DURRANI

also spelled Durani, formerly Abdali, one of the two chief tribal confederations of Afghanistan, the other being the Ghilzay. In the time of Nader Shah the Durrani were granted lands in the region of Qandahar, which was their homeland; and they moved there from Herat. In the late 18th century the Durrani took up agriculture. Under Ahmad Shah Durrani and Timur Shah, the Durrani constituted the most significant political and military support of the monarchy. The later 18th-century policy of reducing their power aroused Durrani resistance and served as one of the principal causes of the 18th- and early 19th-century civil wars.