Ghori, (also Ghouri,Gouri) pathans originating from the

Ghor Ghōr (Dari: ), also spelled Ghowr or Ghur, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is located in the western Hindu Kush in central Afghanistan, towards the northwest. The province contains eleven districts, encompassing hundreds ...

region of present-day central

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

came to Indian peninsula during the successive Muslim invasions of the 11th and 12th centuries AD, forming a part of the Afghan armies of

Mahmud of Ghazni Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At th ...

and Muhammed Ghori. Gradually over the centuries they settled in leading cities of subcontinent. With their martial background, like other pathans, they were in great demand as soldiers and mercenaries for different principalities. The city of

Meerut Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...

, in Indian state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, has been said to be the earliest settlement of the

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

, and the Ghauris have been settled there for at least eight hundred years. Other Pathan tribes in the district include the

Kakar The Kakar (Pashto: کاکړ) is a Gharghashti Pashtun tribe, based mostly in Northern Balochistan, Pakistan and Loy Kandahar in Afghanistan. Legendary origin Kakars are sons of Gharghashti who was the son of Qais Abdul Rashid. In Herat, the Ka ...

Bangash The Bangash, Bungish or Bangakh ( ps, بنګښ) are a tribe of Pashtuns, inhabiting their traditional homeland, historically known as Bangash district, which stretches from Kohat to Tall and Spīn Ghar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. They also l ...

Tareen The Tareen (or Tarin) ( ps, ترین) is a Pashtun tribe inhabiting southern Afghanistan, and western region of Pakistan.Caroe O. ''The Pathans 550 B.C.- A.D. 1957'' Oxford University Press . Page 521.Muhammad Hyat Khan, "Hayat i Afghan" (Orig. i ...

and Afridi. In

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, a historic cultural center of wider Punjab region, Ghauris settled within the confines of

Mochi Gate The Mochi Gate locally known as Mochi Darwaza (موچی دروازہ) located in south of the Walled City of Lahore between Akbari and the Shah Alam Gates in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is one of the thirteen gates of the Walled City of Lahore ...

, which itself is marred form of Urdu word “Morchi” meaning “Trench Soldier” different streets (Mohallahs) still bear their old names like Mohalla Teer-garan (arrow craftsmen), Mohalla Kaman-garan (bow craftsmen) etc. Even today we find bazaars on the same names. This is further supported by remnants of graves as old as six hundred years in Miani Sahib’s Graveyard, the oldest graveyard in the city. Some instances of migration from India to various areas of Pakistan at the time of

partition Partition may refer to: Computing Hardware * Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive * Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job Software * Partition (database), the division of a ...

of 1947 have also been observed. Moving on-wards from 11th and 12th century, successive generations have homogenized within the regional culture. They use Khan or Ghauri or Khan Ghauri as their surname. Today Ghauris are a widely spread community of people not only in

but also present day

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. In India they are found in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

and places nearby

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

because they first settled in Delhi and then the moved further into neighboring places. In Rajasthan they are in

Jayal Jayal is a census town and tehsil headquarters in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan state. The town is located 50 km away from Nagaur. One of the oldest Stone Age civilization contemporary to bagor end tilwada. Geography Jayal is located at ...

and

Didwana Didwana is the city, nearby of Nagaur, Nagaur city in Nagaur district of Rajasthan, India. The lion gateway of Marwar in Rajasthan and the archway of Merta, known as Abhanagri and Upakashi, is situated on the northern side of Didwana railway sta ...

tehsils of

Nagaur Nagaur is a city and municipal council in Nagaur district of the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Nagaur District. The Nagaur city lies about midway between Jodhpur and Bikaner. Nagaur is famous for spices ...

District but they are now absorbed into muslim rajput communities like

Deshwali The Deshwali, or sometimes pronounced Deswali, are a muslim community found in the state of Rajasthan in India. A small number of Deshwali are found in the city of Hyderabad, sindh . History and origin The community gets its name from the wor ...

Qaimkhani Kayamkhani or Kaimkhani (also spelled kayam Khani and Kaim Khani) is a Muslim community of India who were notable for ruling the Fatehpur-Jhunjhunu region in Rajasthan from the 1300s to the 1700s. History They are said to be descended from Cha ...

due to marital relations into communities mentioned above. (majorly northern parts) perfectly assimilated into the local culture. Thus spread over a vast geographical area and riven by socio-economic, political, tribal and linguistic differences, nevertheless sharing a unique sense of common identity.

References

{{Reflist Pashtun people Sindhi tribes Pashtun tribes Layyah District Urdu-language names Pashtun diaspora in India People from Ghor Province Ghurid dynasty