The Hazāras are a principal component of the population of Afghanistan, constituting perhaps as much as one-fifth of the total population. They speak a Persian dialect with many Turkic and a few Mongolian words. They have traditionally occupied the central part of the country, the mountainous region of Hazārajāt. Although some inhabitants of the eastern fringe are Sunnīs (Ghorband Valley) or Ismāʿīlīs (Kayan, Shibar), most Hazāras, unlike the majority of the Afghan population, are Twelver Shīʿīs, a fact that has contributed to their political and socio-economic marginalisation. The