In 1835 Asahel Grant was appointed by the American Board of Foreign Missions to pursue his calling among the Nestorians of Mesopotamia. He found among them a tradition that they were descendants of the Lost Ten Tribes, a tradition which had already been gathered by Smith and White during their earlier mission ("Researches in Armenia," vol. ii.). He found also among the Jews of the neighborhood of Urumiah recognition of this tradition, which he considered to be confirmed by the following facts: they dwelt in the neighborhood to which the Israelites were originally deported, while Josephus declared that the Ten Tribes lived beyond the Euphrates up to his time ("Ant." xi. 5, § 3), and his statement is confirmed by Jerome ("Opera," vi. 780); their language is a branch of the Aramaic; they still offer sacrifices and first-fruits like the ancient Israelites, and they prepare for the Sabbath on the preceding evening; they have Jewish names and Jewish features. Other similarities of custom are recorded by Grant ("The Nestorians, or the Lost Tribes," New York, 1845).

Whether as a result of missionary efforts from the Nestorians among them or not, the Khvaris and proto-Turkic [[Huns]] of Central Eurasia are claimed by [[~~Turanian~~ Karaites]] to have been the descendants of the Ten Tribes of Israel settled among the [[Ashkenazite Nation|Sacæ]] in Scythia by Cambyses. The Shah of Khvarezm was about to be converted to the ~~Karaite~~ Nestorian faith when his brother brought the Umayyads into Xorezm and the ~~Karaites~~ Nestorians were forced to flee to the On-Oq for refuge. The ~~Karaite survivors~~ Nestorians managed to make some progress in converting the Christianized Turks and Sebomenoi Huns of Crimea where they were allowed to settle.

There are many reasons to believe that Hun descent from the Ten Tribes of Israel is in fact a genuine possibility, rather than just the result of missionary efforts to convert them to Abrahamic faith. The Turkic tribes believed in One God in Heaven called Tengri which itself is derived from the Sumerian word for God Dingir. They also revered Customary Old Turkic Tribal Laws called Tura which resembled Torah. They organised themselves into Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Hordes around their spiritual leader called a Kaghan just as the tribes of Israel were arranged around their spiritual leader called a Kohen. Their spiritual leaders had to go through a trial involving struggle with a divine being and ascending a ladder into heaven and a change of name, just as Jacob did in order to become Israel. They worshipped i times of need under Terebinths (Oak trees) just as Abraham did and the Israelites under Moses at mamre before the tabbernacle was constructed. Most significant was that their tribe of Shimoin believed that their were descendants of the tribes of Simeon while their tribe of Ashmal beieved that they were Ishmaelites. Thus whether a fact or not descent from Abraham became a cherished belief among them. The Majority belong to the Levite Y-DNA Haplogroup R1a. The most popular names for the Huns such as Hun-Ugori, Onogur, On-Oq (all terms designating the Western Turkic Gahanate) all mean literally "Ten Tribes", and the abreviation Hun or On means simply "The Ten".

The [[~~Turanian~~ Karaites]] of Eastern Europe, Russia Central Eurasia and beyond have always claimed that they were descended from the Lost Ten Tribes (specifically the so-called "Khazar" tribe of Simeon and its Levites as well as from ''Carite'' Caphtorim and Colchians) and had been settled in Turan (and allegedly other parts of Scythia) certainly since the time of Cambyses, perhaps from as early as the time of Shalmaneser (seventh century B.C.). In 1795 the [[~~Turanian Karaites~~Karaims]] were exempted from the double taxation imposed upon the Rabbinites, and in 1828, when it obtained for them the right to officer ranks and exemption from compulsory military service (although [[Karaite]] Hussars continued voluntary service as royal body guards to the Tsars). A [[Karaite Jew]] called Abraham Firkovich satisfied the Russian authorities, but ~~Karaite Jewish~~ [[Qaraite Jew]]ish authors have often accused him of editing a number of inscriptions on tombstones and manuscripts to prove the early date of their settlement in the Crimea. However, ~~Karaite~~ [[Qaraite Judaism ]] has always been hostile towards ~~Turanian Karaites~~ [[Karaite Judaism]] and teaches that they are Mamzerim because they ~~intermixed with Rabbinical Jews~~are converts to the faith. Despite the ~~Karaite Jewish~~ [[Qaraite Jew]]ish accusations, Firkovich's evidence was considered legally valid and effective with the Russian government.

According to their native traditions, the Afghans also are to be identified with the same Nestorian [[Hun]]nic "Ten Tribes". They declare that Nebuchadnezzar banished them into the mountains of Ghur, whence they maintained correspondence with the Arabian Jews. When some of the latter were converted by Mohammed, one Khalid wrote to the Afghans and invited them to embrace Islam. Several Afghan nobles went to Arabia under one Ḳais, who claimed to trace his descent through forty-seven generations from Saul. He was accordingly greeted by Mohammed by the title of "malik," in deference to this illustrious descent. Ḳais is reported to have died at the age of eighty-seven, in 662; and all the modern chiefs of Afghanistan claim to be descended from him (Malcolm, "History of Persia," ii. 596, London, 1815). The Afghans still call themselves "Beni-Israel," and are declared to have a markedly Jewish appearance. Their claim to Israelitish descent is allowed by most Mohammedan writers. G. Moore, in his "Lost Tribes" (pp. 143-160, London, 1861), also identified the Afghans with the Ten Tribes.

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