An Analysis of the Background and Origins of the Oghani and Jermani Tribes

Reflecting on the historical sources of the Ilkhanids and Timurids era, and especially the local histories of the southern states of the country, especially Kerman, during the seventh to ninth centuries AH, we often come across the names of two Oghani and Jermani tribes; two tribes that have been involved in many political and military challenges and have been repeatedly reported in the sources to have clashed with the rulers of Qara Khitai and Muzaffarid. Despite the important and influential political and military role of these tribes at a time in the history of Iran, and especially in Kerman province, the background and origins of these two peoples have been neglected and their main racial roots are still unclear. Accordingly, the present article investigates the background and origin of these tribes and their racial roots. The findings show that Oghans, whom modern Afghan researchers are trying to identify as the ancestors of modern-day Afghans, have settled in the highlands of northwestern today’s Pakistan. According to most historical sources, close to them and in the north of the Suleiman Mountains and the west of the Indus River is a region called Kerman or Jerman (or Jerma), which is probably the origin of the Germans, although it cannot be ruled out that these tribes may have been Mongol or Turkish immigrants who at the same time as Genghis Khan’s invasion of Iran, they migrated to these areas.