ABSTRACT The Abdālī Afghans-Pashtuns played a leading role in the creation of the Durrānī polity (est. 1747) – the precursor of present-day Afghanistan. Given their lasting contributions to the process of state formation in Central Asia, it is somewhat surprising that the early history of the Abdālī remains obscure. Nevertheless, authors of recent generations have not been deterred from speculating on the origins of the Abdālī. This article explores the prevailing theories concerning Abdālī prehistory, including the tribe’s purported connection to both the Hephthalites and the Sufi saint Abū Aḥmad Abdāl, as well as some of the motivations undergirding these theories. It also considers the place of the Abdālī within the Afghan-Pashtun tribal system and ventures to reconcile their Afghan identity with their alleged non-Afghan origins. The present study thus aims to offer a more nuanced understanding of the history of the Abdālī – the most politically prominent group in Afghanistan’s history.

中文翻译：

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对阿卜杜勒阿富汗人史前史的思考

摘要 Abdālī 阿富汗普什图人在杜兰尼政体（est. 1747）——当今阿富汗的前身——的创建过程中发挥了主导作用。鉴于他们对中亚国家形成过程的持久贡献，阿卜杜勒的早期历史仍然模糊不清，这有点令人惊讶。尽管如此，最近几代的作者并没有被阻止对阿卜杜勒的起源进行推测。本文探讨了有关阿卜杜勒史前史的流行理论，包括该部落据称与 Hephthalites 和苏菲派圣人 Abū Aḥmad Abdāl 的联系，以及支持这些理论的一些动机。它还考虑了 Abdālī 在阿富汗-普什图部落系统中的地位，并冒险调和他们的阿富汗身份与他们所谓的非阿富汗血统。