Durrānī

Durrānī, also spelled Durānī, formerly Abdālī, one of the two chief tribal confederations of Afghanistan, the other being the Ghilzay. In the time of Nādir Shah, the Durrānī were granted lands in the region of Kandahār, which was their homeland, and they moved there from Herāt.

In the late 18th century the Durrānī took up agriculture. Under Aḥmad Shah Durrānī and Tīmūr Shah, the Durrānī constituted the most significant political and military support of the monarchy. The later 18th-century policy of reducing their power aroused Durrānī resistance and served as one of the principal causes of the 18th- and early 19th-century civil wars. Nevertheless, the Durrānī continued to dominate the ruling class in Afghanistan into the 21st century.