Makran (princely State)

Makran (), also mentioned in some sources as ''Mecran'' and ''Mokrān'', is the southern coastal region of Balochistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in the Balochistan province in Pakistan and in Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. It extends westwards, from the Sonmiani Bay to the northwest of Karachi in the east, to the fringes of the region of Bashkardia/Bāšgerd in the southern part of the Sistan and Baluchestan province of modern Iran. Makrān is thus bisected by the modern political boundary between Pakistan and Iran. In January 2025, a government spokesperson informed that Iran is investigating the possibility of moving its capital to the Makran region.

Etymology

The southern part of Balochistan is called ''Kech Makran'' on the 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 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 used the term '' Ichthyophagi'' (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 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.

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.

At Miri Qalat, some links with Uruk culture ceramics were also found.

The related site of Balakot, Makran, going back to 4000 BCE, was also studied by archaeologists.

Ancient times

After the victory of the Mauryan Empire against the Greeks in the Seleucid–Mauryan war, Baluchistan came under the rule of Chandragupta Maurya of ancient India. Chandragupta and Seleucus made a peace settlement in 304 BCE. 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. An 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, dated to 262 CE, had noted "Makuran"/"Makran" to be one of the many provinces of the Sasanian Empire:

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.

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 CE. 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 of Sindh controlled parts of Balochistan.

Islamic conquest

The first Islamic conquest of Makran took place during the Rashidun Caliphate in the year 643 CE . Caliph Umar's governor of Bahrain, 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 the Makran region.

In late 644 CE Caliph Umar 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. 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. In mid-644 the Battle of Rasil 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 elephants, 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, 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'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 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 in 631. Ten years later, it was described to be "under the government of Persia" by Xuanzang who visited the region. Three years later however, when the Arabs invaded, it was regarded as the "frontier of ''Al-Hind''". The Brahmin 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'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.

Modern era

From the 15th century onward, the area was ruled by the Rind, Buledai, Hammal Jiand, and Gichki.

Hammal Baloch lived during the 15th century and his father, Jiand was the ruler of Makran. He is best known for his resistance against Portuguese incursions, particularly during the attacks on coastal towns like Pasni and Gawadar.

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 around Gwadar.
Makran () was an autonomous princely state in a subsidiary alliance with British India until 1947, before acceding to Pakistan as an autonomous princely state of Pakistan. It ceased to exist in 1955. It was located in the extreme southwest of present-day Pakistan, an area now parts of the districts of Gwadar, Kech and Panjgur. The state did not include the enclave of Omani Gwadar, which was under Omani rule until 1958.

Makran state was ruled by Gichki Nawabs, who were of Rajputs origins. Their ancestor, Jagat Singh had migrated from Rajputana in the 17th century and became Muslim. 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.

Ancient Corridor of Makran

Between 2500 B.C. and 1700 B.C., a maritime trade route existed in the Indian Ocean and the Persian GulfManguin PY (2016). "Austronesian Shipping in the Indian Ocean: From Outrigger Boats to Trading Ships". In Campbell G (ed.). Early Exchange between Africa and the Wider Indian Ocean World. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 51–76. ISBN 978-3-319-33822-4. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.(which continued into later periods), connecting three primary regions as described in ancient Akkadian inscriptions found in Iraq:

1- Meluhha: This land, referred to as Meluhha in ancient texts, likely corresponds to the Maluku Islands in present-day Indonesia or possibly southeastern India. It was central to trade activities during that era.

2- Magan: Known as Magan in Akkadian records, this region extended from Gujarat in India to Balochistan, Makran, Oman, Yemen, and the coasts of Somalia and Sudan. It served as a crucial hub for raw materials and maritime navigation.

3- Dilmun: Identified as Dilmun, this area encompassed the Persian Gulf region, parts of southern Zagros, southern Khuzestan, Bahrain, and areas along the southern Persian Gulf. The name persists today in places like Bandar Deylam in southern Iran.

According to these inscriptions, ships carrying up to 20 tons of goods (20,000 kilograms each) traversed this trade route regularly.

Geography

The narrow coastal plain rises rapidly into several mountain ranges. Of the coastline, around are in Pakistan. 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, Gwatar, Jiwani, Jask, Sirik, Gwadar (not to be confused with Gwatar), Pasni, Ormara 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 has a number of lagoons and bays. The main lagoons are Miani Hor, Khor Kalmat, and the Jiwani Coastal Wetland. The main bays are from east to west: Ormara East Bay, Ormara West Bay, Pasni Bay, Surbandar Bay, Gwadar East Bay, Gwadar West Bay and Gwatar Bay (which includes Jiwani Bay). This latter bay shelters a large mangrove forest and the nesting grounds of endangered turtle species. The Mirani Dam provides irrigation, flood prevention and water supply to Gwadar city.

Demographics

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

Notes

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)
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* Eilers, Wilhelm, Das Volk der Makā vor und nach den Achämeniden, AMI Ergänzungsband 10, 1983, 101–119
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External links

'Music of Makran: traditional fusion from coastal Balochistan' from the British Library Sound Archive

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{{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
Balochistan, Pakistan
History of Balochistan
Landforms of Balochistan (Pakistan)
Deserts of Pakistan