The Soomra dynasty () was a late medieval dynasty of Sindh, and at times adjacent regions, founded by the Soomro tribe, in modern-day Pakistan.
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. 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, thereafter, they lack the name of the issuer and cannot evidence the dynasty.
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. 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. The Soomras appear to have established themselves as a regional power in this vacuum.
According to André Wink, the Soomras were a dynasty of local origin, later claiming to be Rajputs as well as Arabs. They have been retrospectively claimed to be Parmar Rajputs. In Ain-i-Akbari (16th century) the Soomra dynasty is mentioned as of Rajput lineage. 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.
Territory The Ghurids and Ghaznavids continued to rule parts of Sindh, across the eleventh and early twelfth century, alongside Soomras. The precise delineations have yet to be discovered, but the Soomras were probably centered in lower Sindh. One of their kings Shimuddin Chamisar had submitted to Iltutmish, the Sultan of Delhi, and was allowed to continue as a vassal.
List of Soomro rulers +NameLifespanReign StartReign EndKhafif 976-1026 (aged 49-50)10101026Soomar998-1053 (aged 54-55)10261053Bhoongar I1023–1068 (aged 44–45)10531068Dodo I1046–1092 (aged 45–46)10681092Zainab Tari1068-?10921098 (as Regent) Sanghar1076–1107 (aged 30–31)10921107Khafif II1087–1142 (aged 54–55)11071142Umar I1095–1181 (aged 85–86)11421181Dodo II1134–1195 (aged 60–61)11811195Bhoongar II1164–1226 (aged 61–62)11951226Chanesar1193–1237 (aged 43–44)(1st reign) 12261228Ganhwar1200–1241 (aged 40–41)(1st reign) 1228-1236Chanesar 1193–1371 (aged 43–44)(2nd reign) 12361237Ganhwar 1200–1241 (aged 40–41)(2nd reign) 12371241Muhammad Tur1221–1256 (aged 34–35)12411256Ganhwar II1238–1259 (aged 20–21)12561259Dodo III1254–1273 (aged 19–20)12591273Tai 1268–1283 (aged 14–15)12731283Chanesar II1270–1300 (aged 29–30)12831300Bhoongar III1291–1315 (aged 23–24)13001315Khafif III1297–1333 (aged 35–36)13151333Dodo IV1298–1336 (aged 37–38)13331336Umar II1315–1337 (aged 21–22)13361337Bhoongar IV1319–1341 (aged 21–22)13371341Hamir II1322–1351 (aged 28–29)13411351Source:
Kingdom of Umarkot +NameLifespanReign StartReign EndUmar III1340–1390 (aged 49–50)13511390Bhungar V1358–1400 (aged 41–42)13901400Hamir III1377–1440 (aged 62–63)14001440
See also List of monarchs of Sindh Dodo Chanesar
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