Lōya Paktiā ( ps, لويه پکتيا; lit. Greater Paktia) is a historical and cultural region of

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 borde ...

, comprising the modern Afghan provinces of

Khost Khōst ( ps, خوست) is the capital of Khost Province in Afghanistan. It is the largest city in the southeastern part of the country, and also the largest in the region of Loya Paktia. To the south and east of Khost lie Waziristan and Kurram ...

Paktia Paktia ( Pashto/ Dari: – ''Paktyā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the east of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktia Province is divided into 15 districts and has a population of roughl ...

, and

Paktika Paktika (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. Forming part of the larger Loya Paktia region, Paktika has a population of about 789,000, mostly ethnic Pashtuns. The town of Sharana ...

, as well as parts of Logar7 Deadly Scenarios: A Military Futurist Explores the Changing Face of War in the 21st Century
Andrew Krepinevich, Random House Digital, Inc., 2010, , ''... Paktia was once a unified province with Khost and Paktika in southeast Afghanistan. The three provinces are now referred to as 'Loya Paktia', which means 'The Greater Paktia' ...'' and parts of Kurram and

Waziristan Waziristan (Pashto and ur, , "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Waziristan covers some . ...

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 ...

. Loya Paktia is vaguely defined by a common culture and history that is connected to the local indigenous tribes that reside in the region. Particular styles of clothing, articles of clothing, turban styles, turban cloth colors, dialects of

Pashto language Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...

, etc. may sometimes be associated with specific tribes indigenous to Loya Paktia and thus integrate themselves into regional culture. For instance, a Pashtun tribesman from

Loy Kandahar Lōy Kandahār ( ps, لوی کندهار, lit. "Greater Kandahar") is a historical and cultural region of Afghanistan, comprising the modern Afghanistan provinces of Kandahar, Helmand, Farah, Uruzgan, as well as parts of Nimruz and Zabul, ...

may quickly recognize a Pashtun from Loya Paktia based upon his turban (or lungee) style and color. Likewise, a Pashtun from Loya Paktia may recognize someone from Loy Kandahar based upon his unique style of collarless

kameez Thawb ( ar, ثَوْب "garment"), also spelled thobe or tobe and known by various other names in different regions, is an ankle-length robe, usually with long sleeves. It is commonly worn in the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, North Afri ...

(shirt) with specific embroidered patterns on the front. There are many subtle and intricate cultural indicators of this type that are not recorded in any known

written history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world his ...

but simply known and observed by the tribesmen of the various Pashtun regions of

and

Main settlements

The largest city of the region is

, while other cities of Loya Paktia include

Gardez , settlement_type =City , image_skyline =gardez_paktya.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption =The Bala Hesar fortress in the center of Gardez City , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_sea ...

(capital of Paktia Province),

Zurmat Zurmat ( ps, زرمت) is the main town of Zurmat District in Paktia Province, Afghanistan. Zurmat is the largest city of Paktia Province, while Zurmat District, with a population of 109,805, is also the most populous district of the province.

(largest city of Paktia Province), Urgun (largest city of Paktika), and

Sharana Sharana ( ps, ښرنه) or Sharan ( fa, شاران) is the capital of Paktika Province, Afghanistan. It is located at an altitude of 2,200 meters. Its population was estimated to be 2,200 in 2006. The city of Sharana has a population of 15,651 ( ...

(capital of Paktika). Other main towns of Loya Paktia are Sardeh Band (Ghazni), Charkh (Logar), Tari Mangal (Kurram),

Angur Ada Angur Ada (, literally: "Grape Base" in Pashto) is a town in the Barmal Valley, straddling the border between the South Waziristan of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan's Paktika Province ( Barmal District). It is one of the few easy pas ...

(partly in

South Waziristan South Waziristan District ( ps, سويلي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) was a district in Dera Ismail Khan Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before splitting in to Lower South Waziristan District and Upper South Waziristan District and ...

Yakubi Yaqubi is the center of Sabari District in Khost Province, Afghanistan. It is located on at 1,113 m altitude in the southeastern part of the district. See also * Khost Province Khost (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, ...

, Tani, Dadwal,

Aryob Aryob ( ps, اریوب) or Aryub is the main town of Zazi District in the Paktia Province of Afghanistan where the Zazi tribe of Pashtuns live.

Khandkhel Khandkhel ( ps, خڼ خېل) or Khand Khil is a town in the Said Karam District of Paktia Province, Afghanistan. It is located 25 km to the northeast of Gardez, the capital of Paktia, and is 40 km to the southwest of Aryob. Climate Kha ...

Tsamkani Tsamkani ( ps, څمکني), also spelled Chamkani or Samkani, is the main town of Tsamkani District in Paktia Province, Afghanistan.

, Zarghun Shar, Wazakhwa, and

Zerok Zēṛōk ( ps, زېړوک) is the main town of Zerok District in Paktika Province, Afghanistan.Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically r ...

from various tribes under the larger Karlani and

Ghilji The Ghiljī ( ps, غلجي, ; fa, خیلجی, Xelji) also spelled Khilji, Khalji, or Ghilzai or Ghilzay (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes. Their traditional homeland is Ghazni and Qalati Ghilji in Afghanistan but they have also sett ...

confederacies. Predominant tribes with notable large populations native to Loya Paktia include Zadran,

Zazi The Zazi ( ps, ځاځي; plur. ځاځی), also spelled Zazai, or Jaji, is a Karlani Afghan tribe. They are found in Paktia and Khost provinces in the Loya Paktia region of southeastern Afghanistan, as well as Kurram Valley of Pakistan, but als ...

, Mangal, Ahmadzai, Totakhil, Tani, Sabari, Sulaimankhel, Kharoti, Wazir, and Gurbaz. Kochian are common in the region throughout the year who still live a nomadic lifestyle.

References

Regions of Afghanistan Pashtun culture Paktia Province Paktika Province Khost Province Historical regions {{Khost-geo-stub