Alakozai ( - meaning descendant of Alako in Pashto) is a Pashtun tribe in Afghanistan. They are, by a wide margin, the wealthiest of the four clans comprising the Zirak confederacy of Durrani Pashtuns. This concentrated affluence has allowed them to institutionalize generational wealth, effectively consolidating political influence and economic dominance over neighboring clans for generations.International Encyclopaedia of Islamic Dynasties; by Nagendra Kumar Singh; Published by Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 2000; Variations Spelling variations include Alakozi, Alakoozi, Alekozai, Alekuzei, Alikozai, Alokozay, Alkozai, Alucozai, Alakozay, Hulakozai, Alecozay, Alikuzi, Alakuzei, Alkozay, and Alakoozai
History
Their eponymous ancestor is claimed to be the powerful Alako, son of King Zirak Khan, son of Abdal, son of Tareen.State and tribe in nineteenth-century Afghanistan: the reign of Amir Dost Muhammad Khan (1826-1863); by Christine Noelle, Christine Noelle-Karimi; Published by Routledge, 1997; ; p. 384-385
Distribution The Alkozay people are found primarily in Helmand, Kandahar, Kabul, Laghman, Kunar Sarkani District and Herat provinces in Afghanistan, and form the majority of the population in the Sangin District. Jaldak, which is located 110 km northeast of Kandahar, is the original domicile of the Alkozay tribe.The Hidden treasure: a biography of Pahtoon poets; by Muḥammad Hōtak, ʻAbd al-Ḥayy Ḥabībī, Abdul Hay Habibi, Khushal Habibi; Translated by Khushal Habibi; Published by Rowman & Littlefield, 1997; ; p. 193 The Alkozay people stretch from Farah to Kandahar, and constitute a majority in the Arghandab District of Kandahar. People of Ghazni, Program for Culture & Conflict Studies The Arghandab district was given to the Alkozay tribe by King Nadir Shah, who brought down the Safavid empire of Persia with the help of the Alkozay in 1738.Chayes, Sarah (2007-11-18). "A Mullah Dies, and War Comes Knocking". The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2008-07-20. Arghandab was referred to by the Greek historians as Alkozay, or the "Land of Arako/Alako".Afghanistan, Volumes 25-26 By Anjuman-i Tārīkh-i Afghānistān
Notable individuals Mullah Naqib (c.1950 – October 11, 2007), famous freedom fighter during the Soviet–Afghan War, politician and peace maker from Kandahar. He was one of the most respected elders of the Alakozai Pashtun tribe in the Kandahar area."Mullah Naqib - Losing an Ally". CBC.ca. 2007-10-15. Retrieved on 2008-07-03. Queen Zarghoona Alakozai (mother of King Ahmad Shah Durrani, founder of the Durrani Empire). Abdul Ghani Alakozai, governor of NadirabadThe Kingdom of Afghanistan; George Passman Tate; Asian Educational Services, 2001; ; p. 64 and chieftain of the Durrani,The Kingdom of Afghanistan; George Passman Tate; Asian Educational Services, 2001; ; p. 58 under King Nader Shah. Juma Khan Alakozai, governor of Kashmir (1788–1792). His administration was faced by serious floods, Shia–Sunni riots and rioting by the Bambas. He died of dysentery in 1792.Kashmir: A Wailing Valley; M. L. Gupta; Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 2001; ; p. 65 Abdullah Khan Alakozai, governor of Kashmir (1795–1807, under King Zaman Shah Durrani).The Kingdom of Afghanistan: a historical sketch; by G. P. Tate; Published by Asian Educational Services, 2001; ; p. 106International Encyclopedia of Islamic Dynasties, Vol. 2 Afghanistan; Nagendra Kr. Singh; Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 2000; ; p. 339Catalogue of Coins in the Panjab Museum, Lahore; Lahore Museum; Richard Bertram Whitehead; 1934, p. 29 Yar Mohammad Khan Alakozai (Died June 11, 1851) Minister under King Shahzada Kamran Durrani. Dictionary of Indian Biography; by Charles Edward Buckland; Published by S. Sonnenschein, 1906; p. 228 Minister-regent at Herat, he served as Vizier of Herat from 1829 to 1842. In Early 1842 he deposed Kamran Shah and ruled Herat until his death on June 11, 1851. He was the son of 'Ata Mohammad Khan Alakozai, vizier of Herat from 1818 to 1829. Sa'id Mohammad Khan Alakozai, son of Yar Muhammad Khan and ruled Herat from June 11, 1851, to September 1855. Herat was briefly occupied by Iran in the spring of 1852 due to an attempted invasion of the Kandahar Sardars. 'Abd al-Ghani Khan Alakozai (maternal uncle of King Ahmad Shah Durrani), governor of Kandahar during Ahmad Shah Durrani's reign.State and Tribe in Nineteenth-Century Afghanistan: The Reign of Amir Dost Muhammad Khan (1826-1863): The Reign of Amir Dost Muhammad Khan (1826-63) (page 4) Queen Alakozai, stepmother of King Dost Mohammad Khan of Afghanistan,Life of the amir Dost Mohammed Khan of Kabul: with his political proceedings towards the English, Russian and Persian governments, including the victory and disasters of the British army in Afghanistan. By Mohan Lal, 1846; p. 22 and wife of Sardār Pāyenda Khan, chief of the Barakzai clan. Salman Salim Khan (born Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan, 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who predominantly works in Hindi films. In a career spanning over three decades, his awards include two National Film Awards as a film producer, and two Filmfare Awards as an actor. He has been cited in the media as one of the most popular and commercially successful actors of Indian cinema. Forbes included him in listings of the highest-paid celebrities in the world, in 2015 and 2018. According to Salim, his paternal great-grandparents are Alakozai Pashtuns from Afghanistan who immigrated to Indore State, Indore Residency (now in Madhya Pradesh), British India in the mid-1800s; however, author Jasim Khan in his biography of the actor states that his ancestors belonged to the Akuzai sub-tribe of the Yusufzai Pashtuns from Malakand in the Swat Valley of North-West Frontier Province, British India (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan).: "Superstar Salman Khan is a Pashtun from the Akuzai clan...One has to travel roughly forty-five kilometers from Mingora towards Peshawar to reach the nondescript town of Malakand. This is the place where the forebears of Salman Khan once lived. They belonged to the Akuzai clan of the Pashtun tribe..." His grandfather Abdul Rashid Khan was a Deputy Inspector General of the Indore state who was awarded the Diler Jung award of the Holkar times.
See also Haulkozai Barakzai Popalzai Achakzai Lalazai
References
Sources
External links Alikozai Tribal Dynamics from the Tribal Analysis Center