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

Many of them have targeted Afghanistan's Hazara ethnic minority and have been claimed by Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISKP, the regional affiliate of the so-called Islamic State group, a major rival of the Taliban.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 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

Some Pakistanis saw Ms. Raza’s death as emblematic of the hardships that the Hazara face in the region and the pressures they feel to emigrate.

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2023

I’d hear him singing to himself in the foyer as he ironed, singing old Hazara songs in his nasal voice.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini