Sadozai (Pastun tribe)

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The Sadduzai are a lineage of the Popalzai clan of the Abdali sub-tribe of the Tareen tribe of Pashtuns. The lineage takes its name from its ancestor, Asadullah Khan alias Saddu Khan. Other important clans of this division of Abdali tribe are Barakzai, Alekozai, Achakzai, Popalzai and Musazai. Most of the notable Afghan kings and rulers belong to Sadduzai and Barakzai clans.

Asadullah (Saddu) Khan was born in 1558 to Umar Khan son of Maruf Khan of Popalzai progeny. ^[1] Sadduzai are mostly living in the valleys of Tarnak, Kandhar, and Kabul. A few Sadduzai families live at Peshawar, Lahore, Multan,Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan. Some descendents of Shah Shuja ul Mulk are also settled in Ludhiana, India. ^[2]

The Sadduzai in particular and Abdali in general are now commonly known as Durrani. The Sadduzais rose to prominence when an able military commander Ahmed Shah Abdali son of Zaman Khan of Khawaja Khizer Khan Khel of Sadduzai clan gained attention during Indian campaign of king Nadir Shah of Persia in 1738. Ahmed Shah Abdali played a prominent role during the Indian expedition and in the security of king Nadir Shah while passing through Khyber Pass in Afridi tribal area. Much pleased with his services, Nadir Shah accorded special favours to Ahmed Shah Abdali. When Nadir Shah was killed in 1747 near Mashahd by his nephew, Ahmed Shah fought with Persians and later hurried to Kandhar to secure Nadir Shah's treasure including the jewels and Koh-i-Noor diamond he brought from India. After securing Kandhar, Ahmed Shah declared his independence from Persia and uniting all Afghan tribes laid the foundation of first Afghan empire. Ahmad Shah, one of the greatest and most respected Afghan leader assumed the title of Durr-i-Durran, “Pearl of pearls”. Hence, known as 'Durrani', which is in fact a title and not a name of the tribe. The title of 'Durrani' rightfully belong to the Sadduzai clan and not to the entire Abdali tribe. At its peak, Durrani empire stretched from Subzwar in Persia in the west to the Srinagar, Kashmir in the east, and from Balkh in the north to Hub, near Karachi in the south.

After Ahmed Shah Abdali's death in 1773, the vast empire passed on to his son Taimoor Shah and his progeny which included Shah Zaman, Shah Shuja ul Mulk, Shah Mehmoud, and Shah Ayub. The great empire shrunk and eventually it was passed on from Sadduzai clan to Amir Dost Mohammad Khan of Barakzai clan in 1810 and to his progeny.