Published Paper Details:

Afghans have a distinctive position in the medieval history of Indian Sub-continent. They first appeared as soldiers in the army of the Delhi Sultanate rulers. Later on they assumed multiple roles and became the traders, peasants, chiefs and rulers. Afghans were comprised of various tribes and sub-tribes. Most of them were pastoral nomads. However, some had turned to sedentary way of life and took agriculture as a means of livelihood. Being pastoral nomads, they not only took part in the overland trade of India themselves but also provided the means of transport and communication to other traders as well. Various Afghan tribes were engaged in this form of trade. One such important tribe was that of the Nuhani Afghans. They were involved in both the inland trade as well as the trade with Iran and Central Asia. In this paper an attempt has been made to study the role of the Nuhani Afghans in trade. It also attempts to look into the growing political status and its possible influences on the trading interests of the Nuhani Afghans.