Parya people
| |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| ~6,800 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Tajikistan | ~5,100 |
| Uzbekistan | ~1,300 |
| Afghanistan | ~400 |
| Russia | Unknown |
| Pakistan | Unknown |
| Languages | |
| Parya (Native) Tajik, Uzbek, Pashto, Persian | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Indo-Aryan peoples | |
The Parya, also known as Parja or Laghmani are a small Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic community in Central Asia, found chiefly in parts of western Tajikistan and southern Uzbekistan with historical links to eastern Afghanistan. They speak the Parya language (ISO 639-3: paq), an Indo-Aryan tongue of the Central Zone, and maintain distinct local identity while showing extensive bilingualism and cultural contact with surrounding Tajik and Uzbek populations.