Noorzai or Nurzai (Pashto: نورزی ) are one of the biggest tribes of the Pushtoon, with a population of roughly 4.5 million in Afghanistan.[1] They are an influential tribe in southern and eastern Afghanistan. The Noorzai are members of the Panjpai branch of Durrani - Bor Tareen and they have been living in Afghanistan for hundreds of years.[2] The Noorzai are spread throughout almost all of Afghanistan but predominantly reside in Farah Province, Helmand Province, Herat Province, Kandahar Province, Zabul Province, and some parts of the Pashtun tribal areas of Pakistan. The name means son of the light.
80% of the population of Farah are from the Nurzai tribe. 61% of the population of Herat are from the Nurzai tribe. 54% of the population of Kandahar are from the Nurzai tribe. 42% of the population of Helmand are from the Nurzai tribe, and they live in Washer, Gereshk, Garamser and Lashkargah. According to some sources, more than 70% of the of the Taliban leaders are from the Nurzai clan.
In Pakistan, the Noorzai are clan of Bor Tareen with a population of about 1 million in [District Qilla Abdullah sub division Chaman] and Pishin District and Quetta city.
Linguistic and political divisions among the Noorzai were highlighted in the 1980s in Afghanistan, when the Noorzai living west of the Shindand-Farah line (who speak Persian) joined with the Jamiat-e Islami party, while the Pashtun-speaking Noorzai east of that line joined with the Harakat-i-Inqilab-i-Islami.[3]