Soomra dynasty
Sindhi: سومرن جو خاندان‎, romanized: soomran jo Khaandan
1026–1356 (Continued in exile until 1440 in Umerkot)
CapitalThari (in present-day Badin District in Sindh)
Common languagesSindhi (native language)
Arabic (liturgical language)
Religion
Shia Ismaili
GovernmentMonarchy
History 
• Soomra dynasty begins
1026
• Soomra dynasty ends
1356 (Continued in exile until 1440 in Umerkot)
Preceded by		Succeeded by
Habbari dynasty
Samma dynasty
Today part ofSindh

The Soomra dynasty was a late medieval dynasty of Sindh ruled by the Soomro tribe of Sindh, and at times adjacent regions, located in what is now Pakistan.[1]

Sources

The only extant source is the Diwan-i Farruhi, a Persian chronicle by Abul-Hasan Ali describing Mahmud of Ghazni's invasion (1025 AD) of Mansura, the erstwhile capital of Sindh.[2] Contemporary coinage from Sindh is scarce and of poor quality with offset flans — while some of them can be read to contain the name of Al-Zahir li-i'zaz Din Allah and Al-Mustansir Billah, the Fatimid Caliphs from 1021 until 1094, then, they lack in the name of the issuer and cannot evidence the dynasty.[3]

History

Establishment

The early history of Soomras is sketchy. Ali describes the flight and eventual death by drowning of Hafif (var. Khafif), then-ruler of Sindh, during the faceoff with Mahmud but does not specify whether he was the last Habbarid or first Soomra.[2][lower-alpha 1] Later chroniclers like Ali ibn al-Athir (c. late 12th c.) and Ibn Khaldun (c. late 14th c.) attributed the fall of Habbarids to Mahmud of Ghazni, lending credence to the argument of Hafif being the last Habbarid.[2] The Soomras appear to have established themselves as a regional power in this vacuum.[2][4]

In a old Balochi ballad, Dodo Soomra IV is mentioned as a Jaghdal (balochi term for Jat), marrying a baloch woman. From him, the Dodai clan of Balochs claim descent.[5][6] Tabakat-i-Akbari (16th cen.) mentions Soomras as a Jat tribe.[7]

They have been retrospectively claimed to be Parmar Rajputs but without proof.[8] Some of them were adherents of Isma'ilism — Arab travelers held them to be Qarmatians, and correspondence with the Fatimid caliph, Al-Mustansir Billah has been located.[4]

Territory

The Ghurids and Ghaznavids continued to rule parts of Sindh, across the eleventh and early twelfth century, alongside Soomras.[2] The precise delineations have yet to be discovered, but the Soomras were probably centered in lower Sindh.[2] One of their kings Shimuddin Chamisar had submitted to Iltutmish, the Sultan of Delhi, and was allowed to continue as a vassal.[9]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ C. 1105, Isma'ilis of Multan had sought refuge in Masura during Ghazni's invasion of the city and reasons for his campaign(s) against Hafif are noted to be the flourishing river trade of Isma'ilis and his (Hafif's) alliance with Jats.

References

  1. ↑ "The Arab Conquest". International Journal of Dravidian Linguistics. 36 (1): 91. 2007. The Soomras are believed to be Parmar Rajputs found even today in Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Kutch and Sindh. The Cambridge History of India refers to the Soomras as "a Rajput dynasty the later members of which accepted Islam" (p. 54 ).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Collinet, Annabelle (2008). "Chronology of Sehwan Sharif through Ceramics (The Islamic Period)". In Boivin, Michel (ed.). Sindh through history and representations : French contributions to Sindhi studies. Karachi: Oxford University Press. pp. 9, 11, 113 (note 43). ISBN 978-0-19-547503-6.
  3. ↑ Fishman, A. M.; Todd, I. J. (2018). "Uncertain Late Habbarid and Soomra Sindh ca. 1000-50 CE". The silver damma : on the mashas, daniqs, qanhari dirhams and other diminutive coins of India, 600-1100 CE. Mumbai, India: IIRNS Publications. pp. 176–184. ISBN 978-81-938291-0-3. OCLC 1097788735.
  4. 1 2 Boivin, Michel (2008). "Shivaite Cults And Sufi Centres: A Reappraisal Of The Medieval Legacy In Sindh". In Boivin, Michel (ed.). Sindh through history and representations : French contributions to Sindhi studies. Karachi: Oxford University Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-19-547503-6.
  5. ↑ Kothiyal, Tanuja (14 March 2016). Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian Desert. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-08031-7.
  6. ↑ Dames, Mansel Longworth (1904). The Baloch Race: A Historical and Ethnological Sketch. Royal Asiatic Society.
  7. ↑ Watson, John Whaley (1886). History of Gujarat, Musalman Period, A.D. 1297-1760. Printed at the Government Central Press.
  8. ↑ Dani, Ahmad Hasan (2007). History of Pakistan: Pakistan through ages. Sang-e Meel Publications. p. 218. ISBN 978-969-35-2020-0. But as many kings of the dynasty bore Hindu names, it is almost certain that the Soomras were of local origin. Sometimes they are connected with Paramara Rajputs, but of this there is no definite proof.
  9. ↑ Aniruddha Ray (4 March 2019). The Sultanate of Delhi (1206-1526): Polity, Economy, Society and Culture. Taylor & Francis. pp. 43–. ISBN 978-1-00-000729-9.
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