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
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
, in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, along the coast of the
Gulf of Oman
The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman ( ar, خليج عمان ''khalīj ʿumān''; fa, دریای عمان ''daryâ-ye omân''), also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran ( ar, خلیج مکران ''khalīj makrān''; fa, دریای مکرا ...
. It extends westwards, from the
Sonmiani Bay
Sonmiani Bay is located on the Arabian Sea in Lasbela District, Balochistan, Pakistan.
See also
* Somiani Spaceport
* Sonmiani Beach
* Sonmiani
* Hub Tehsil
Hub Tehsil ( ur, تحصیل حب) is located in Hub District, Balochistan, Pakist ...
to the northwest of
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
in the east, to the fringes of the region of Bashkardia/Bāšgerd in the southern part of the Sistān and Balučestān province of modern Iran. Makrān is thus bisected by the modern political boundary between Pakistan and Iran.
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.
The location corresponds to that of the
Maka satrapy in
Achaemenid
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...
times. The Sumerian trading partners of
Magan are identified with Makran. In
Varahamihira's
Brihat Samhita, there is a mention of a tribe called ''Makara'' inhabiting the lands west of India.
Arrian
Arrian of Nicomedia (; Greek: ''Arrianos''; la, Lucius Flavius Arrianus; )
was a Greek historian, public servant, military commander and philosopher of the Roman period.
''The Anabasis of Alexander'' by Arrian is considered the best ...
used the term ''
Ichthyophagi
Ichthyophagoi ( grc, Ἰχθυοφάγοι, "fish-eaters") and Latin Ichthyophagi is the name given by ancient geographers to several ethnically unrelated coast-dwelling peoples in different parts of the world.
*Herodotus (book i. c. 200) mention ...
'' (Ancient Greek for "fish eaters") for inhabitants of coastal areas, which has led to a suggestion to derive ''Makran'' from the modern Persian term ''māhī khorān'', meaning "fish eaters".
History
Earliest settlements
The Kech-Makran region in southwestern Pakistan, along
Kech River, was inhabited as early as the 5th millennium BC. The site of Miri Qalat was investigated by French and Pakistani archaeologists from 1987 to 2007. Later, the site of Shahi-Tump, near
Turbat
Turbat is the second-largest city in Balochistan after Quetta and 38th largest city of Pakistan. It is the largest city in the southern part of the province.
Education
University:
University of TurbatBalochistan University of Engineering & ...
, was also studied.
Large and massive quadrangular stone building were constructed already before 4000 BC. 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.
At Miri Qalat, some links with
Uruk
Uruk, also known as Warka or Warkah, was an ancient city of Sumer (and later of Babylonia) situated east of the present bed of the Euphrates River on the dried-up ancient channel of the Euphrates east of modern Samawah, Al-Muthannā, Iraq.Harm ...
culture ceramics were also found.
The related site of
Balakot, Makran, going back to 4000 BC, was also studied by archaeologists.
Ancient times
After the victory of the
Mauryan Empire
The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...
against the Greeks in the
Seleucid–Mauryan war, Baluchistan came under the rule of
Chandragupta Maurya
Chandragupta Maurya (350-295 BCE) was a ruler in Ancient India who expanded a geographically-extensive kingdom based in Magadha and founded the Maurya dynasty. He reigned from 320 BCE to 298 BCE. The Maurya kingdom expanded to become an empi ...
of ancient India. Chandragupta and Seleucus made a peace settlement in 304 BC. Seleucus I Nicator ceded the satrapies, including those in Baluchistan to the expanding Mauryan Empire. The alliance was solidified with a marriage between Chandragupta Maurya and a princess of the Seleucid Empire. The outcome of the arrangement proved to be mutually beneficial. The border between the Seleucid and Mauryan Empires remained stable in subsequent generations, and friendly diplomatic relations are reflected by the ambassador
Megasthenes, and by the envoys sent westward by Chandragupta's grandson
Ashoka.
Sasanian Empire
Shapur I's trilingual inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht in
Naqsh-i-Rustam
Naqsh-e Rostam ( lit. mural of Rostam, fa, نقش رستم ) is an ancient archeological site and necropolis located about 12 km northwest of Persepolis, in Fars Province, Iran. A collection of ancient Iranian rock reliefs are cut into the ...
, dated to 262 CE, had noted "Makuran"/"Makran" to be one of the many provinces of the
Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
:
Buddhist and Hindu past
Abū Rayḥān Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Bīrūnī states in his book ''Alberuni's India'' that the coast of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
begins with
Tiz, the capital of Makran.
According to historian Andre Wink:
Wink has recorded
Hiuen Tsang's notes on the language and script in use in easternmost Makran (eastern parts of Pakistani Balochistan and Sindh):
Early Medieval times
The Hindu Sewa Dynasty ruled much of Baluchistan up until the 7th century AD. The Sibi division carved out of Quetta division still derives its name from Rani Sewi, the queen of the Hindu Sewa dynasty.
