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. 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 Between 2500 BCE and 1700 BCE, a maritime trade route existed in the
Indian Ocean and the
Persian Gulf 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. 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: {{Blockquote| And I (
Shapur I) possess the lands: Fars , Pahlav ... and all of Abarshahr (all the upper (eastern, Parthian) provinces),
Kerman,
Sakastan,
Turgistan,
Makuran, Pardan , Hind and
Kushanshahr all the way to Pashkibur and to the borders of
Kashgaria,
Sogdia and Chach and of that sea-coast Mazonshahr .
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): took
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. Until 7th-century CE, Makran was a part of the Hindu
Chach dynasty.
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 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 dynasty, 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. 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. 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, Maharaja Chach met the invaders outside Broach and defeated them with heavy slaughter also killing their very Commander-in-Chief Abdul Aziz in the process.
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==