Chaush Explained

The Chaush or Chaus are a community of Hadhrami Arab descent found in the Deccan region of India.^{[1] [2]}

The Chaush or Chaus were brought from Yemen to work in the former Hyderabad State as military men for the Nizams. It is said that especially when it came to safe guarding his family, the 7th Nizam had absolute trust on these Arab Soldiers.^[3] They are most concentrated in Marathwada, Telangana and Hyderabad-Karnataka regions, and most of their population is concentrated in the neighbourhoods of Barkas in Hyderabad, Shasha Mahallah in Karimnagar, Al-Tamash in Aurangabad. They also live in Adilabad, Asifabad, Kagaznagar, Nizamabad, Mahabubnagar and Warangal.

Cuisine

The Hyderabadi haleem, marag (mutton stew), murtabaq, shorba, harira, mandi, kabsa, maqluba, tas kabab, lukhmi, sheer khurma, qubani ka meetha and malida have been introduced in Hyderabad by the Chaush or Arabs.^{[4] [5]}

See also

• Barkas
• King Kothi
• Purani Haveli
• Shasha Mahallah
• Chiaus
• Hyderabadi Pahalwan
• Siddi

Further reading

• Leif Manger,3 Hadramis in Hyderabad: From Winners to Losers, Asian Journal of Social Science, Volume 35, Numbers 4–5, 2007, pp. 405–433(29)
• Engseng Ho, The Graves of Tarim: Genealogy and Mobility across the Indian Ocean, University of California Press, 2006
• Ababu Minda Yimene, An African Indian community in Hyderabad, Cuvillier Verlag, 2004, pg 201
• Hadhrami Traders, Scholars, and Statesmen in the Indian Ocean:1750s-1960s By-Ulrike Freitag and W. G. Clarence-Smith

Notes and References

1. Omar Khalidi, The Arabs of Hadramawt in Hyderabad in Mediaeval Deccan History, eds Kulkarni, Naeem and de Souza, Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1996, pg 63
2. Web site: Khader . Khatija . 2021-10-08 . Hyderabad’s distinct Chaush community has roots in Yemen . 2025-07-31 . The News Minute . en.
3. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-downtown/a-home-for-the-chaush-community/article2483556.ece A home for the Chaush community
4. Web site: Crossing culinary landscapes, exploring Yemeni cuisine at Osmania University.
5. News: Mandi and the Arabian connection. The Hindu. 13 January 2018. Mohammed. Syed.