Major ethnic groups in Pakistan and surrounding areas, in 1980. The Baloch are shown in pink.
or
Baluchistan is an arid
region located in the
Iranian Plateau in
Southwest Asia and
South Asia, between
Pakistan,
Iran, and
Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous
Baloch tribes, an
Iranian people, who moved into the area from the west around A.D. 1000. All natives are considered Balochi even if they do not speak the
Balochi language;
Pashto,
Persian,
Hazaragi, and
Brahui languages are also spoken in the region. The southern part of Balochistan is known as
Makran.
Landscape
Balochistan's landscape is composed of barren, rugged mountains and fertile land. During the summer, some regions of Balochistan are the hottest. Most of the land is barren, particurarly in the Iranian and Afghan side of the region, and it is generally sparsely populated. In the south (
Makran) lies the desert through which
Alexander the Great passed with great difficulty.
History
From the 1st century to the 3rd century AD, the region was ruled by the
Pāratarājas (lit. "Pārata Kings"), a dynasty of
Indo-Scythian or
Indo-Parthian kings. The dynasty of the Pāratas is thought to be identical with the
Pāradas of the
Mahabharata, the
Puranas and other Indian sources.
They are essentially known through their coins, which typically exhibit the bust of the ruler on the obverse, with long hair within a headband), and a
swastika within a
Brahmi legend on the reverse (usually silver coins) or
Kharoshthi (usually copper coins). The coins can mainly be found in the
Loralai area of modern Pakistan.
Herodotus in 650 BC describes the
Paraitakenoi as a tribe ruled by
Deiokes, a Persian king, in northwestern Persia (History I.101).
Arrian describes how Alexander the Great encountered the
Pareitakai in
Bactria and
Sogdiana, and had them conquered by
Craterus (Anabasis Alexandrou IV). The
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century AD) describes the territory of the
Paradon beyond the Ommanitic region, on the coast of modern Baluchistan.
During the
Arab conquest of the Persian empire in the 8th century, Muslim technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and sufis flocked from the rest of the Muslim world and many settled in Baluchistan and its tributary state until the rise of the
Mughals. Numerous
Baloch tribes, an
Iranian people, moved into the area from the west in the 11th century to escape the
Seljuk Turks.
Western Baluchistan was conquered by Iran in the 19th century, and its boundary was fixed in 1872. Omani influence waned in the east and
Oman's last possession,
Gwadar, was bought by Pakistan in 1958. In 1998, Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan.
Famous people of Baluchistan
| Historical personalities |
Eastern Balochistan |
Western Balochistan |
Northern Balochistan |
Baluchistan autonomous movements
| Regional |
Eastern Balochistan |
Western Balochistan |
Northern Balochistan |
Baluchistan political parties
See also
