Oh and
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%87_%D8%AF%D8%B1_%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%87_%D9%81%DB%8C%D8%B6%DB%8C%D9%87_%D9%82%D9%85_%28Mufti%2C_Akhoond%2C_Clergy%2C_Mullah%29.jpg/220px-%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%87_%D8%AF%D8%B1_%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%87_%D9%81%DB%8C%D8%B6%DB%8C%D9%87_%D9%82%D9%85_%28Mufti%2C_Akhoond%2C_Clergy%2C_Mullah%29.jpg)
A Achund in Qom
Achund ( Persian آخوند Achond , also Achwand ) is a Persian name for an Islamic clergyman used in Iran , Azerbaijan, and some parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan . The standard Chinese name for Imam ( Chinese 阿訇 , Pinyin āhōng ) is also derived from this term and is mainly used by the Muslim Hui Chinese .
In Europe, the term appears for the first time around 1715 in the Atlas Geographus by the British cartographer Herman Moll . In today's Iran, the term is rarely used and often has a negative meaning. In Afghanistan and in the Pashtun Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, however, it is still in use.
Furthermore, Achund is a family name that also appears in the derived form Achundov .
Web links
- Oxford Dictionary (English)