Gabol
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (300,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| • Balochi • Sindhi • Siraiki • Kurdish • Gujarati | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Baloch tribes Kurdish tribes |
The Gabol (Urdu: گبول) is a Baloch tribe having a distinct identity through the centuries, and not a branch of any other Baloch tribe. During the reign of Mir Jalal Khan , the Gabol joined the Rind Federation. Eventually, they joined Mir Chakar Khan Dombki as an ally against the Lasharis. At present, the Gabol tribe is largely settled in Karachi, and interior Sindh with significant numbers in Balochistan as well as Punjab.
According to a narrative گبول بچھ دیزک, found among the Gabols of Kirthar (کير ٿر جبل), the word Gabol means "castellated". M.K. Pikolin translated it as "valiant" or "strong". If we explore the etymology of this word, it belongs to the Aramaic language, meaning "big" or "mighty".
In this context, Edward Lipinski, an authority on Arameans, writes:
"There is no reason why 'Gambulu' (a powerful Aramean tribe at Iran-Iraq border), which shows either dissimilation bb>mb in 'Gabbol' or simply epenthetic(طُفیلی) 'm' appearing before 'b'."
Similarly, Dr. Mir Alam Khan Raqib states:
"The letter 'm' in word 'Gambol' seems redundant and hard. So, due to its hardness the letter 'm' obsoleted and the word transformed to Gabol, still a well-known Sindhi tribe but some call them Baloch."
According to the Bible, Gabol was the great-grandchild of Ibrahim (Abraham). Gabol's descendants lived in the land of Babylon.
The Bible first mentioned Gabol during 1600 BC, being a great-grandchild of Ibrahim by his third wife Keturah, daughter of Yaqtan the Canaanite. Madyan was a son of Ibrahim by Keturah mentioned in the Quran and other historical sources. Madyan had five sons, Ephah (عیفا), Epher (عفر), Hanoch (حنوک), Abida (عبیداع ), and Eldaah (الدّعا). Gabol was one of the four sons of Eldaah. He and his people migrated to Babylonia.
The tablets of the Assyrian antiquities in the British Museum mention Gabol continuously, from 745 BC (Tiglath-Pileser III تگلیتھ پلیسرسوم) to 562 BC (Nebuchadnezzar II بخت نصر), as an anti-Assyrian rebellious tribe. Assyrian sources call them a powerful Aramean tribe. "Aram" has been an alternative name for Syria (especially the region between the Euphrates and Balikh rivers). This region is also known as Aram-Naharaim. The Gabol tribe migrated from this part of Syria to southern Mesopotamia, and for this particular reason, Assyrians affirm them as Arameans (people from Aram Naharaim). The second largest migration of Arameans into Mesopotamia is entitled as Chaldeans. The autonomous state of Gaboli was one of the six states of Chaldea. It was the headquarters of the Gabol tribe residing near the border of Elam and the Persian Gulf. The fortified city Shapi'bal was the capital of Gaboli. The forefront troops of Mardukh-Baladan were composed of Gabols. They fought the Assyrians from 745 BC to 626 BC, leading to the formation of the Medean Empire along with other allies.
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