Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone described the Qizilbash of Kabul in the beginning of the 19th century as ""a colony of Turks,"" who spoke ""Persian, and among themselves Turkish."" Described as learned, affluent, and influential, they appear to have abandoned their native Turkish language in favour of Persian, and became ""in fact Persianized Turks"". Lady Florentia Sale (wife of Sir Robert Henry Sale) and Vincent Eyre – both companions of Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone – described the Qizilbash of Afghanistan also as ""Persians, of Persian descent"".