ABSTRACT
The Chinese Box of Afghanistan is made up of several smaller ‘boxes’ of different peoples and nations, all forming Afghanistan, such as: the Nuristanis, the Afghans, the Hazaras, the Tajiks, and the Baluchis with each in turn representing an independent Chinese Box. This chapter presents and summarizes theories put forward to date by different anthropologists, ethnologists and historians, on the origin of the Hazara people. Farsi culture has played a fundamental role in the formation of the Hazara people. The chapter classifies all the different theories on the origin and evolution of the Hazaras into three categories: the theory of the autochthonicity of the Hazaras, the theory of the Hazaras as descendants of the Moghols, and the theory of the Hazaras as a mixed race. A group of scholars among those favouring the theory of Hazaras as Moghols maintain that the Hazaras are actually the descendants of the Nikoudari soldiers and not of Changiz Khan’s.
