Karlani

"Karrani" redirects here. For the dynasty in Bengal founded by the tribe, see Karrani dynasty.

Karlāṇī or Karrani (Pashto: کرلاڼي) is a Pashtun tribal confederacy.^[1] They primarily inhabit the FATA region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and certain parts of eastern Afghanistan. In the 16th century the Karlani founded the Karrani dynasty, the last dynasty to rule the Bengal Sultanate.

Karlani کرلاڼي
Ethnicity	Pashtun (Historically referred as Afghans)
Location	Afghanistan, Pakistan
Population	several millions
Branches	Afridi, Bangash, Banusi, Dawar, Dilzak, Khattak, Khogyani, Mahsud, Mangal, Orakzai, Tanai, Utmankhel, Wardak, Wazir, Zadran, Zazi (Dzadzi),Turi
Language	Pashto
Religion	Islam

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Origins

Karlani itself means "adopted". The 17th century Mughal scribe Nimat Allah al-Harawi does not mention Karlani tribes in his Makhzan-i-Afghani.^[2] According to a legend, Karlan was the adopted son of Qais Abdur Rasheed, the eponymous ancestor of Pashtuns.^[3] In another variant of the tradition, Karlan was adopted in exchange of a cooking pot, and was found by two Ormur brothers in an empty field where an army had encamped previous night. The childless brother then exchanged baby for a pot.^[4][5] This suggests that Karlanis are adopted tribes of non-Pashtun origins unlike the rest of the tribes.^[6] The exact genesis of Karlani Pashtuns remains disputed,^[4] with Karlani tribes like Afridis and Bangash having Dardic or Arab origins.^[7] Sections of Karlanis claim descent from Muhammad.^[2] Nevertheless, the Karlanis consider themselves as Pashtuns.^[3]

Dialect

Karlani tribes speak central dialect, a distinct dialect of Pashto.^[8]

Karlani tribes

1. Afridi
2. Bangash
3. Banusi
4. Dawari
5. Dilazak
6. Khattak
7. Khogyani
8. Mahsud
9. Mangal tribe
10. Orakzai
11. Tanai
12. Turi
13. Utmankhel
14. Wardak
15. Waziri
16. Zadran
17. Zazi (Dzadzi)

See also

• Nimat Allah al-Harawi author of Tarikh-i-Khan Jahani Makhzan-i-Afghani also known as The History of the Afghans
• Amir Kror Suri