Al-Balushi
البلوشي | |
|---|---|
 Emirati political advisor Ahmed Bin Mahmoud Al Blooshi in Al Ain. | |
| Total population | |
| 1,196,000 (2018)[1] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Baloch diaspora |
Al-Balushi (Arabic: البلوشي; alternatively Baloushi, Balooshi, Bloushi or Blooshi)[2] is a tribal surname common in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf (predominantly Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar). The surname is an Arabized form of the term Balochi or Baluchi[a], typically denoting Baloch ancestry from Balochistan.[3]
Many people carrying this surname trace their ancestral origins to Balochistan — a region in southwestern Pakistan and southeastern Iran — located across the Persian Gulf.[4] Their ancestors primarily came from the Makran coast. The majority of them speak Arabic, while some retain their native Balochi language.[3] They are mainly Sunni Muslims.
Al-Balushis in Oman
[edit]
Oman is home to one of the largest Al-Balushi populations outside Pakistan and Iran. It is estimated that Al-Balushis make up 35% of its population.[5]
The presence of Al-Balushis in Oman dates back centuries, rooted in the connection between Makran (present-day Pakistan) and Oman. These regions shared economic and political ties, particularly through Gwadar Port, which historically served as a crucial link between Arabia, South Asia, and colonial European powers.[6]
Gwadar was under Omani rule for nearly two centuries, initially governed by Sultan bin Ahmad and later remaining part of the Omani Sultanate, until 1958. That year, Sultan Said bin Taimur sold the territory to Pakistan for $3 million, officially transferring control of Gwadar.[7]
People
[edit]Notable people with this surname include:
Sportspeople
[edit]- Azan Al-Balushi, Omani footballer
- Hamed Al-Balushi, Omani footballer
- Issa Ali Al-Bloushi, Emirati footballer
- Jamal Nabi Al-Balushi, Omani footballer
- Mohammed Al-Balushi, Omani footballer
- Muheeb Al-Balushi, Omani footballer
- Talal Al-Bloushi, Qatari footballer
- Wadha Al-Balushi, Omani sports shooter
- Khalid Al-Baloushi, Emirati footballer
- Walid Abbas Al-Balushi, Emirati footballer
- Rayan Al-Bloushi, Saudi Arabian footballer
- Hamad Al-Balooshi, Emirati footballer
- Mansoor Al-Baloushi, Emirati footballer
- Abdullah Al-Buloushi, Former Kuwaiti footballer
- Ayesha Al-Balooshi, Emirati weightlifter
- Ali Mohamed Al-Balooshi, Emirati middle-distance runner
- Ali Al-Balushi, Kuwaiti boxer
- Ali Anwar Al-Balushi, Omani sprinter
- Yousuf Al Balushi, Omani cricketer
- Hamed Al-Balushi، Omani footballer who plays for Fanja SC
- Mohammed Jumaa Al-Blooshi, Emirati footballer
- Reem Al-Beloshi, Saudi Arabian footballer
- Khalid Abdulla Al-Blooshi, Emirati footballer
- Mohammed Abdullah Al-Balushi, Emirati footballer
- Mubarak Al Beloushi, Kuwaiti footballer
- Mubarak Al Beloushi, Qatari footballer
- Ahmad Al Beloushi, Kuwaiti footballer
Politicians
[edit]- Ahmed Bin Mahmoud Al Blooshi, Emirati political advisor
- Mirza Birkat Al-Balushi, Emirati last ruler of the western Makran coast
Miscellaneous
[edit]- Mai Al Balushi, Kuwaiti actress
- Salah Abdul Rasool Al Blooshi, Bahraini Guantanamo detainee
- Maram Al Balushi, Kuwaiti singer and actress
- Ammar al-Balushi, Pakistani-Kuwaiti Guantanamo detainee
- Hazza Al-Balushi, Omani Quran reciter
- Adeeb Al-Balushi, Emirati Inventor
See also
[edit]- Baloch people
- Baloch diaspora
- Baloch people in Iran
- Baloch people in India
- Baloch people in the United Arab Emirates
- Omani Baloch
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Al-Najjar, Baqer Salman (2018). الحداثة الممتنعة في الخليج العربي: تحولات المجتمع والدولة [The Unrelenting Modernity in the Arabian Gulf: Transformations of Society and State] (in Arabic). Dar al Saqi. p. 275. ISBN 9786144255650.
- ^ 'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol. II. Geographical and Statistical. J G Lorimer. 1908' [258] (285/2084).
- ^ a b Hawker, Ron (2015). "A Beginner's Guide to Tribes in the UAE". Digital Heritage in the UAE. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
Some tribes trace roots to other ethnic groups. Among the most important of these are the Baluch (or in Arabic, the Al Balooshi). Their ancestors came from the Baluchistan district split between Iran and Pakistan in the late 19th century.
- ^ الياسين, عبدالعزيز بن مساعد (3 February 2007). كشاف الألقاب [Surnames index] (in Arabic). عبدالعزيز بن مساعد الياسين بواسطة مكتبة دار العروبة للنشر والتوزيع. pp. 38–9.
- ^ Ahmad, Naveed (10 February 2016). "Harnessing the GCC's Baloch pedigree". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ Nicolini, Beatrice (2021). Letter of Marque: The Gwadar Enclave of Ibadi Sultans of Oman and Its Interconnections with Asia. Olms-Weidmann. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
- ^ Aamir, Adnan (11 December 2022). "Non-fiction: Deconstructing Gwadar". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 29 October 2024.