Hidden deep within the harsh, towering mountains of Balochistan is a fascinating story from the long-ago past. This is the incredible tale of the Arboi tribe – a fearless group of people who made their home high up in the rocky peaks for hundreds and hundreds of years.
For a long time, the actual name “Arboi” has been a real head-scratcher for researchers studying this ancient tribe. Some experts thought it might be an old Persian word meaning “all kinds of nice, sweet-smelling fragrances.” Others believed the name was simply made up by the British rulers during their control over India. However, exciting new research is shedding light that the name “Arboi” is actually much, much older than anyone realized.
Our best clues about who the Arboi really were come from super ancient writings by the Greeks. A very famous historian named Arrian, who lived way back in the 2nd century AD, wrote detailed accounts about a tribe called the “Arboi” living in the border areas of what is now Balochistan. Arrian didn’t just make this up – he got his information from even earlier explorers and travelers like Erastosthenes and Megasthenes. These extremely old writings vividly describe how the brave Arboi fiercely battled and fought against the mighty armies of Alexander the Great on their way back from conquering India.
Alexander’s long journey through the southern regions of Balochistan was definitely no walk in the park. His powerful forces didn’t just face fierce resistance from the Arboi tribe, but also from other fearless local Baloch tribes too. Groups like the Betai, Gedroshai, and Juhita Figui relentlessly fought against Alexander’s invasion. Historians believe these ancient tribes were actually ancestors of some modern Baloch communities we know today, like the Hutt, Gudru, and Sahit people. The life-giving Purali River, called Aribeen by Arrian in his writings, most likely provided a vital source of water for the resilient Arboi during those harsh times of conflict.
Arrian’s accounts of the Arboi were definitely not the only ones. Several other celebrated historians over the centuries have outlined evidence and records that this formidable tribe really did exist. The scholar Vincent Smith wrote about the “Arbavi” tribe and their homeland called “Arbuti.” Meanwhile, the respected Sir Henry Yule made connections between the Purali River and its ancient name “Arix” from Arrian’s writings. Herr Ludlam also firmly acknowledged and documented the presence of the Arboi tribe in his famous works about Alexander the Great’s conquests across the region. With so many reliable sources, there’s no doubt these mountain warriors really did walk the lands of ancient Balochistan.
While the historians Arrian and others were documenting the Arboi many centuries after they lived, there are even older Greek accounts that may link them to another ethnic group. The ancient historian Herodotus, who came long before Arrian, wrote detailed passages about a mysterious tribe he called the “Asiatic Abyssinians.” Unlike the Abyssinians of Africa, these people had straight, not curly, hair. Some modern experts like the scholar Adolf Holm believe these straight-haired Abyssinians could have actually been ancestors of today’s Brahui people living in the Jhalawan region. This tantalizing theory has raised the possibility that the ancient “Arboi” tribe’s name slowly morphed and evolved over many, many generations into the modern “Brahui” name we know today.
In the remote Khuzdar district, nestled deep within Balochistan’s formidable mountain ranges and far from any major roads or cities, lies the crumbling ruins of an ancient fort called Shari Damb. In his book “Baluchistan: Cultural Imprints,” the writer Rakim ul-Haruf brings attention to these mysterious old stone remains. Could this fort have been some kind of main settlement or military stronghold for the Arboi tribe way back when? Or perhaps a later home for their descendants? The remote, difficult location seems like the perfect secluded spot for the Arboi warriors to have made their stand against intruders. More archaeological study and exploration of Shari Damb could unearth amazing new artifacts and clues about potential connections to the long-lost Arboi legacy.
While the name “Arboi” itself has long faded from common usage, the extraordinary Brahui people who still inhabit those same harsh, mountainous lands of Balochistan may be carrying the resilient spirit and ancestry of that ancient tribe within their blood and culture. By further investigating old artifacts, analyzing linguistic links between Arboi and Brahui, and piecing together more fragments of their shared traditions, we can finally shine a brighter light on the secrets of the Arboi tribe’s heroic past. These legendary mountain warriors played a crucial role in shaping the region’s storied heritage over thousands of years with their fearless resistance to invasion. Uncovering more about their lasting legacy is crucial to fully appreciating the rich, deeply-rooted history of Balochistan.
