Contrary to the theory of Pashtun descent from Israelites, the British doctor and authority on oriental languages, Henry Walter Bellew, accredited for writing the first Pushtu dictionary,[1] suggested that the Pashtuns (Pathans) are actually a mixture of the Greek and Indian Rajput peoples.[2][3] Bellew’s theory was that all Pashtun tribal names could be traced to Greek and Rajput names, which posits the further possibility of a great Greek mixing with the ancient border tribes of India.[4][5] In addition, the renowned Arab historian Masudi wrote that Kandahar, the city in which most Pashtuns were concentrated at the time, "is a country of Rajputs" and was a separate kingdom with a non-Muslim ruler.[6]
Categories: [Indian History] [Ancient Greece]