Ismaili community in Afghanistan is led by this family of Syeds hailing from the historical valley of Kayan Baghlan.

Kayan is a valley in Dushi district of Baghlan province, situated in northern Afghanistan, having 27000 km2 Ismaili fiefdom.

Nothing is known about their origin except that Sayed Nadir Khan writes in "Tarikh-i Gharib" (Bombay, 1938) that his forefather, Shah Salih came from Iran to Herat and Kandahar.

When these Sayeds settled in Afghanistan, the Safavids had captured whole Iran in 1500 A.D. and proclaimed Shiism as state religion.

According to the narration of Sayed Nadir Khan, "About 120 years ago, our forefathers were under Bairam Diyal and his fathers and they were the Hindus living in Kabul.

At a later stage, Imam Hasan Ali Shah Aga Khan I sent a special message through mukhi Aziz to the descendants of the above Ismailis in Kabul to wear Muslim costumes and adopt Islamic names.

He was however the first among the Afghan jamat to see Imam Hasan Ali Shah (Aga Khan I) at Kandahar in 1842 when he was on his journey to relocate from Iran to India.

Sayed Nadir Khan thus gained full authority to subdue the opponents, both Ismailis and non-Ismailis and consolidated his influence in whole northern part of Afghanistan.

In order to boost his influence, he married the daughter of a Looy Khan, a very influential Sunni Pushtun chief.

[2] He had a poetic approach and was not able to lead effectively the huge Ismaili Jamat of Afghanistan comprising almost 2 Million individuals.

His status as Incumbent Sayed of Kayan has been endorsed by Shah Karim al-Husayni Aga Khan IV.

The Afghan diaspora in Toronto of Canada have established a cultural and social association under the name of Sayed Kayan Association, the name comes from Sayed Nadir Shah Al-Hussaini Kayani born in 1897, a prominent religious and cultural figure in Afghanistan.

[4] For over two centuries, the Sayed Kayan family has played a major role in Afghanistan, as representatives of the Ismailia Imam and participating actively in the country's political landscape.

This period, spanning approximately 250 years, has seen the family deeply involved in both religious and political activities within Afghanistan.

Throughout Afghanistan's turbulent history, members of the Sayed Kayan family have been instrumental in peace and reconciliation efforts at different times.

His efforts were followed by those of his son, Sayed Mansoor Naderi, who played a significant role during the civil war of the 1990s.

During the Mujahideen conflicts, Kayan, a location in northern Afghanistan, became a focal point for meetings and political negotiations.

In more recent times, Sayed Kayan's grandson, Sadat Mansoor Naderi, has continued this legacy by being appointed as State Minister for Peace.

The Ismailis mostly live in different provinces of Afghanistan including Kabul, Parwan, Maidan Wardak, Bamyan, Baghlan, and Samangan, Balkh, Kunduz, Takhar, and Badakhshan.