Afghan cameleers in Australia, also known as "Afghans" (Pashto: افغانان) or "Ghans" (Pashto: غانز), were camel drivers who worked in Outback Australia from the 1860s to the 1930s. Small groups of cameleers were shipped in and out of Australia at three-year intervals, to service the Australian inland pastoral industry by carting goods and transporting wool bales by camel trains. They were commonly referred to as "Afghans", even though a lot of them originated from the far western parts of British India, primarily Balochistan and the NWFP (now Pakistan), which was inhabited by ethnic Pashtuns and Balochs. Nonetheless, many were from Afghanistan itself as well. In addition, there were also some with origins in Egypt and Turkey. The majority of cameleers, including cameleers from British India, were Muslim, while a sizeable minority were Sikhs from the Punjab region. They set up camel-breeding stations and rest-house outposts, known as caravanserai, throughout inland Australia, creating a permanent link between the coastal cities and the remote cattle and sheep grazing stations until about the 1930s, when they were largely replaced by the automobile. They included members of the Pashtun, Baloch, and Sindhi ethnic groups from south-central Asia (present-day Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan); others from the Punjabi, Kashmir, and Rajasthan regions of the Indian subcontinent; as well as people from Egypt, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. They provided vital support to exploration, communications and settlement in the arid interior of the country where the climate was too harsh for horses. They also played a major role in establishing Islam in Australia, building the country's first mosque at Marree in South Australia in 1861, the Central Adelaide Mosque (the first permanent mosque in Adelaide, still in use today), and several mosques in Western Australia. Many of the cameleers and their families later returned to their homelands, but many remained and turned to other trades and ways of making a living. Today, many people can trace their ancestry back to the early cameleers, many of whom intermarried with local Aboriginal women and European women in outback Australia. (en)
Les Afghans ou Ghans sont les chameliers originaires de l'Afghanistan et du Raj britannique, principalement des Pachtounes, envoyés en Australie afin de guider les dromadaires chargés de faciliter l'exploration puis la mise en valeur de l'outback, l'arrière pays désertique du continent. En 1860, le gouvernement de Victoria fait venir 24 dromadaires et 3 guides qui prendront part à l'expédition de Burke et Wills ralliant Melbourne au golfe de Carpentarie. Ces méharistes musulmans sont 600 en 1901 et finissent par constituer une minorité de 3 000 personnes en Australie, dominant le secteur du transport dans l'intérieur du pays. La ville d'Alice Springs est ainsi, avant l'arrivée du chemin de fer, dépendante pour son approvisionnement des Afghans qui ravitaillent la ville depuis Oodnadatta grâce à leurs « vaisseaux du désert ». Cependant, malgré ce rôle crucial, ils sont mal acceptés par la population qui ne comprend pas pourquoi, suivant leurs préceptes religieux, ces musulmans refusent d'acheminer porc et alcool fort, et qui se plaint de l'odeur de leurs bêtes. Les Afghans contribuent à la construction de la ligne de chemin de fer entre Adélaïde et Alice Springs surnommée The Ghan en leur honneur, ainsi qu'à la ligne de télégraphe courant parallèlement à la voie ferrée et rejoignant Darwin au nord. Ils établissent de petits centres de peuplement le long des chantiers dénommés ghans comportant la plupart du temps une petite mosquée faite de tôle ondulée et surmontée d'un minaret. Cette population masculine ne peut en général, en raison de préjugés raciaux, se marier qu'avec les femmes défavorisées : aborigènes détribalisées ou femmes blanches répudiées. Malgré les discriminations dont ils sont l'objet de la part de la majorité d'origine européenne, certains parviennent à faire fortune. Ainsi les frères Taj et Faiz connaissent la réussite dans le commerce, tandis que Mohammed Alam Khan devient un herboriste reconnu à Adélaïde, mais ces cas restent isolés. En raison de la concurrence de l'automobile à partir des années 1920 et de l'application de la politique de l'Australie blanche, la majorité est amenée à quitter le pays. (fr)
