Differing theories of origin of AWANS

                   Awans are of Arab origin; these include Alexander Cunningham, Harikishan Kaul, Arthur Brandreth and Professor Ahmed Hasan Dani. Cunningham looked upon the Awans as a Rajput clan, whereas Kaul was of the opinion that the tribe was of either Jat or Rajput origin, pointing to the fact that in Sanskrit, the term Awan means "defender" or "protector" and asserting that this title was awarded by surrounding tribes due to the Awans successfully defending their strongholds against aggression. Brandreth believed the Awans to be remnants of Bactrian Greeks. Dani claimed that following the spread of Islam in the region where the Awans predominated, the tribe made a conscious decision to associate itself with a Semitic past, and hence Awans came to refer to themselves as “Qutub Shahis.”

              Conversely, there are also those who support the Awan claim to Arab ancestry. Amongst such names are those of H. A. Rose, Malik Fazal Dad Khan and Sabiha Shaheen. Although Rose was more cautious in assigning an Arab origin to the Awans, he was willing to concede that the tribe may well be Alvi Sayyids, who having sought refuge in Sindh from the Abbasids, allied themselves to Sabuktagin and assisted him in his Indian adventure, for which he bestowed the title of Awan on them (Rose considering it plausible that the name of the Awan tribe was derived from the word 'Ahwan', meaning "helper". And although the Ferozsons Urdu-English Dictionary lists the Awans as a Rajput clan, it does state that the title of the tribe is of Arabic origin, being the plural of the word 'aun', and defining "Awan" as "helpers". Making reference to W.S. Talbot's assessment of the Awans, Rose also commented:

             “ But in the best available account of the tribe, the Awans are indeed said to be of Arabian origin and descendants of Qutb Shah