# Soomra dynasty

The Soomra dynasty (Sindhi: سومرا گهراڻو‎, romanized: Sūmrā Gharāṇō) was a late medieval dynasty of Sindh ruled by the Soomro tribe of Sindh, and at times adjacent regions, located in what is now 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, then, they lack in 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.
The Soomras themselves also claimed an Arab origin.
They have been retrospectively claimed to be Parmar Rajputs. In Ain I Akbari (16th century) the Sumra dynesty is mentioned as of A Rajput leneage. 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

| Name | Lifespan | Reign Start | Reign End |
| Khafif | 976-1026 (aged 49-50) | 1010 | 1026 |
| Soomar | 998-1053 (aged 54-55) | 1026 | 1053 |
| Bhungar I | 1023-1068 (aged 44-45) | 1053 | 1068 |
| Dodo I | 1046-1092 (aged 45-46) | 1068 | 1092 |
| Zainab Tari | 1068-? | 1092 | 1098 (as Regent) |
| Sanghar | 1076-1107 (aged 30-31) | 1092 | 1107 |
| Khafif II | 1087-1142 (aged 54-55) | 1107 | 1142 |
| Umar I | 1095-1181 (aged 85-86) | 1142 | 1181 |
| Dodo II | 1134-1195 (aged 60-61) | 1181 | 1195 |
| Bhungar II | 1164-1226 (aged 61-62) | 1195 | 1226 |
| Chanesar | 1193-1237 (aged 43-44) | (1st reign) 1226 | 1228 |
| Ganhwar | 1200-1241 (aged 40-41) | (1st reign) 1228- | 1236 |
| Chanesar | 1193-1371 (aged 43-44) | (2nd reign) 1236 | 1237 |
| Ganhwar | 1200-1241 (aged 40-41) | (2nd reign) 1237 | 1241 |
| Muhammad Tur | 1221-1256 (aged 34-35) | 1241 | 1256 |
| Ganhwar II | 1238-1259 (aged 20-21) | 1256 | 1259 |
| Dodo III | 1254-1273 (aged 19-20) | 1259 | 1273 |
| Tai | 1268-1283 (aged 14-15) | 1273 | 1283 |
| Chanesar II | 1270-1300 (aged 29-30) | 1283 | 1300 |
| Bhungar III | 1291-1315 (aged 23-24) | 1300 | 1315 |
| Khafif III | 1297-1333 (aged 35-36) | 1315 | 1333 |
| Dodo IV | 1298-1336 (aged 37-38) | 1333 | 1336 |
| Umar II | 1315-1337 (aged 21-22) | 1336 | 1337 |
| Bhungar IV | 1319-1341 (aged 21-22) | 1337 | 1341 |
| Hamir II | 1322-1351 (aged 28-29) | 1341 | 1351 |

## Kingdom of Umarkot

| Name | Lifespan | Reign Start | Reign End |
| Umar III | 1340-1390 (aged 49-50) | 1351 | 1390 |
| Bhungar V | 1358-1400 (aged 41-42) | 1390 | 1400 |
| Hamir III | 1377-1440 (aged 62-63) | 1400 | 1440 |