| Yūsufzai ايسپزی | |
|---|---|
.png) Depiction of a Yusufzai warrior | |
| Ethnicity | Pashtun |
| Location | Afghanistan, Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) |
| Parent tribe | Sarbani |
| Branches | Mandanr, Iliaszai, Akozai, Mandan, Isazai, Malizai |
| Language | Pashto |
| Religion |  Islam |
The Yusufzai or Yousafzai (Pashto: یوسفزی, pronounced [jusəpˈzai]1), also referred to as the Esapzai (ايسپزی, pronounced [iːsəpˈzai]), or Yusufzai Afghans historically, are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. They are natively based in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Malakand, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Buner, Swabi, Mardan, Bajaur, Peshawar, Tor Ghar), to which they migrated from Kabul during the 16th century, but they are also present in parts of Afghanistan, including Kunar, Kabul, Kandahar and Farah. Outside of these countries, they can be found in Ghoriwala District Bannu (Mughal Khel),[1] Balochistan Sibi (Akazai), Chagai (Hassanzai) and Rohilkandh.
Most of the Yusufzai speak a northern variety of Pashto and some southern variety of Pashto (as in case of Mughal Khel) and Afghan dialect Persian.[2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
KhanRoshanKhanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Coyle, Dennis Walter (2014). Placing Wardak Among Pashto Varieties (Master's thesis). University of North Dakota.