Makran
Makran (
Etymology
The southern part of Balochistan is called Kech Makran on Pakistani side and Makran on the Iranian side which is also the name of a former Iranian province.
History
Earliest settlements
The Kech-Makran region in southwestern Pakistan, along Kech River, was inhabited as early as the 5th millennium BCE. The site of Miri Qalat was investigated by French and Pakistani archaeologists from 1987 to 2007. Later, the site of Shahi-Tump, near Turbat, was also studied.[4]
Large and massive quadrangular stone building were constructed already before 4000 BCE. Flints, worked stones, and bone tools used by the inhabitants were found by archaeologists, but no ceramics were yet used.
In this Period I the inhabitants of the Kech River Valley already cultivated wheat and barley, as well as lentils. They had domesticated cattle, goats, and sheep. They also caught fish from the Oman Sea.
During Period II, the building of massive architectural structures continued, and a quadrangular stone complex was built. Later, mud brick constructions also appear on top of some of these stone buildings.[5]
At Miri Qalat, some links with Uruk culture ceramics were also found.[6]
The related site of
Ancient times
After the victory of the
Sasanian Empire
And I (
].— Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht (262 CE), translation by Josef Wiesehöfer (1996).[8][9][10]
Buddhist and Hindu past
Abū Rayḥān Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Bīrūnī states in his book Alberuni's India that the coast of India begins with Tiz, the capital of Makran.[11]
According to historian Andre Wink:
Further evidence in the
caves of Gondrani, and as their constructions show these caves were undoubtedly Buddhist. Traveling through the Kij valley further west (then under the government of Persia) Hiuen Tsang saw some 100 Buddhist monasteries and 6000 priests. He also saw several hundred Deva temples in this part of Makran, and in the town of Su-nu li-chi-shi-fa-lo – which is probably Qasrqand – he saw a temple of Maheshvara Deva, richly adorned and sculptured. There is thus very wide extension of Indian cultural forms in Makran in the seventh century, even in the period when it fell under Persian sovereignty. By comparison in more recent times the last place of Hindu pilgrimage in Makran was Hinglaj, 256 km west of present-day Karachi in Las Bela.[13]
Wink has recorded Hiuen Tsang's notes on the language and script in use in easternmost Makran (eastern parts of Pakistani Balochistan and Sindh):
Hiuen Tsang considered the script which was in use in Makran to be "much the same as India", but the spoken language "differed a little from that of India".[14]
Early medieval times
The Hindu Sewa dynasty ruled much of Baluchistan up until the 7th century CE. The Sibi division carved out of Quetta division still derives its name from Rani Sewi, the queen of the Hindu Sewa dynasty.[15]
In 635 or 636 CE, the Hindu
Islamic conquest
The first Islamic conquest of Makran took place during the
In late 644 CE Caliph
O Commander of the faithful!
It's a land where the plains are stony;
Where water is scanty;
Where the fruits are unsavory;
Where men are known for treachery;
Where plenty is unknown;
Where virtue is held of little account;
And where evil is dominant.
A large army is less for there;
And a less army is use less there;
The land beyond it, is even worse [referring to Sind]
Umar looked at the messenger and said: "Are you a messenger or a poet?" He replied, "Messenger". Thereupon Caliph Umar instructed Hakim bin Amr al Taghlabi that for the time being Makkuran should be the easternmost frontier of the Islamic empire, and that no further attempt should be made to extend the conquests.
It was reconquered by the usurper
Baloch attack on Mahmud Ghazni
Baloch raiders plundered Mahmud of Ghazni's ambassador between Tabbas and Khabis. In revenge, his son Masud defeated them at the latter place, which lies at the foot of the Karman Mountains on the edge of the desert. [22]
Modern era
From the 15th century onward, the area was ruled by the Rind, Buledai, and Gichki.
The sultanate held onto the Makran coast throughout the period of British colonial rule, but eventually, only Gwadar was left in the hands of the sultan.
