The theory of Kashmiris

The theory of Kashmiri descent from the lost tribes of Israel posits that the Kashmiri people of India and Pakistan originally descended from the Ten Lost Tribes. The theory was first suggested by Abu Rayan al-Bīrūnī , the famous 11th-century Persian Muslim scholar. François Bernier , a 17th-century French physician and traveler, and Sir Walter Lawrence and Sir Francis Younghusband , who explored this region in the 1800s, commented on the similar physiognomy between Kashmiris and Jews, including “fair skin, prominent noses,” and similar head shapes. Kaw argues that despite the etymological similarities between Kashmiri and Jewish surnames, the Kashmiri people are of Indo-Aryan descent while the Jews are of Semitic descent . Moreover, the Indian civilization pre-season dates the Israelite civilization. The theory is essentially based on the purported similarities between Kashmir place names and Hebrew words and phrases. The name Kashmir locally know as kasher itself is said to be based on the Hebrew word Kashir "like Syria". The Kashmir valley, said to be the dwelling place of the Ten Lost Tribes, is called Bagh- i_Suleman (Garden of Solomon ) in local parlance. The connection between Kashmir and ancient Israel is strengthened further by such Kashmiri place names as "Tomb of Moses " and "Throne of Solomon". There is also a Kashmiri tradition that the 40 years of wandering in the desert actually covered the ground from Asia to Kashmir, and that Kashmir is in fact the Promised Land. The names of approximately 350 towns and villages in Kashmir bear some resemblance to place names in the Holy Land . These include: Bandpoor (similar to Beth Peor) Naboo Hill (similar to Mount Nebo ) Pishgah (similar to Mount Pisgah) Mamre (similar to Mamre) Pathan tribal names that are said to resemble the names of the lost tribes include: Rabbinic (Reuben), Shinwari (Shimon), Daftani (Naphtali), Jajani (Gad), Ashuri (Asher), Alfridi (Ephraim), and Yusufzai (sons of Joseph – i.e., Mansel and Ephraim). Source : Wikipedia