Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Of Khans
Recent conversations with a few friends evoked my interest in the name 'Khan' and it's origins. Being a descendant of Khans from Afghanistan who travelled to India and later moved to Pakistan, I generally assumed that all Khans came from different parts of Afghanistan.
But, to verify my knowledge I checked for information on Wikipedia and I learnt that the most famous Khan in history was Genghis Khan. He was not from Afghanistan, but a Mongol.
However, Khan (Nasta`liq: خان) is a surname and title in Asia. It can have one of several connotations, all related in some capacity to the title of Khan, which originated in Turkic and Central Asian traditions and was thereafter historically granted to Muslim rulers. Infiltration of the name in to central Asia led to the term being used also as a surname or suffix by people of the region, especially the Pashtun[1] and from them to the Muslim Rajputs.[2]; Baloch tribes in Balochistan and in Sindh; Northern Iranian Turkic tribes; Subcontinental musicians; Sudhans of Kashmir; Krrals, Dhunds and miscellaneous tribes in northern Asia. It is though generally used as a shorthand name for Pashtuns/Pathans throughout South Asian Subcontinent. In India it is referred to as name for Pathans as a caste in the same way as Brahmin or other title.
Khan is also a last name found in Tatars , a Muslim Turkic speaking group, mostly in Russia. Also been known to be part with Ghengis Khan's army.
It is also a family name for the descendants of people upon whom the British Raj bestowed the title Khan Sahib or Khan Bahadur.
It is now a widespread surname in most countries of Central and South Asia. Khan is the surname of over 80,000 Britons, mostly British Asian, making it the 80th most common surname in the United Kingdom, and one of only a handful in the 100 most common surnames which are of neither British nor Irish origin.[3]
Another Pathan friend pointed out that all true Pathans are actually descendants of Jews. This was the first time I had heard of it.
What I had learnt from my father, who was keen on tracing family roots was that his great grandfather came from Afghanistan, " Laal Khan' was a very respectable person in his tribe and some of his family members actually chose to leave normal life and adopted a solitary life of saint hood.
Another 'Khan' recently said that he had Greek blood in his veins and that Khans are true warriors.
In present times we are all familiar with celebrities like Imran Khan, Riz Khan and of course the top Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan and Amir Khan.
The present crisis in Afghanistan and the continuous political instability in Pakistan has inflicted more Khans than ever before. To some people it is tantamount to genocide of a brave race who is being wiped out by malicious super powers to gain strategic gains in the region. True that there is general instability in the entire country, but the areas close to Afghanistan and Balochistan borders are the worst hit.
To me it really does not matter where we come from, but the interesting conversations I had recently with people with this same surname has started a quest for learning more.
So if u r a Khan and can add to my knowledge by sharing what u know, that would be just great. Only when we truly begin to understand ourselves can we actually reach out to others too.
Thanks for your time and interest.
But, to verify my knowledge I checked for information on Wikipedia and I learnt that the most famous Khan in history was Genghis Khan. He was not from Afghanistan, but a Mongol.
However, Khan (Nasta`liq: خان) is a surname and title in Asia. It can have one of several connotations, all related in some capacity to the title of Khan, which originated in Turkic and Central Asian traditions and was thereafter historically granted to Muslim rulers. Infiltration of the name in to central Asia led to the term being used also as a surname or suffix by people of the region, especially the Pashtun[1] and from them to the Muslim Rajputs.[2]; Baloch tribes in Balochistan and in Sindh; Northern Iranian Turkic tribes; Subcontinental musicians; Sudhans of Kashmir; Krrals, Dhunds and miscellaneous tribes in northern Asia. It is though generally used as a shorthand name for Pashtuns/Pathans throughout South Asian Subcontinent. In India it is referred to as name for Pathans as a caste in the same way as Brahmin or other title.
Khan is also a last name found in Tatars , a Muslim Turkic speaking group, mostly in Russia. Also been known to be part with Ghengis Khan's army.
It is also a family name for the descendants of people upon whom the British Raj bestowed the title Khan Sahib or Khan Bahadur.
It is now a widespread surname in most countries of Central and South Asia. Khan is the surname of over 80,000 Britons, mostly British Asian, making it the 80th most common surname in the United Kingdom, and one of only a handful in the 100 most common surnames which are of neither British nor Irish origin.[3]
Another Pathan friend pointed out that all true Pathans are actually descendants of Jews. This was the first time I had heard of it.
What I had learnt from my father, who was keen on tracing family roots was that his great grandfather came from Afghanistan, " Laal Khan' was a very respectable person in his tribe and some of his family members actually chose to leave normal life and adopted a solitary life of saint hood.
Another 'Khan' recently said that he had Greek blood in his veins and that Khans are true warriors.
In present times we are all familiar with celebrities like Imran Khan, Riz Khan and of course the top Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan and Amir Khan.
The present crisis in Afghanistan and the continuous political instability in Pakistan has inflicted more Khans than ever before. To some people it is tantamount to genocide of a brave race who is being wiped out by malicious super powers to gain strategic gains in the region. True that there is general instability in the entire country, but the areas close to Afghanistan and Balochistan borders are the worst hit.
To me it really does not matter where we come from, but the interesting conversations I had recently with people with this same surname has started a quest for learning more.
So if u r a Khan and can add to my knowledge by sharing what u know, that would be just great. Only when we truly begin to understand ourselves can we actually reach out to others too.
Thanks for your time and interest.
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