Muslim Rangrez
The Rangrez are a Muslim community found in North India. They are also known as Sabbag. Many members of Muslim Rangrez community have migrated to Pakistan after independence and have settled in Karachi, Sindh.
History and origin
The word rangrez (رنگریز) means a dyer in the Persian language, and the community has been connected with this occupation, while others were tailors and washermen of the people. Many now claim Central Asian descent, and it is quite possible that some may be of Turkic ancestry. They may be converts from the Hindu Rangrez caste, or it is more likely that they are a community of diverse origin, who over time have evolved into a community which is now bound by rules of endogamy They are now associated with the dyeing of clothes.
They have the three subdivision, the Lalgarh, Nilgarh and Chhipi, and speak Urdu, as well as local dialect's of Hindi. The basis of these social divisions is occupation. In this social hierarchy, the Chhipi are placed in the lowest position, because they dyed and printed clothes, whereas the Lalgarh and Nilgarh generally prepare colour from indigo. In fact, the Chhipi form a distinct endogamous sub-group within the larger Rangrez community. The word Rangrez has now been replaced by the word Sabbagh, which is an Arabic word meaning garden. They are a Sunni Muslim community. They also visit the shrines of various Sufi saints found in North India, such as Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The Rangrez now have other backward caste status in most states of North India.
