30 H. G. Raverty — Who were tke Pathdn Sultans of DihU? [No. 1, 



other writers have at once jumped at the conclusion and some even shortly 

 maintain that they are Ghalzis. For example, Mr. J. C. Marshman, who 

 has written a History of India, " at the request of the University of Cal- 

 cutta" and who says, " so far as historical truth can he discovered," he is 

 " prepared to vouch for the accuracy of 'the facts detailed in it," calls them 

 Ghiljies: — (page 53, Vol. 1) "the Afghan mountaineers of Ghuzni and 

 Ghore, denominated the Ghiljies". There is certainly a great similarity 

 between the mode of writing the name of the Afghan trihe of Ghalzi csj^ 

 and the Turkish tribe of Khalj J-^, Khalji «jr? . 



What Firishtah does say respecting the descent of the Afghans, hut 

 which is very different from their tradition previously given, is this : 

 " When Khalid, the son of 'Abdullah, was removed from the government 

 of Kabul, (other authors of much greater authority than Firishtah relate dif- 

 ferently, however) finding it difficult and dangerous to return into 'Irak-i- 

 'Avab through fear of the newly appointed governor, under the guidance of 

 the chiefs of Kabul, he proceeded into the Sulaiman mountains, which lie be- 

 tween Multan and Peshawar and between many other places, accompa- 

 nied by his family and a party of Arab followers, and therein took up his 

 residence. He gave one of his daughters in marriage to one of the chief 

 men among the Afghans there, who had become Musalmans. From this 

 daughter of the 'Arab, Khalid sprung offspring who multiplied and acquired 

 great repute. One of these was Ludi, and another Sur ; and the Afghans 

 come from that party of 'Arabs above mentioned. In a work, entitled 

 Matla'-ul- Anwar, composed by one among the trustworthy, which Firishtah 

 perused at Burhanpur in Khandesh, it was written that the Afghans are 

 Kibtiah (Copts/', &c, &c, and there occur other statements foreign 

 to this subject. 



The same writer also makes a statement with respect to the Ludi tribe, 

 Vol. 1, p. 69 which is equally as incorrect as the preceding, and would 

 cause some astonishment, as well as ridicule, among the people referred to. 

 He says : — Belch was an Afghan of the tribe of Lodi, now known as 

 the Lohani, which is engaged chiefly in the conveyance of merchandise 

 between Hindustan and Persia." Nothing of the sort. Sur, son of 

 Isma'il, who was the progenitor of the tribe of that name, had two 

 brothers, each the progenitors of separate tribes, one of whom was named 

 Nuh, and he is the progenitor of the tribe of Nuhani, which name 

 has been corrupted into Luhani. These are the people who act as the great 

 carriers of merchandise in Central Asia. 



Elphinstone in his History correctly states that the Kbaljis were a 

 Turkish tribe, long connected with the Afghans, as Firishtah himself 

 mentions, and does not confound them with the Afghanistan of Ghazni, of 

 whom he gives a good account in his " Caubul." 



