The Jaḍgāl (; also known as, Jatgal, Nummaṛ or az-Zighālī) is an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group which speaks the Jadgali language. Jadgals are present in the

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

region of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, as well as in

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

History

Jadgal people are often connected with the Jats of Balochistan. They migrated from

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

via Bela to Panjgur. Anthropologist Henry Field notes the origin of the Jadgals to be in the western

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

; they subsequently migrated to Kulanch and are still found in

and Balochistan. Regardless of their origins, they are generally seen as Baloch by the society in Balochistan. When the Arabs arrived in modern-day

and Baluchistan, they met the Jadgal at the

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

of Makran where the Arab name of ''az-Zighālī'' comes from. In 1811, Saidi Balochis as well as Jadgal mercenary troops were killed in a battle with the Wahhabis against the Sultanate of Oman. The modern-day Jadgals in Oman claim to be descended from

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

, however they also accept the folk etymology of them being from Sindh, in the lower

indus valley 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 the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the disp ...

Demographics

Around 100,000 Jadgals live in Pakistan according to a 1998 census conducted by Pakistan. In Iran, the Sardarzahi ethnic group is of Jadgal origin, claiming to be from Sindh. The rest of the Jadgals number around 25,000 according to a 2008 census conducted by Iran. All of the Jadgals in Iran live in the Sistan and Baluchistan, Hormozgan and Kerman provinces.

Language

Jadgal people in

speak Jadgali language, although they converse with strangers in Balochi. Many linguists believe the Lasi dialect of the Lasi people may be related to Jadgali. The Jadgali tongue in Oman is similar to the language of Al Lawatia.

Tribes

* Baryada * Sardarzahi * Bijjarzai * Bizenjo * Zehri * Sasoli * Sajdi * Sangur * Rais * Tambarani * Chanal * Motak * Mengal * Mir * Hoot * Manjotha * Zardari

References

{{improve categories, date=September 2022 Sindhi tribes Social groups of Balochistan, Pakistan Ethnic groups in Iran Indo-Aryan peoples Indo-Aryan languages Ethnic groups in Sindh Ethnic groups in Oman