Gli Afghani d'Australia (Afghans o Ghans) erano dei guidatori di cammelli dell'Afghanistan e del Raj britannico, inviati in Australia per guidare i dromedari utilizzati per facilitare l'esplorazione e la valorizzazione dell'outback, il retroterra desertico del continente. Nel 1860 il governo dello Stato di Victoria importò 24 dromedari e 3 guide che avrebbero preso parte alla spedizione di Burke e Wills, che doveva collegare Melbourne al golfo di Carpentaria.Si trattava di meharisti musulmani, che divennero 600 già nel 1901, e finirono per favorire la creazione di una minoranza di circa 3000 persone in Australia, dominando il settore dei trasporti all'interno del paese. La città di Alice Springs, prima dell'arrivo delle ferrovie, dipendeva per il suo approvvigionamento dagli Afghans.Contribuirono alla costruzione della ferrovia che unisce Adelaide e Alice Springs, soprannominata The Ghan in loro onore, nonché della parallela linea del telegrafo, stabilendo intorno ai cantieri dei piccoli centri di popolamento con moschee e minareti. A causa della concorrenza delle automobili e della politica del governo australiano, a partire dagli anni '20 la maggioranza di loro fu costretta a lasciare il paese. (it)
Афганцы (англ. Afghans) — погонщики верблюдов, которые работали в Австралии с 1860-е по 1930-е годы. Хотя их и называли афганцами, не все они были родом из Афганистана — некоторые прибыли из областей, на территории которых расположен современный Пакистан. Афганцы сыграли большую роль в распространении мусульманской веры в Австралии. (ru)
Афганці (англ. Afghans) — погоничі верблюдів, які працювали в Австралії з 1860-х по 1930-і роки. Хоча їх і називали «афганцями», не всі вони були родом з Афганістану, деякі прибули з областей, на території яких розташований сучасний Пакистан. Афганці зіграли велику роль у поширенні мусульманської віри в Австралії. (uk)
Афганцы (англ. Afghans) — погонщики верблюдов, которые работали в Австралии с 1860-е по 1930-е годы. Хотя их и называли афганцами, не все они были родом из Афганистана — некоторые прибыли из областей, на территории которых расположен современный Пакистан. Афганцы сыграли большую роль в распространении мусульманской веры в Австралии. (ru)
Афганці (англ. Afghans) — погоничі верблюдів, які працювали в Австралії з 1860-х по 1930-і роки. Хоча їх і називали «афганцями», не всі вони були родом з Афганістану, деякі прибули з областей, на території яких розташований сучасний Пакистан. Афганці зіграли велику роль у поширенні мусульманської віри в Австралії. (uk)
Afghan cameleers in Australia, also known as "Afghans" (Pashto: افغانان) or "Ghans" (Pashto: غانز), were camel drivers who worked in Outback Australia from the 1860s to the 1930s. Small groups of cameleers were shipped in and out of Australia at three-year intervals, to service the Australian inland pastoral industry by carting goods and transporting wool bales by camel trains. They were commonly referred to as "Afghans", even though a lot of them originated from the far western parts of British India, primarily Balochistan and the NWFP (now Pakistan), which was inhabited by ethnic Pashtuns and Balochs. Nonetheless, many were from Afghanistan itself as well. In addition, there were also some with origins in Egypt and Turkey. The majority of cameleers, including cameleers from British India (en)
Les Afghans ou Ghans sont les chameliers originaires de l'Afghanistan et du Raj britannique, principalement des Pachtounes, envoyés en Australie afin de guider les dromadaires chargés de faciliter l'exploration puis la mise en valeur de l'outback, l'arrière pays désertique du continent. (fr)
Gli Afghani d'Australia (Afghans o Ghans) erano dei guidatori di cammelli dell'Afghanistan e del Raj britannico, inviati in Australia per guidare i dromedari utilizzati per facilitare l'esplorazione e la valorizzazione dell'outback, il retroterra desertico del continente. A causa della concorrenza delle automobili e della politica del governo australiano, a partire dagli anni '20 la maggioranza di loro fu costretta a lasciare il paese. (it)
