Aghvans and Afghans - Historical ties?!

[Tjanaparh]

Dear PF members, dear friends!
Some times here we came back on the discussion of the origin of the word Afghan and somebody told me it may be connected to Armenian Aghvan(meaning
Alpanian(it was once a state on Caucasus called Alpania, some Alpans do exist till ow(Lezgi, Tabasarani, Kryz, Rutul, Agul, Tsahur, Udi...).
However I would avoid to make any claims if this theory may be right or not!

But , I would like to discuss another issue.
One of my friends is a famous Lezgian writer and philologist.
Already over 20 years he studies his peoples history and language - he has been even to the places where ancient Alpania was bordering with Armenia and found that the Armenian dialects of that region have a lot of Alpanian words and that the tales of that region are quiet similar to their tales.
What does it have to do with Pashtuns?
Nothing!
But!
He told me one interesting fact.
He told that during Arab conquers of nowdays Afghanistan and later during Mongolian conquers many Alpans were setteled on the territory close to Kandahar.
He told that only the last wave of resettlement included 30.000 families that have been deprived from their homelands and brought to Kandahar.


May anybody have an idea what happened to those Alpans? Do You have in Your historical memory any recordings of such facts?
I would really be interested to hear Your opinion!
Best greetings to everybody!

[Admin Khan]

Somebody shared a similar comment, and while researching it I couldn't find any evidence. That being said, many intellectuals of Kandahar admit that some of the present inhabitants are actually Georgians who have been 'Pashtunized'.

[Tjanaparh]

I will ask Feyzudin(my friend) to give me the sources, unfortunately he is busy so his answer won't come soon.
In the times of Mongolian conquest Lezgins(one of Alpans tribes) were already Muslims, as Lezgins were generaly the first Muslims on Caucasus, as they live more south than all other Caucasian nations.
they are however quiet different from Georgians - even their language...

[Tjanaparh]

By the way - one Lezgi patriotic song from Ashugh Alihan Lezgi Ivi:

Lezgistan! Azery - go on bazar! - YouTube

[Tjanaparh]

Actually in Sasanid times even a lot of Armenians were settled in Nowdays Afghanstan - but it is I think quiet difficult to find infos about it, as it is even in Preislamic times.

[Badlun]

Many Pashtuns pronounce the word Afghan as Avghan as there is no letter F in Pashto language. This is interesting keeping in view the pronunciation/spelling you give of Aghvans

[Tjanaparh]

Yes dear brother - however it is Armenians who pronounce the word Aghvan(as in Ancient Armenian L often trasformed in Gh and P to V or B) , but the native pronunciation was Alpan.

[Tjanaparh]

Geogians were bossing you guys around for quite a long time as most of those Safavid rulers were more Georgian than anything else.

Is there an Afghan saying like this "Persians are like women compared to Afghans and Afghans are like women compared to Georgians.." ?

Oh man - what is this saying?

One Chechen guy told that too: "Russians are like woman compared to Chechen, Chechens are like woman compared to Xalmg"



But these sayings aren't true.
They are quiet superficial.
Georgians are far away of being hard warriors , really! Kalmyks nowdays are also the most pacific people, but everybody makes monsters of them.

[MohannaD]

Sorry but do you mean Albania ?? Or Alpania ? There's a country in europe called Albania , my brother in law says that he's originally from there , he does look like Pashtun people somehow (in my opinion).

[Tjanaparh]

There was a country known as Albania(to greeks) long before the existance of Balkan Albania dear Mohannad.
Arabs I think called it Arran.
It was a country composed by many triebes and very different dialects.
Today they exist as Udi, Tabasarani, Lezgi, Rutul, Agul, Tsahur(and some others).
Alpan was the name how they called God, if I am right?!
I am not a fan of wikipedia, but I'll give You that link to see at least approximately where Alpans live:

Caucasian Albania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




Albania was the Yellow zone!

[MohannaD]

So it's different , thank you so much .

[Tjanaparh]

Yes, even though there are speculations that they can be related, but I have no knowledge on that field to say anything.
Linguistically however they are completely different.

[Tjanaparh]

The russian version of Wikipedia also writes that there are till now people in Afghanistan who remember having Lezgin roots. Is that true?

Here is the link:
Лезгинские народы — Википедия

[graveyardofempires]

^
no

[Karachi]

Lezgins are a people of Dagestan right???

There are some interesting things coming up (DNA wise) between south/central asians and people of Dagestan. It seems there is a large connection between the people

the ANI in south asians defiantly came from the region