Rare report from the Makran Desert or the Desert of Gedrosia

Alexander’s march across the Gedrosian Desert is mentioned rather casually in history, probably because it is not one of his great accomplishments. Scholars generally label it as his greatest blunder. A few even pretend that he wanted to punish his soldiers for refusing to follow him to the edge of the world, which is absolutely ridiculous for two reasons. Firstly, he needed his troops, which he loved, meaning that he would never send them off to their death. Secondly, if Alexander did indeed want revenge, which is not in his personality, he would not have led this expedition in person.

One thing is sure, the Gedrosian or Makran Desert is one of the most inhospitable places on our planet of which we know very little. The survivors of Alexander’s daring expedition only met very few people on their way, and there is no reason why the situation would be different today.

Until now, we only had a few images of that region which reveal nothing more than a bare rocky landscape. But Iran has decided to have a closer look at the Makran Sefidkuh region, which is part of the Sistan and Baluchestan province.

The first season of archaeological survey has started this year evidencing intriguing archaeological and anthropological finds. The most striking element is the circular or oval structures that closely resemble today’s dwellings.

The specific pottery that has been collected seems to date the site to the Bronze Age or the Chalcolithic era as it is known in India. This pottery is called Londo, which is typical for the region around the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and the Makran Desert. In Pakistan (which was India in Alexander’s days) this Londo could belong to the 3^rd/2^nd century BC, but the dating of this Baluchistan site in Iran may be slightly different.

So far, the team has identified twelve separate settlements that are no longer inhabited but surprisingly are all known by a name: Baragdan, Kuchkodam, Koddap, Tangsam, Kopidap, Javanja, Torkeguash, Dangar, Kupchu, Sorkhkalut Patgan and Siyahdan. Based on the glass bracelets and fragments of pottery, it could be established that these communities were semi-nomadic. They played a vital role in this important trade route between the Persian Gulf and the province of Sistan and Baluchestan (see: Alexander’s outpost in the Gulf).

Many questions, however, remain unanswered and will require further long-term studies, but these first excavations sound quite promising.

It remains an interesting subject altogether, not only because Alexander crossed the Gedrosian on his way west from Pattala but also because Craterus crossed the most fertile part of the Makran diagonally. He led thousands of demobilized veterans, much of the baggage train, and Alexander’s pregnant wife, Roxane to Alexandria-Arachosia to meet up with Alexander near Harmezeia (modern Hormuz).

[Pictures: Prehistoric circular structure found in the area (top) and Dwellings of the current nomad inhabitants of the area (bottom) [Credit: Hossein Vahedi)]