In 635 or 636 CE, the Hindu
Brahman dynasty
The Brahmin dynasty of Sindh (), also known as the Chacha dynasty, were the Brahmin Hindu ruling family of the Chacha Empire. The Brahmin dynasty were successors of the Rai dynasty. The dynasty ruled on the Indian subcontinent which originated i ...
of Sindh controlled parts of Balochistan.
Islamic conquest
The first Islamic conquest of Makran took place during the
Rashidun Caliphate
The Rashidun Caliphate ( ar, اَلْخِلَافَةُ ٱلرَّاشِدَةُ, al-Khilāfah ar-Rāšidah) was the first caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was ruled by the first four successive caliphs of Muhammad after his ...
in the year 643 A.D. Caliph
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
’s governor of
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
, Usman ibn Abu al-Aas, who was on a campaign to conquer the southern coastal areas beyond Sassanid, sent his brother Hakam ibn Abu al-Aas to raid and
reconnoitre
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmishers, ...
the Makran region.
In late 644 AD Caliph
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
dispatched an army under the command of Hakam ibn Amr for the wholesale invasion of Makkuran. He was joined by reinforcements from
Kufa under the command of Shahab ibn Makharaq, and by Abdullah ibn Utban, the commander of a campaign in
Kerman
Kerman ( fa, كرمان, Kermân ; also romanization of Persian, romanized as Kermun and Karmana), known in ancient times as the satrapy of Carmania, is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 821,394, in ...
. They encountered no strong resistance in Makran until the army of the King of
Rai, along with contingents from Makran and Sind, stopped them near the
Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
. In mid-644 the
Battle of Rasil
The Battle of Rasil () was fought between the Rashidun Caliphate and the Rai kingdom ruled by Raja Rasil in early 644. It was the first encounter of the Rashidun Caliphate in the Indian subcontinent. The exact location of the battle is not kn ...
was fought between the forces of the Rashidun Caliphate and the Rai Kingdom; the Raja's forces were defeated and forced to retreat to the eastern bank of the Indus. The Raja’s army had included
war elephant
A war elephant was an elephant that was trained and guided by humans for combat. The war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific military units using elephant ...
s, but these had posed little problem for the Muslim invaders, who had dealt with them during the
conquest of Persia. In accordance with the orders of Caliph
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
, the captured war elephants were sold in Islamic Persia, with the proceeds distributed among the soldiers as share in booty. In response to Caliph
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
’s questions about the Makran region, the messenger from Makkuran who brought the news of the victory told him:
Umar looked at the messenger and said:
"Are you a messenger or a poet?" He replied, "Messenger".
Thereupon Caliph
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
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
Chach of Alor
Chach (c. 631-671 AD) ( sd, چچ)Wink, André. (1991)''Al- Hind, the Making of the Indo-Islamic World: The slave kings and the Islamic conquest''. 2, p. 153 Leiden: Brill. was a Hindu Brahmin king of Sindh region of the Indian subcontinent in th ...
in 631. Ten years later, it was described to be "under the government of Persia" by
Xuanzang
Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...
who visited the region. Three years later however, when the Arabs invaded, it was regarded as the "frontier of ''Al-Hind''". the
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
King of Sindh, Maharaja Chacha met the invaders outside Broach and defeated them with heavy slaughter also killing their very Commander-in-Chief Abdul Aziz in the process .
Baloch attack on Mahmud Ghazni
Baloch raiders plundered
Mahmud of Ghazni
Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At th ...
'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.
[Denzil Ibbetson, Edward MacLagan, H.A. Rose "A Glossary of The Tribes & Casts of The Punjab & North-West Frontier Province", 1911 AD, Page 43, Vol II,]
Modern era
From the 15th century onward, the area was ruled by the
Rind,
Buledai, and Gichki. The western part of Makran, now Iranian area of Sarbaz and Dashtiyari ruled by Barakzai (Baranzai) and Sardarzai.In the late 18th century, the
Khan of Kalat
The Khanate of Kalat ( bal, کلاتءِ ھانات) was a Baloch Khanate that existed from 1512 to 1955 in the centre of the modern-day province of Balochistan, Pakistan. Its rulers were Brahui speakers. Prior to that they were subjects ...
is said to have granted sanctuary at
Gwadar to one of the claimants for the throne of
Muscat. When that claimant became
Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
, he kept hold of Gwadar, installing a governor, who eventually led an army to conquer the city of
Chabahar
Chābahār ( fa, چابهار, bal, چھبار, čahbàr; ; formerly ''Bandar Beheshtī'') is the capital city of Chabahar County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. It is a free port (free-trade zone) situated on the coast of the Gulf of ...
some 200 kilometres to the west.
