Lohani, also known as Nuhani, is a
Pashtun tribal sub-group from among the
Lodi tribe.
[Haroon Rashid, "History of the Pathans", Vol.III, p-367-89] They migrated to their present-day location in
Tank,
Frontier Region Tank,
Lakki Marwat and
Dera Ismail Khan in modern-day
Pakistan from around
Ghazni (
Zabulistan region) in modern-day
Afghanistan during the late 1500s, coinciding with the final years of the
Mughal
Mughal or Moghul may refer to:
Related to the Mughal Empire
* Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries
* Mughal dynasty
* Mughal emperors
* Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia
* Mughal architecture
* Mug ...
Emperor
Akbar
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
's reign.
Although other Lohani tribes had also made earlier deeper incursions into India, as far as
Bihar, and settled therein during the days of the
Lodi dynasty.
History
During the final years of the
Mughal
Mughal or Moghul may refer to:
Related to the Mughal Empire
* Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries
* Mughal dynasty
* Mughal emperors
* Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia
* Mughal architecture
* Mug ...
Emperor
Akbar
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
's reign, the Lohani tribes were expelled from their home in Ghazni after coming into conflict with the
Sulaimankhel
The Sulaimankhel ( ps, سليمان خېل), or Suleiman Khel, are a Pashtun sub-tribe of the Ghilji tribe of Bettani confederation of Pashtuns, Mostly Nomadic People. In the early 20th century, the tribe was recognised as generally pastoral.
...
tribe.
As a result, they were forced to migrate further south and crossed the
Gomal Pass into the region where they currently reside.
Under the leadership of Malik Khan Zaman, they defeated and expelled the Lodi clans such as
Sur
Sur or SUR or El Sur (Spanish "the South") may refer to:
Geography
* Sur or Shur (Bible), the wilderness of Sur/Shur from the Book of Exodus
* Sur (river), a river of Bavaria, Germany
* Súr, a village in Hungary
* Sur, a district of the city of ...
and
Prangi that had settled in the region in prior times.
Earliest mentions of the Lohani
The earliest mention of the Lohani tribes comes in the form of an inscription written on a tablet from 1496 AD in
Bihar during the days of the
Lodi dynasty.
The inscription records the construction of a certain gate by Darya Khan Nuhani who is thereafter mentioned as one of the
''governors of the kingdom". The Lohani tribes were also mentioned by the Mughal Emperor
Babur
Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...
in his memoirs, the
Baburnama
The ''Bāburnāma'' ( chg, ; literally: ''"History of Babur"'' or ''"Letters of Babur"''; alternatively known as ''Tuzk-e Babri'') is the memoirs of Ẓahīr-ud-Dīn Muhammad Bābur (1483–1530), founder of the Mughal Empire and a great-great- ...
, as Nuhani Afghans around 1529 AD.
It is interesting to note that the earliest records mentions them as ''Nuhani'' rather than ''Lohani'', which is the primary designation by which they are currently known today.
References
{{Pashtun tribes
Bettani Pashtun tribes
Pashto-language surnames
Pakistani names