Makran Coast

Makran (مکران) (pronounced [mæk'rɑːn]) is a semi-desert coastal strip in Balochistan, in Pakistan and Iran, along the coast of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

The name Makran derives from Maka, borne by an overlapping satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire. Another, older derivation is from the Makar, or sea dragon, after the humpback whales or whale sharks that abound in the north Arabian Sea.

The word Maka later became Makran, as it is common in closely related ancient Avestan and Old Persian languages to use "an" and "ran" at the end of plurals.

The southern part of Balochistan is called Kech Makran on Pakistani side and Makran on the Iranian side which is also the name of a former Iranian province. Prior to that, in Achaeminid times, the name Maka was used for the region. 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 a derivation of Makran from the Persian term mahi khoran, meaning "fish eaters" for Baluchi inhabitants of coastal areas, but this is considered "erroneous."

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