Princely State of Makaran
On the independence of Pakistan, Makran became a district within the province of Balochistan, with the exception of an area of 800 km2 (310 sq mi) around Gwadar. Makran (
Makran state was ruled by Gichki Nawabs,[24] who were of Rajputs origins.[25][26] Their ancestor, Jagat Singh had migrated from Rajputana in the 17th century and became Muslim. Gichkis now consider themselves as Baloch In 1958 the Gwadar enclave was transferred to Pakistani control as part of the district of Makran. The entire region has been subdivided into new smaller districts over the years.
Geography
The narrow coastal plain rises rapidly into several mountain ranges. Of the 1,000 km (620 mi) coastline, around 750 km (470 mi) are in
There is only one island off the coast of Makran,
See also
- Chabahar
- Gwadar
- Khor Kalmat
- Lyari Town
- Makran Coastal Highway
- Makran Coastal Range
- Makran Division
- N'aschi
- Sokhta Koh
- State of Makran
- Wildlife of Pakistan § Western highlands, plains and deserts
- 1945 Balochistan earthquake
References
- ^ "Makran". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
- ^ Hansman 1973, p. 555.
- ISBN 978-0-486-27587-1
- ISBN 978-3-00-051309-1.
- ISBN 978-3-00-051309-1.
- ^ Van De Mieroop, M. (2008). A history of the ancient Near East. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell.
- ^ a b c Kosmin 2014, p. 33–34.
- ISBN 978-1860646751.
- ISBN 978-1-61069-391-2.
- ISBN 978-3-406-09397-5.
- Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. p. 208.
- ISBN 0226742210.
- ^ André Wink, Al-Hind: Early medieval India and the expansion of Islam, 7th–11th centuries, p. 135
- ^ André Wink, Al-Hind: Early medieval India and the expansion of Islam, 7th–11th centuries, p. 137
- ^ Syed Abdul Quddus, The tribal Baluchistan, p. 49
- ISBN 1-57958-468-3.
- ^ Al Baldiah wal nahaiyah vol: 7 page 141
- ^ Tarikh al Tabri, vol: 4 page no: 180
- ISBN 0391041738.
- ISBN 978-93-5322-097-6.
- ^ Munshi, Kanaiyalal Maneklal (1944). The Glory that was Gūrjaradeśa: The Imperial Gūrjaras. 1st ed. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
- ^ Denzil Ibbetson, Edward MacLagan, H. A. Rose (1911). A Glossary of The Tribes & Casts of The Punjab & North-West Frontier Province. Vol. II. p. 43.
- ^ Pillalamarri, Akhilesh. "A Brief History of Balochistan". The Diplomat.
- ISBN 978-969-2200-02-8.
- ISBN 978-969-0-10047-4.
The former rulers of Makran and Lasbela, Gichki and Jamots respectively, are Rajputs.
- JSTOR 4299552.
The Gichki are the descendants of a Rajput family which settled in 17th century.
Bibliography
- Nicolini, Beatrice, The Makran-Baluch-African Network in Zanzibar and East Africa during the XIXth Century[permanent dead link], African and Asian Studies, Volume 5, Numbers 3–4, 2006, pp. 347–370(24)
- Nicolini, Beatrice (2008-01-01), "Chapter Five. The Makran-Baluch-African Network In Zanzibar And East Africa During The XIXth Century", Uncovering the History of Africans in Asia, BRILL, pp. 81–106, ISBN 978-90-04-16291-4, retrieved 2024-03-13
- Wink, André (2002). Al-Hind, the Making of the Indo-Islamic World: Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam 7Th-11th Centuries. BRILL. ISBN 978-0-391-04173-8.
- Eilers, Wilhelm, Das Volk der Makā vor und nach den Achämeniden, AMI Ergänzungsband 10, 1983, 101–119
- Hansman, John (1973). "A Periplus of Magan and Meluhha". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 36 (3): 553–587. S2CID 140709175.
- ISBN 978-0-674-72882-0.
External links
- Balochistan and Makran, Pakistan
- 'Music of Makran: traditional fusion from coastal Balochistan' from the British Library Sound Archive Archived 2021-11-29 at the Wayback Machine
- Holdich, Thomas (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). p. 452. .