Hazara

American  

[huh-zahr-uh] / həˈzɑr ə /

noun

plural

Hazara, Hazaras

1. an Iranian ethnolinguistic group in central Afghanistan, north Pakistan, and Iran, most of whom are Shiʿite Muslims.

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Etymology

Origin of Hazara

From Persian hazār “a thousand, a military unit of a thousand soldiers,” from Middle Persian

Example Sentences

The city grabbed international attention in 2001, when the Sunni Pashtun Taliban authorities destroyed two large Buddha statues cherished by the predominantly Shia Hazara community in the region.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

The family - who are part of Afghanistan's Hazara minority - made the difficult journey to Pakistan, where they spent a year before being granted asylum in Canada.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2024

For example, I advocate on behalf of a group of Hazara women who previously worked in the security sector.

From Slate • Aug. 23, 2023

The Hazara Express was on its way from Karachi to Rawalpindi when 10 cars derailed near the Sarhari railway station off Nawabshah, said senior railway officer Mahmoodur Rehman Lakho.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 6, 2023

Ali told us she was a blue-eyed Hazara woman from Bamiyan, the city of the giant Buddha statues.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini