Awan soldier The Awans have a strong martial tradition and are renowned for their bravery. They were prominent in the armies of the Slave Dynasty and the Khilji dynasty during the Delhi Sultanate period. Timur met great resistance from the Governor of Meerut, Qiladar ("Fort Commander") Ilyaas Awan Alvi during his invasion of South Asia in 1398. Timur eventually defeated Ilyaas after nearly two months of fighting and a heavy loss of life on both sides. Timur was so impressed by Ilyaas' courage and bravery that he wrote about him in his memoirs. Awans also held prominent military positions during the Mughal era. According to Denzil Ibbetson, the Awans may well have accompanied the forces of Babur and the Awans of Jalandhar, who claimed to have shifted from the Salt Range at the behest of one of the early Emperors of Delhi, were particularly notable for being in the imperial service at Delhi. In the early nineteenth century, one of the most powerful men in Delhi was Malik Durrab Khan Awan.

The Awans were amongst those the British considered to be "martial races" (a designation created by officials of British India to describe "races" - peoples - that were thought to be naturally warlike and aggressive in battle and to possess qualities such as courage, loyalty, self-sufficiency, physical strength, resilience, orderliness and fighting tenacity and to be hard-working and adept at military strategy. The British recruited heavily from these "martial races" for service in the colonial army[1]) and as such, formed an important part of the British Indian Army, serving with distinction during World Wars I and II. Of all the Muslim groups recruited by the British, proportionally, the Awans produced the greatest number of recruits during the First and Second World Wars. Contemporary historians, namely Professor Ian Talbot and Professor Tan Tai Yong, have authored works that cite the Awans (amongst other tribes) as being looked upon as a martial race by not only the British, but neighbouring tribes as well. The Pakistani military heavily recruits Awans and along with Rajputs, Awans occupy the highest ranks of the Pakistani Army. Awans: past and present

Awan soldier in battle uniform Awans in general enjoy a respected status in Pakistan. Many play/have played prominent roles in areas as varied as the military, business, politics and literature. On a rural level, Awans are respected as members of the Zamindar or landed class. Many Awan families to this day live on and cultivate land, which their ancestors have held for centuries. They often carry titles typical to Punjabis who own tracts of ancestral land such as Malik, Chaudhry and Khan. The modern surname system often results in members of the same family with different surnames, some choosing their position as a surname i.e. Malik or Chaudhry, and some choosing their clan/tribe/family name of Awan.