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. On the independence of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, Makran became a district within the province of Balochistan, with the exception of an area of 800 km
2 around Gwadar. 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 coastline, around are in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. The climate is dry with little rainfall. Makran is very sparsely inhabited, with much of the population concentrated in a string of small ports including
Chabahar
Chābahār ( fa, چابهار, bal, چھبار, čahbàr; ; formerly ''Bandar Beheshtī'') is the capital city of Chabahar County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. It is a free port (free-trade zone) situated on the coast of the Gulf of ...
,
Gwatar
Bandar Gavater ( fa, بندر گواتر, also Romanized as Shahrak Maskūnī-ye Gavāter; also known as Gavātar, Gavāter, Govātar, Gvātar, and Gwātar) is a village in Sand-e Mir Suiyan Rural District, Dashtiari District, Dashtiari County, ...
,
Jiwani,
Jask,
Sirik,
Gwadar (not to be confused with Gwatar),
Pasni,
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 many smaller fishing villages.
There is only one island off the coast of Makran,
Astola Island, near
Pasni although there are several small islets. The coastline can be divided into an eastern lagoon coastline and a western embayed coastline. The main lagoons are
Miani Hor and Kalamat Hor. The main bays of the embayed coast are
Gwadar Bay and
Gwatar Bay. This latter bay shelters a large
mangrove forest and the nesting grounds of endangered turtle species. The
Mirani Dam
Miraani Dam ( ur, ). Dasht River south of the Central Makran Range in Kech District in Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan province of Pakistan. Its reservoir is fed by the Kech River and the Nihing River. Mirani Dam was completed in July 2006 ...
provides irrigation, flood prevention and water supply to
Gwadar city.
See also
*
Chabahar
Chābahār ( fa, چابهار, bal, چھبار, čahbàr; ; formerly ''Bandar Beheshtī'') is the capital city of Chabahar County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. It is a free port (free-trade zone) situated on the coast of the Gulf of ...
*
Gwadar
*
Khor Kalmat Kalmat Hor or Kalmat Khor is a lagoon located along the Makran coast of Balochistan, Pakistan. The Basol River drains into the Kalmat Hor lagoon. In recent times, it has gained attention for being the locality where the Pakistan Navy plans to build ...
*
Lyari Town
Lyari Town ( sd, لیاری ٽاؤن , ur, ) is named after the historic locality of Lyari. Lyari Town was the smallest borough (called "town" in Karachi) by area, but also the most densely populated one. Lyari Town was formed in 2001 as par ...
*
Makran Coastal Highway
The N-10 or National Highway 10 (Urdu: ) is a 653 km national highway in Pakistan which extends along Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast from Karachi in Sindh province to Gwadar in Balochistan province. It passes the towns of Ormara and Pasni. ...
*
Makran Coastal Range
Makran Coastal Range is a mountain range in the Makran region, in southwestern section of Balochistan Province, in southwestern Pakistan. It is one of three ranges in the mountain ranges system. The range rises to around in elevation.
;Geology
...
*
Makran Division
Makran Division (Baloch: مکران) is an administrative division of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. It is the eastern component of the larger Makran region shared between Pakistan and Iran, located in southern Balochistan along the Gulf of O ...
*
N'aschi Nashi or ''n'aschi'' is a northeastern wind that occurs in winter on the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf, especially near the entrance to the gulf, and also on the Makran coast. It is probably associated with an outflow from the central Asiatic an ...
*
Sokhta Koh
Sokhta Koh (also known as Sotka Koh; lit. "burnt hill") is a Harappan site on the Makran coast, near the city of Pasni, in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was first surveyed by American archaeologist George F. Dales in 1960, while exp ...
*
State of Makran
Makran ( ur, ) was an autonomous princely state in a subsidiary alliance with British India until 1947, before being absorbed as an autonomous princely states of Pakistan, princely state of Pakistan. It ceased to exist in 1955. It was located in t ...
*
Wildlife of Pakistan § Western highlands, plains and deserts
*
1945 Balochistan earthquake
The 1945 Balochistan earthquake ( ur, ) occurred in British India at 1:26 PKT on 28 November 1945 with a moment magnitude of 8.1 and a maximum perceived intensity of X (''Extreme'') on the Mercalli intensity scale.
Earthquake
The earthquake's ...
References
Bibliography
* Nicolini, Beatrice
The Makran-Baluch-African Network in Zanzibar and East Africa during the XIXth Century African and Asian Studies, Volume 5, Numbers 3–4, 2006, pp. 347–370(24)
Al-Hind: Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam 7Th-11th * Eilers, Wilhelm, Das Volk der Makā vor und nach den Achämeniden, AMI Ergänzungsband 10, 1983, 101–119
*
*
External links
'Music of Makran: traditional fusion from coastal Balochistan' from the British Library Sound Archive*
{{Coord, 25.30541, 60.64108, display=title
Gulf of Oman
Plains of Iran
Plains of Pakistan
Regions of Pakistan
Historical regions of Iran
Historical regions of Pakistan
Sistan and Baluchestan Province
History of Balochistan
Landforms of Balochistan (Pakistan)
Divided regions
Deserts of Pakistan