Azrah: The Endonym of the Hazara People and Its Avestan Origin

This research investigates the self‑designation Azrah (Āzrah) used by the Hazara people of central Afghanistan. Linguistic analysis traces the name to the Avestan Arəzahī, the eastern clime in the seven‑fold division of the world (Karshvar), which appears in the Avesta (Yt. 10.15, Bundahišn 8.2) as the land where the sun first rises. The word developed through Middle Persian Arzah into the modern Hazaragi pronunciation Āzrah. Genetic data show that the Hazara carry the Neolithic Iranian farmer lineage J2a1‑Page55 at a frequency of 13%, second only to Iran (23%). Combined with archaeological evidence (Helmand Civilization, Bamiyan Buddhas) and historical records (Xuanzang’s Hosala), this study argues that the Hazara are the indigenous population of the Avestan land Arəzahī, identified with the central highlands of Afghanistan (Bamiyan, Daikundi). The article challenges the common narrative that reduces Hazara identity to a Mongol origin and restores their historical place as heirs to the ancient Iranian civilization of the east.