The Med are an ethnic community found in the coastal areas of Balochistan, Pakistan, mainly in the regions of

Makran Makran ( fa, مكران), mentioned in some sources as Mecran and Mokrān, is the coastal region of Baluchistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in Balochistan, in Pakistan and Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. It extends westwards, ...

and Las Bela, and the Makran region of Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran.

Origin

There are different theories as to the origin of the Med community. According to their own tribal traditions, the Med originate from Gandava in the Kacchi region of Balochistan. It is likely that the Med are one of the earliest settlers of the Makran coast or remnants of the historic Median people, and this is reinforced by the fact that the Med are mentioned in the chronicle of ancient

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, the Chachnama, as one of the tribes that inhabited coastal Balochistan. The Med speak

Balochi Balochi, sometimes spelt in various other ways, may refer to: * Balochi language, a language of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan * an adjective for something related to the Baloch people, an ethnic group of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan * an adjecti ...

which itself is one of the closest surviving relatives of the ancient Median language and the Med also consider themselves as

Baloch Baloch, also spelled Baloch, Beluch and in other ways, may refer to: * Baloch people, an ethnic group of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan * Baluch, a small itinerant community of Afghanistan * Balouch, Azad Kashmir, a town in Pakistan * Baloch (s ...

. However, in both Makran and Las Bela, they are seen as a distinct tribe by both the Sindhi and

. The Mohana tribe of

and southern Punjab claim to be of Med origin.

Social organization

Lasbela District Lasbela District (Urdu and bal, , Sindhi Lasi: لسبيلو) is a coastal district of Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is also called Sassi-Punnu Garh () among localites. History Alexander the Great passed through Lasbela on his way ...

they are found mainly in the cities of Miani and

Ormara Ormara ( Balochi, ur, ), is a town in Gwadar District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is a port on the Makran coastal region. It is located west of Karachi and east of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. This port is also mentioned in ''P ...

, and villages in between these towns, while in

they are found in the cities of Gwadar and Sonmiani, and also in the villages in between. The Med are divided into four clans, the Chilmarzai, who claim descent from the Numrio tribe of

, the Jalalzai and Gazbur, who claim

ancestry and then finally the Olmari who claim Pashtun ancestry. This suggests that the Med community is of diverse origin, absorbing different groups which migrated to Makran. In recent times, the Med have absorbed groups of

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

ancestry such as the

Siddi The Siddi (), also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, or Habshi are an ethnic group inhabiting India and Pakistan. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa and Ethiopia, most whom arrived to ...

. Meds are

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s and like many other Makran communities, they are also divided along sectarian lines. Many Gwadar Meds belong to the Zikri sect while the vast majority of Meds are

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

Hanafis. Along coastal Balochistan, fishing is entirely in the hands of the Med, with an individual fishing boat owned by a particular lineage. The Med also form an important element within the Baloch population of Karachi. In Iran, the Med settlements cling to the coastline of the Makran region of the province of Sistan and Baluchestan. They are largely engaged in fishing, but some of their settlements on the banks of the various seasonal streams also engage in agriculture. The Med have vague traditions which are said to be originated in

, but now they consider themselves and are looked to by others as Baloch. Like other Iranian Baloch, the Med are

, as distinct from the majority in Iran, who are Shia.''Nomadism in Baluchistan by Brian Spooner'' in Pastoralists and nomads in South Asia by Lawrence S Leshnik pages 172 & 175

References

{{reflist Baloch tribes Social groups of Balochistan, Pakistan Indigenous peoples of South Asia Ethnic groups in Iran History of Sindh

Origin

Social organization

See also

References