Makran (Balochi, Persian and Urdu: مکران), also written as Mecran and Mokrān, is the southern coastal region of Balochistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in Pakistan and in Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. It extends westwards, from the Sonmiani Bay in Balochistan province of Pakistan 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 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 Ichthyophagoi () for inhabitants of coastal areas (which has led to a suggestion to derive Makran from the term in ).
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 Pakistani and French archaeologists from 1987 to 2007. Later, the site of Shahi-Tump, near Turbat, was also studied.Aurore Didier, Benjamin Mutin (2015). "The Kech-Makran region in Protohistoric Times" . In Ute Franke; Elisa Cortesi. Lost and Found: Prehistoric Pottery Treasures from Baluchistan. SMB. pp. 297–333. .
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.Aurore Didier, Benjamin Mutin (2015). "The Kech-Makran region in Protohistoric Times" . In Ute Franke; Elisa Cortesi. Lost and Found: Prehistoric Pottery Treasures from Baluchistan. SMB. pp. 297–333. .
At Miri Qalat, some links with Uruk culture ceramics were also found.Van De Mieroop, M. (2008). A history of the ancient Near East. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell. The related site of Balakot, Makran, going back to 4000 BCE, was also studied by archaeologists.
Ancient Between 2500 BCE and 1700 BCE, a maritime trade route existed in the Indian Ocean and the Persian GulfBlench, Roger (2009). "Remapping the Austronesian expansion" (PDF). In Evans, Bethwyn (ed.). Discovering History Through Language: Papers in Honour of Malcolm Ross. Pacific Linguistics. ISBN 978-0-85883-605-1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2019. http://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Austronesian/General/Blench%20Ross%20Festschrift%20paper%20revised.pdfManguin 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. connecting three primary regions as described in ancient Akkadian inscriptions found in Iraq: Meluhha, Magan, and Dilmun. According to these inscriptions, ships carrying up to 20 tons of goods (20,000 kilograms each) traversed this trade route regularly.
Baloch contingents, under the command of Ashkash, are described as having originated from Makran, serving as part of the region’s forces during the reign of Kai Khosrow. This is depicted in the mythological part of the Shahnamah a prose work written in Middle Persian.
After the victory of the Mauryan Empire against the Greeks in the Seleucid–Mauryan war, Makran came under the rule of Chandragupta Maurya of Mauryan Empire. Chandragupta and Seleucus made a peace settlement in 304 BCE. Seleucus I Nicator ceded the satrapies, including Gedrosia, 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, notes "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 Kitab al-Hind that the coast of India begins with Tiz, the capital of Makran.
According to historian André Wink:
Wink has recorded Hiuen Tsang's notes on the language and script in use in easternmost Makran (eastern parts of Pakistani Balochistan):
Early medieval times The Hindu Sewa dynasty ruled much of Baluchistan up until the 7th century CE. The Sibi Division derives its name from Rani Sewi, the queen of the Sewa dynasty.Syed Abdul Quddus, The tribal Baluchistan, p. 49 Makran was a part of the Hindu Chach dynasty until the 7th-century CE.
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.Al Baldiah wal nahaiyah vol: 7 page 141
In late 644 CE Caliph Umar dispatched an army under the command of Hakam ibn Amr for the wholesale invasion of Makran. 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 dynasty; 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.Tarikh al Tabri, vol: 4 page no: 180 In response to Caliph Umar's questions about the Makran region, the messenger from Makran 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 Makran should be the easternmost frontier of the Islamic empire, and that no further attempt should be made to extend the conquests.
Medieval period
Before 971 CE, the region of Makran was effectively governed by local Baloch and Kufeci tribal chieftains. In that year, the Buyid military commander Abed ibn ali captured the coastal town of Tis and adjacent areas.
Ma'danid dynasty
The Ma'danid dynasty was a medieval Islamic dynasty that ruled the Sultanate of Makran. It ruled Makran from the late 9th or early 10th century. until around the 11th century
Modern era Gul Khan Nasir has narrated poetry about a certain Hammal Baloch, who is said to have fight against Portuguese. 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 Makran
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 was ruled by Gichki Nawabs, who were of Rajputs origin. Their ancestor, Jagat Singh had migrated from Rajputana in the 17th century and converted to Islam. 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. On the independence of Pakistan, Makran became a district within the province of Balochistan, with the exception of an area of 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. 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 + Religious groups in the Makran Division of Kalat State (British Baluchistan era)Religiousgroup1911192119311941 Islam 71,758 71,625 68,213 86,406 Hinduism 137 216 233 206 Christianity 40 11 11 20 Sikhism 2 8 3 17 Others 5 0 2 2 Total population 71,942 71,860 68,462 86,651
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)
Eilers, Wilhelm, Das Volk der Makā vor und nach den Achämeniden, AMI Ergänzungsband 10, 1983, 101–119
External links
Balochistan and Makran, Pakistan 'Music of Makran: traditional fusion from coastal Balochistan' from the British Library Sound Archive