-turk |last=Janata |first=A. |editor-first=Ehsan |editor-last=Yarshater |editor-link=Ehsan Yarshater |edition=Online}}</ref><br />
| rels = [[Sunni Islam]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Aimaq |url=https://minorityrights.org/minorities/aimaq/ |access-date=28 July 2021 |website=Minority Rights Group |language=en-GB}}</ref><br />
| related = [[Hazaras]], [[Tajiks]]<br />
}}<br />
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The '''Aimaq''' ({{langx|prs|{{nq|ایماق}}|Aimāq}}),{{efn|Also transliterated as '''Aymaq''', '''Aimagh''', '''Aimak''', and '''Aymak'''.}} also known as the '''Chahar Aimaq''',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aimaq {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/aimaq |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref> are a collection of [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and mostly [[Persian language|Persian-speaking]]<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=AYMĀQ – Encyclopaedia Iranica |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/aymaq-turk |access-date=1 February 2021 |website=iranicaonline.org}}</ref> [[nomadic]] and semi-nomadic tribes.<ref>Tom Lansford -''A bitter harvest: US foreign policy and Afghanistan'' 2003 Page 25 "The term Aimaq means "tribe" but the Aimaq people actually include several different ethnic groups. The classification has come to be used for a variety of nonaligned nomadic tribes"</ref> They live mainly in the central and western highlands of [[Afghanistan]], especially in [[Ghor Province|Ghor]] and [[Badghis Province|Badghis]]. Aimaqs were originally known as ''chahar'' ("four") Aymaqs: [[Jamshidi (tribe)|Jamshidi]], [[Aimaq Hazara]], [[Firozkohi]], and [[Taymani]].<ref name=":2">{{Citation |last=Spuler |first=B. |title=Aymak |date=2012-04-24 |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/aymak-SIM_0904?s.num=0&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.encyclopaedia-of-islam-2&s.q=Aymak |work=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition |access-date=2023-07-14 |publisher=Brill |language=en}}</ref> The [[Timuri]], which is a separate tribe but is sometimes included among Aimaqs, which is known as ''Aimaq-e dīgar'' ("Other Aimaq").<ref name="Vogelsang2002">{{cite book |last=Vogelsang |first=Willem |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9kfJ6MlMsJQC&pg=PA37 |title=The Afghans |publisher=[[Wiley-Blackwell]] |year=2002 |isbn=9780631198413 |pages=37– |access-date=1 April 2011}}</ref><br />
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The Aimaq speak several subdialects of the [[Aimaq dialect]] of the [[Persian language]], but some southern groups of Taymani, Firozkohi, and northeastern Timuri Aimaqs have adopted the [[Pashto language]].<ref name="Vogelsang">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9kfJ6MlMsJQC&q=taymani&pg=PA18 |title=The Afghans |last1=Vogelsang |first1=Willem |publisher=[[Wiley-Blackwell]] |year=2002 |isbn=0631198415 |page=18 |access-date=23 January 2012}}</ref><br />
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== Etymology ==<br />
The word "Aimaq" is derived from the [[Turkic languages|Turkic]]-[[Mongolic languages|Mongolic]] word "Oymaq" that means "tribe" and "group of tribes".<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><br />
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== Origin ==<br />
The Aimaqs claim different origins based on their tribal background. Some claim to be descended from the troops of [[Genghis Khan]].<ref name=":0">{{cite book|title=Human: The Definitive Visual Guide |publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |year=2004 |isbn=0-7566-0520-2 |editor-last=Winston |editor-first=Robert |location=New York |pages=432}}</ref> The [[Taymani (Aimaq tribe)|Taymani]] and [[Firozkohi]] claim descent from [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] tribes.<ref>{{cite web|first=A. |last=Janata |title=Aymāq |url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/aymaq-turk |url-status=live |access-date=4 April 2021 |website=iranicaonline.org |quote=A Kākaṛ Pashtun from Baluchistan, Tayman, formed a coalition in Ḡūr around 1650. The traditional chiefs of the northern Fīrūzkūhī, Zay Ḥākem, claim descent from Ačakzay Pashtun ancestors. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429170352/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/aymaq-turk |archive-date=29 April 2011}}</ref><br />
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== Culture and society ==<br />
The Aimaq are largely nomadic to semi-nomadic goat and sheep herders. They also trade with villages and farmers during migrations for pastures for their livestock. The material culture and foodstuffs of the Aimaq include skins, carpets, milk, dairy products and more. They trade these products to settled peoples in return for vegetables, grains, fruits, nuts, and other types of foods and goods.<ref name=":0" /><br />
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=== Religion ===<br />
Aimaqs are largely [[Sunni Muslim]] except for the Jamshidi who are mainly [[Isma'ilism|Isma'ili Shia Muslims]].<ref>"Afghanistan". Encyclopædia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008.</ref><br />
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== Demographics ==<br />
{{Further|Demographics of Afghanistan|Ethnic groups in Afghanistan}}<br />
[[File:Afghanistan ethnic groups 2005.jpg|thumb|CIA map showing the territory of the settlement of [[ethnic groups in Afghanistan|ethnic groups and subgroups in Afghanistan]] (2005)]]<br />
In 2021, the Aimaq made up 4% of Afghanistan's population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Afghanistan Population 2024 (Live) |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/afghanistan |access-date=2025-01-17 |website=worldpopulationreview.com}}</ref><br />
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== See also ==<br />
* [[Hazaras]]<br />
* [[Moghols]]<br />
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== Notes ==<br />
{{Notelist}}<br />
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== References ==<br />
{{Reflist|2}}<br />
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== Further reading ==<br />
* Macgregor, ''Central Asia'', (Calcutta, 1871)<br />
* {{Citation |last=Spuler |first=B. |title=Aymak |date=2012-04-24 |work=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/aymak-SIM_0904?s.num=0&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.encyclopaedia-of-islam-2&s.q=Aymak |publisher=Brill |language=en}}<br />
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== External links ==<br />
* [http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Aimaq-Man-with-Children-Pal-Kotal-I-Guk-Ghor-Province-Posters_i2672763_.htm Aimaq Man with Children, Pal-Kotal-I-Guk, Ghor Province] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819155221/http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Aimaq-Man-with-Children-Pal-Kotal-I-Guk-Ghor-Province-Posters_i2672763_.htm |date=2021-08-19 }}<br />
* [http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Aimaq-Nomad-Camp-Pal-Kotal-I-Guk-Between-Chakhcharan-and-Jam-Afghanistan-Posters_i2672820_.htm Aimaq Nomad Camp Pal-Kotal-I-Guk Between Chakhcharan and Jam Afghanistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909004851/https://www.allposters.com/-sp/Aimaq-Nomad-Camp-Pal-Kotal-I-Guk-Between-Chakhcharan-and-Jam-Afghanistan-Posters_i2672820_.htm |date=2018-09-09 }}<br />
{{Commons category}}<br />
{{Ethnic groups in Afghanistan}}<br />
{{Iranian peoples}}<br />
{{Mongol ethnic groups}}<br />
{{Turkic peoples}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Aimaq}}<br />
[[Category:Aymaq]]<br />
[[Category:Afghan nomads]]<br />
[[Category:Iranian nomads]]<br />
[[Category:Nomads]]<br />
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Afghanistan]]<br />
[[Category:Modern nomads]]</div>Igornqa