Soomra dynasty

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.^[2]

Soomra dynasty Sindhi: سومرن جو خاندان‎, romanized: soomran jo Khaandan
1026–1351 (Continued in exile until 1440 in Umerkot)
South Asia 1175 CE KARAKHANID KHANATE QARA KHITAI GHURID EMPIRE KUMAON CHAULUKYAS CHAHAMANAS LATE GHAZNAVIDS PARAMARAS WESTERN CHALUKYAS KAKATIYAS SHILA- HARAS CHOLAS CHERAS PANDYAS KADAMBAS HOYSALAS GAHADAVALAS GUHILAS KACHCHAPA- GHATAS CHANDELAS KALACHURIS (TRIPURI) KALACHURIS (RATNAPURA) SENAS KARNATAS NAGVANSIS KAMARUPAS EASTERN GANGAS GUGE MARYUL LOHA- RAS SOOMRA EMIRATE MAKRAN SULTANATE
Status	Vassals of the Abbasid Caliphate (1026-1351)[1]
Capital	Thari (in present-day Badin District in Sindh)
Common languages	Sindhi (native language) Arabic (liturgical language)
Religion	Shia Ismaili
Government	Monarchy
History
• Soomra dynasty begins	1026
• Soomra dynasty ends	1351 (Continued in exile until 1440 in Umerkot)
Preceded by Succeeded by Habbari dynasty Sindh Sultanate
Today part of	Sindh

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.^[3] 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.^[4]

History

Establishment

The early history of Soomras is unclear. 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.^{[3][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.^[3] The Soomras appear to have established themselves as a regional power in this vacuum.^[3][5]

In an 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.^[6][7] Tabakat-i-Akbari (16th cen.) mentions Soomras as a Jat tribe.^[8]

The Soomras themselves also claimed an Arab origin.^[9][10]

They have been retrospectively claimed to be Parmar Rajputs.^[11] In Ain I Akbari (16th century) the Sumra dynesty is mentioned as of A Rajput leneage.^[12] 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.^[5]

Territory

The Ghurids and Ghaznavids continued to rule parts of Sindh, across the eleventh and early twelfth century, alongside Soomras.^[3] The precise delineations have yet to be discovered, but the Soomras were probably centered in lower Sindh.^[3] One of their kings Shimuddin Chamisar had submitted to Iltutmish, the Sultan of Delhi, and was allowed to continue as a vassal.^[13]

See also

• List of Monarchs of Sindh
• Soomro
• Dodo Chanesar

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. Stanton, Andrea (2012). Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, & Africa, Volume 4. SAGE Publications. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-4129-8176-7.
2. "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 ).
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Dames, Mansel Longworth (1904). The Baloch Race: A Historical and Ethnological Sketch. Royal Asiatic Society.
8. Watson, John Whaley (1886). History of Gujarat, Musalman Period, A.D. 1297-1760. Printed at the Government Central Press.
9. Wink, André (2002). Al-Hind, the Making of the Indo-Islamic World: Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam 7Th-11th Centuries. BRILL. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-391-04173-8. The Sumras were a dynasty of local origin, later claiming to be Rajputs as well as Arabs, and are clearly distinguishable from the pastoral-nomadic Jats or Mids.
10. Siddiqui, Habibullah. "The Soomras of Sindh: their origin, main characteristics and rule – an overview (general survey) (1025 – 1351 AD)" (PDF). University of Karachi.
11. 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.
12. Sarkar, Jadunath (1949). Ain-i-akbari Of Abul Fazl I Allami Vol. 2 Ed. 2nd. p. 343.
13. 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.