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)]

The edge of the world was not reached

After the Battle of the Hydaspes, Alexander proceeded deeper into Punjab, literally meaning The Land of Five Rivers. He had already made it across the Indus and the Hydaspes. However, there were still the Acesines River (modern Chenab), the Hydraotes River (modern Ravi), and the Hyphasis River (modern Beas) to tackle.

We know he had excellent scouting parties and always relied on local people's knowledge. Still, I can't help wondering if the messages were interpreted or understood correctly here in India.

The idea first occurred when Alexander was confronted with the monsoon rains, which he had underestimated as transpires from historical sources. Rain was, of course, not going to stop him, but these rains were far heavier and more disruptive than anything he knew or expected. The fact that the monsoons were seasonal recurrences escaped the attention of Alexander – or, to say the least, he did not take the matter as seriously as he should. We know that Nearchus was marooned in Pattala for several weeks before having the favorable winds to set sail and meet up with Alexander along the coast of the Gedrosian Desert is one such surprising timing mistake. This is very much unlike Alexander, and the question should be asked whether he really knew or understood the phenomena.

Crossing Punjab, a succession of five mighty rivers swollen by the melting snows from the Himalayas may have been tuned down by the interpreters, the locals, or both. Alexander did not give it the attention required, which cannot be ascribed to negligence. It could be explained that after witnessing countless rivers, among which the Nile, the Euphrates, and Tigris, and the Oxus and the Jaxartes – all major fast-flowing rivers in their own right – it was hard to imagine anything more threatening. Indeed, what could be worse? For instance, in Punjab, he had to deal with a succession of five such mighty and extremely wide rivers. For example, it can be noted that at the points where the army crossed these wild waters, the Indus was about 500 meters wide and the Acesines nearly 3,000 meters!

The Macedonians, by now, were seasoned troops functioning according to a well-oiled discipline whether they were on the march, fighting off some enemy, setting up camp, or crossing a river. They just did it, inspired and encouraged by their king. But eight years of constant warfare had scarred the souls of even the most faithful troops.

The Hyphasis River was one river too many, and the Macedonians stopped in their tracks, bluntly refusing to continue. As usual, Alexander fell back on his excellent oratory skills and tried to rekindle his men's enthusiasm by reminding them of the past glories since the day they had left Greece and all the riches they had accumulated since. They were now so close to the world's edge, and soon all of Asia would be theirs. To Alexander's amazement, his words fell on barren ground and were blown away by the wind. A painful and deadly silence followed his fiery speech.

[Picture from Alexander movie by Oliver Stone]

Coenus, who lately had led the significant cavalry charge at the Hydaspes, was pushed forward by the troops to formulate their resentment. He appropriately reminded his king that many soldiers who had come across the Hellespont eight years ago had been sent home as invalids. Others no longer fit for service had been left behind in newly founded cities. Others still had died in combat or from disease, and the survivors were often in shattered health as they all were marked by years of battle wounds and scars.

In fact, I think that the Macedonian spirit died on the killing ground along the Hydaspes. It had been such an outrageous carnage for so little profit as there were no grand cities to be plundered like previously in Persia. Besides, Alexander had given Porus his empire back, depriving his men of the incentive to face the next challenge or engage in another battle. The continuous downpour of the monsoon rains and the fanatical resistance of the Indians cannot have improved their mood. The army squarely refused to march on and demanded to return home. Coenus' words were received with loud applause, a sign of their far-reaching power.

Deeply offended, Alexander withdrew to his tent, licking his wound, no doubt. The non-negotiable decision of his army seriously hurt his ego and pride. When he emerged from his quarters three days later, he gave the orders to retreat, much to his dismay. This happened in September 326 BC.

It makes me wonder how much, in the end, the Battle of the Hydaspes was a victory for Alexander. His men had given their all, and they had nothing more to offer except love for their king.