The Shughni (also known as the Shughnan) ( Shughni: , , ) are an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

- Pamiri ethnic group who reside in the

Pamir Mountains The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range between Central Asia and Pakistan. It is located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya mountain ranges. They are among the world ...

of the

Badakhshan Badakhshan is a historical region comprising parts of modern-day north-eastern Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in China. Badakhshan Province is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Much of historic Ba ...

region of

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

. They mostly live in the country of

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

, while a minority lives in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. They speak the

Shughni language Shughni or Khughni (in the local language: tr. ; Tajik: , fa, شغنانی), is one of the Pamir languages of the Southeastern Iranian language group.Karamšoev, Dodchudo K. (1988–99). ''Šugnansko-russkij slovar''. 3 vols. Moskva: Nauka. ...

, an

Eastern Iranian language The Eastern Iranian languages are a subgroup of the Iranian languages emerging in Middle Iranian times (from c. the 4th century BC). The Avestan language is often classified as early Eastern Iranian. As opposed to the Middle Western Iranian diale ...

of the Pamiri subgroup.

History

The region of

Shughnan Shighnan, also Shignan, Shugnan, Shughnan, and Khughnan ( tg, Шигнон, fa, شغنان, Pashto: ), is an historic region whose name today may also refer to a town and a district in Badakhshan Province in the mountainous northeast of Afghani ...

was mentioned in Chinese books during the 6th and 7th centuries. The ancient Shughnis kept the Shughnan region under their control. Proof had been found about the Shughni people's oral traditions in Ghoron. The Shughni tribes had also collaborated with the

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...

during the conquest of Afghanistan. During

Soviet times The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

, especially during the Stalin era, Soviet and Tajik authrorities tried their best to assimilate the Shughni with the Tajik population. Even after Soviet times, the Shughni, Ishkashim, Rushan, and Wakhi tribes still fought over territory near the borders of Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

Lifestyle

Due to political reasons the Shughni and Rushan go by the name "Tajik" unlike other Pamiri groups. The Shughani are engaged in mountain agriculture and have succeeded in a greater agriculture basis from the Rabbani government. The Shughni stay in

Shewa Adda Shewa Adda is the headquarter city of Razar Tehsil, Swabi District. This is also called Razzar City. The second largest furniture market in Mardan Division Mardan Division is one of seven divisions in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It ...

all year long and sustain on mountain agriculture. The Shughni were formerly raiders, but are now seen as servants and pedlars in big cities in

such as

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

and

Farghana Fergana ( uz, Fargʻona/Фарғона, ), or Ferghana, is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 420 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km west of Andijan, and less than 20 km fr ...

. They have also supplemented to 'scanty' resources in Shughnan. The Shughani have also gone to Chitral in

to find jobs recently.

Language

The Shughni language is an Eastern Iranian language of the Pamiri subgroup spoken in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, primarily in Gorno-Badakhshan and Sheghnan. Shughani is the largest of the Pamiri languages and contains many dialects including Rushani, Bartangri, and Oroshori.

References

{{reflist Iranian ethnic groups Pamiri people Ethnic groups in Afghanistan