The Chaush or Chaus are MuslimMediaeval Deccan History, eds Kulkarni, M A Naeem and de Souza, Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1996, pg 63, https://books.google.com/books?id=O_WNqSH4ByQC&lpg=PA52&pg=PA63#v=onepage&q&f=false community of Hadhrami

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

descent found in the

Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

region 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 ...

.Omar Khalidi
The Arabs of Hadramawt in Hyderabad
in Mediaeval Deccan History, eds Kulkarni, Naeem and de Souza, Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1996, pg 63 The name is believed to originate from the Turkish word Chiaus used during the

Ottoman era The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

of the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

for military officers who were often tasked with guarding palaces. They have a common origin with the Chavuse community of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. The Chaush or Chaus were brought from Yemen to work in the former Hyderabad State as military men and body guards for the

Nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

s. It is said that especially when it came to safe guarding his family, the 7th Nizam had absolute trust on these Arab bodyguards. A home for the Chaush community

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

, 25 Sep 2011 They are most concentrated in the neighbourhood of Barkas in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

city. Many Chaush later settled in other parts of India, and around the world as part of the Hyderabadi diaspora, especially in Pakistan, and Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The founders of both the

Qu'aiti Qu'aiti, ar, ٱلْقُعَيْطِي '), officially the Qu'aiti State of Shihr and Mukalla ( ar, ٱلدَّوْلَة ٱلْقُعَيْطِيَّة ٱلْحَضْرَمِيَّة, Ad-Dawlah Al-Quʿayṭiyyah Al-Ḥaḍramiyyah or the Qu'aiti ...

and

Kathiri Kathiri ( ar, ٱلْكَثِيْرِي, al-Kathīrī), officially the Kathiri State of Seiyun ( ar, ٱلسَّلْطَنَة ٱلْكَثِيْرِيَّة - سَيْؤُوْن, al-Salṭanah al-Kathīrīyah - Sayʾūn), was a sultanate in the ...

states in Hadhramawt had previously served as

jemadar Jemadar or jamadar is a title used for various military and other officials in the Indian subcontinent. Etymology The word stems from Urdu (), which derives through Persian ''jam'dar'' from Arabic ''jamā‘a(t)'' 'muster' + Persian ''-dār' ...

s in

. Among the best known cultural contributions of the Chaush to India are

Marfa Marfa may refer to: Music * Marfa (instrument), an African percussion instrument * Marfa (music), celebratory music of the Hyderabadi Muslims Places * Márfa, a village in Baranya county, Hungary * Marfa, Chad * Marfa, Texas, a city in the hi ...

music and dance, and

Hyderabadi haleem Hyderabadi haleem () is a type of haleem popular in the Indian city of Hyderabad. Haleem is a stew composed of meat, lentils, and pounded wheat made into a thick paste. It is originally an Arabic dish and was introduced to the Hyderabad Stat ...

, both which are culturally important to the Hyderabadi Muslim people, and seen at almost all wedding ceremonies.

Culture

Cuisine

The Hyderabadi Haleem and Mandi have been introduced in Hyderabad by the Chaush people.

Notable people

Subhani ba Yunus Subhani ba Yunus (1931–2006) was an accomplished Pakistani actor and television and radio personality whose distinct voice quality earned him a special place in Radio Pakistan. Younis was an Urdu-speaking Hyderabadi Muslim of Hadhrami Chaus ...

, Pakistani actor *

General El Edroos Syed Ahmed El-Edroos () was the commander-in-chief of the Hyderabad State Forces at the time of the annexation of Hyderabad State by India in 1948. Life Syed Ahmed El-Edroos was of Arab Hadhrami descent. He was a Ba'Alawi Sayyed of the Ba ...

* Sulaiman Areeb, Urdu poet *

Awaz Sayeed Awaz Bin Sayeed Bin Awaz Bin Jabir Bin Abdullah (3 March 1934 – 2 July 1995) ( ur, ) (pen name: Chaand, ), was a modern short-story writer, poet, playwright, Khaka-naveez and humorist from Hyderabad, India. Early life and family Awa ...

, Urdu writer

Culture

Cuisine

Notable people

See also

References

Further reading