Hazara culture

The ethnic Hazara people live primarily in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, the Balochistan province of Pakistan, and elsewhere around the world where the Hazara diaspora is settled as part of the wider Afghan diaspora.

The culture of the Hazara people (Dari: فرهنگ هزاره; Hazaragi: فرهنگ آزره) is rich in heritage, with many unique cultures and traditions, and shares influences with various Central Asian and South Asian cultures.^[1][2] The Hazarajat region has an ancient history and was, at different periods, home to the Greco-Buddhists, Ghorid, and Ghaznavid civilizations, later the Mongols and the Timurids. Each of these civilizations left visible imprints on the region's local culture.

The Hazaras speak Dari and Hazaragi dialects and varieties of Persian, which is spoken mostly in Afghanistan. The Hazara were traditionally pastoral farmers active in herding in the central and southeastern highlands of Afghanistan. They primarily practice Islam, denominations of Shia with significance of Sunni and some Isma'ili.^[3]