Shirani

Shirani or "Sherani" is a Pashtun tribe, living predominantly in modern Pakistan and Afghanistan. Shirani is also the name of a Baloch tribe in Sistan and Baluchestan Province in Iran.

The Baloch Shirani of Sistan and Baluchestan Province

The Shiranis are said to derive from the Narooie (Narouei) tribe. After Sardar Hossein Khan Shirani, all his decendants took the name Shirani as the tribal name. Sardar Hossein Khan Shirani raised a major revolt against the Persian Qajar dynasty and took control of the Bampour castle in 1897. The Baloch Shiranis of Sistan and Baluchestan Province reside mainly around the Lashar area and specifically in the town of Fanouj(Panouch).

Shirani or "Sherani" of Pashtun tribe

During the 19th century, the tribal group known as the Shiranis was recorded as living on the northwest Punjab border in what became the North-West Frontier Province of British India. After annexation by the British, their homeland was a part of The Sherani Agency. The agency occupied an area of 1500 miles and had a population of 12,371 according to the 1901 census. The Shiranis occupied the principal portion of the mountain known as the Takht-e-Sulaiman and the country thence eastward down to the border of Dera Ismail Khan district. They were bounded on the north by the Gomal Pass, and beyond that by the Mahsud and Waziri tribes; on the south by the Ustaranas and Zmarais, Zimri; and on the west by the Haripals, Kakars and Mandu Khels.

The Shirani tribe is divided into three main sub branches, namely Marani, Babar and Miani. The Marani sub branch, which is now commonly referred to as Shiranis, live in the areas of Dera Ismail Khan District (NWFP) and Sherani Subdistrict in Baluchistan. The other two sub branches i.e., Babar's and Miani's have migrated to other areas. The Babars live, mainly, in the southern part of D I Khan, a place known as Chodhwan. The Miani's have migrated, mainly, to the Gomal area of Tank. Beside this, a large number of Miani's either live in Afghanistan or migrate between Afghanistan and Pakistan. These two sub branches of Shirani i.e., Babar's and Miani's, instead of being referred to as Shiranis, identify themselves as separate tribes. Strangely enough those Miani's and Babars who had remained in the F.R. D I Khan region identify themselves as Shirani's only, but they must not be confused with the Marani's i.e., the main sub branch of Sherani.Some Shiranis migerated toSanghar,now calledTaunsa Sharif.

There is a village called Sherani Abad in Nagaur district of Rajasthan, India. The village is having four mohallas namely Sufiya, Gausiya, Najmiyan and Noori. There are even small villages like Barnel, Bheniyad, Danta, Hamidpur, Dungari where Sherani's are residing. In all these villages only Sherani community is living. Famous Shayari Akhatar Sherani belongs to this community. His father Hafiz Mehmood Khan Sherani was a renowened writer. Rajasthan Urdu Academy award is given under his name.

Some Sherani Pathan are also lived in vadnagar, gujarat india. they lived in called shemberwada known from samarkand, Sherani tribes of pathan migrated in india during the great king of moghal Humayun, when he came to india second time with support of Sherani Pathan warrior he win the battel, during the mughal king akbar, sherani pathan migrated to kaligam near ahemdabad gujarat. On that time Nawab of Gujarat send them to defeat Dodia Rajput near Rajasthan Gujarat border, sherani pathan defeat Dodia Rajput on great battel and took their land.they called them shembher or summer coming from sumerkand.

References

* Paget, William Henry (1874) "Section II: The Shirani Expedition, March 1853" "A record of the expeditions undertaken against the North-west frontier tribes. Compiled from the military and political despatches, Lieut.-Colonel McGregor's gazetteer, and other official sources." Office of Supt. of Govt. Printing, Calcutta, [http://worldcat.org/oclc/28445038 OCLC 28445038]