The Saṛbanī () or Sarban Confederacy are a tribal group of Pashtuns. They are situated in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Sarbani include many Pashtun tribes, including the Barech, Yusufzai, Mandanr, Utmanzai, Sherani, Tareen, Loni, Durrani (Abdali), Ghoryakhel,Khalil, Kheshgi, Kasi Mohmand, Shinwari, Daudzai, Muhammadzai, Chamkani,Tarkalani,Burki(Ormur),Mullagori,Zeerani,Zmaryani,Katani,Gigyani,Alizai,Nokhi,Zamand,Barakzai,Sadozai,Achakzai,Popalzai,Alkozai,Hassanzai,Ishaqzai,Barozai,Matizai,Kand,Kharshbun and Tareen. According to the Pashtun legend of origins, the members of the Sarbani group all descend from Sarban, said to be the first son of the legendary founding father of the Pashtun people, Qais Abdur Rashid.
History The origin of the Sarbani may be connected with Hephthalites,The Hephthalites: Archaeological and Historical Analysis, Aydogdu Kurbanov, Berlin, 2010, page 242. who had a large nomadic confederation that included present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan in the 5th-6th centuries AD, as well as with Scythians,A brief history of Afghanistan, Shaista Wahab, Barry Youngerman, Infobase Publishing, 2007, page 14. who are known to have settled where most of Pashtuns live today.
The Durrani Empire that existed in the 18th-19th centuries and that was centered in the territory of present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan was founded by the Ahmad Shah Durrani, a Pashtun military commander under Nader Shah of Persia and chief of the Abdali Sarban tribe. Since that time, the Abdali tribe has been known as Durrani.
Geographic distribution
Afghanistan In Afghanistan, Sarbani mainly inhabit the provinces of Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan, Helmand, Kabul,Nimroz, Farah, Herat, Badghis, Balkh, and Kunduz, as well as the provinces Nangarhar Balkh,Ghor,Ghazni,Badakhshan and Kunar in the eastern part of the country.
Pakistan In Pakistan, Sarbanis are living throughout the city of Peshawar, northern and eastern parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas regions. Additional large settlements are found in Multan, Quetta, Mansehra, Azad Kashmir, Abbottabad, Haripur and in the northern parts of Balochistan. Other medium or small-sized settlements can be found in Lahore, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and Faisalabad.
India In India Sarbanis are found in various parts of the country mostly they live in UP,Agra,Delhi,Punjab,Bhopal,Kashmir,Bihar,Rajasthan,Gujrat and Bengal.They are Descendants or part of Afghan,Turkic conquerors and Afghan Sarbani Traders who settled in India.
Iran In Iran the Sarbanis live in Mazandaran,Isfahan,Kerman,Khorasan and majorly lives in Sistan as Natives.
Sarbani tribes Abubakar Siddique writes that "Under the prevailing classifications, Pashtuns are divided into four main tribal groupings: the Sarbani, Bettani, Ghurghust, and Karlani. The Sarbanis are divided into two branches: the Sharkbun and the Kharshbun. The most significant tribes.
Barech Ghoryakhel Chamkani Daudzai Mandanr, Utmanzai Durrani, Loni (Pashtun tribe) Kasi Khalil Mohmand Sheerani Shinwari Tareen Tarkalani Yusufzai Mullagori Zeerani Zakhel Hazarbuz Shilmani Muhammadzai Kheshgi Achakzai Noorzai Alkozai Popalzai
See also Pashtun tribes Pashtunistan
References
External links Map showing areas inhabited by Sarbani in Afghanistan and Pakistan Pashtun tribes