Rushani language

Rushani
rix̌ůn ziv, риx̌ӯн зив
Native to	Afghanistan, Tajikistan
Ethnicity	73,800 Rushan people[1]
Native speakers	(18,000 cited 1990)[1]
Language family	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Iranian Eastern Iranian Pamiri Rushani
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	rush1239
ELP	Rushani

Rushani is one of the Pamir languages spoken in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Rushani is relatively closer to all Northern Pamiri languages sub-group whether it is Shughni, Yazgulami, Sarikuli or Oroshori sharing many grammatical and vocabulary similarity with all of them especially with Shughni and thus some linguists consider it a dialect of Shughni.

Rushan is divided into two parts by Panj river where on right bank along Bartang river to the East located Rushan district of GBAO, Tajikistan and on the left side located several villages of Roshan area in northern part of the Sheghnan District, in the Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan and the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region in Tajikistan. Afghani Roshan consists of six villages including Rubotin, Paguor, Chawed, York, Shaikhin and Chasnud, five of which are located on the bank of the river Panj, which meets^{[clarification needed]} at the border of Tajikistan.^[2] Most Rushani speakers belong to the Ismaili branch of Shi'a Islam.^[2]