Durrani or
Abdali is the name of a chief
Sarbani Pashtun tribal confederation in
Afghanistan and
Pakistan. Originally known by their ancient name
Abdali, which may derive from the more ancient
Ebodalo (
Bactrian:
ηβοδαλο / "
Hephthalites"), they have been called
Durrani since the beginning of the
Durrani Empire in 1747. The number of Durranis are estimated to be roughly 16% of the population of
Afghanistan or 5 million individuals. Durrani are found throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan; although large concentrations are found in southern Afghanistan, they are also found to a lesser extent in east, west and central Afghanistan. Many Durranis are found in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
Punjab provinces of
Pakistan. The Durrani Pashtuns of the Afghan capital Kabul are usually
bilingual in
Pashto and
Dari Persian. The ruling
Sadozai and
Barakzai dynasties of Afghanistan were originally from the Durrani.