Sistān o Balūchestān () is one of the 30
provinces of
Iran. It is in the southeast of the country, bordering
Pakistan and
Afghanistan and its capital is
Zahedan.
The province is the largest in
Iran, with an area of 181,785 km² and a population of 2.4 million. The counties of the province are
Iran Shahr,
Chabahar,
Khash,
Zabol,
Zahedan,
Sooran,
Saravan, and
Nik Shahr.
The population comprises
Sunnite Muslim Baluchis and
Shīʿite Muslim
Persians.
Geography and culture
The province comprises two sections,
Sistan in the north and
Baluchestan in the south. The combined Sistan & Baluchestan province today accounts for one of the driest regions of
Iran with a slight increase in rainfall from east to west, and an obvious rise in humidity in the coastal regions. The province is subject to seasonal winds from different directions, the most important of which are the 120-day wind of Sistan known as
Levar, the
Qousse wind, the seventh (
Gav-kosh) wind, the
Nambi or south wind, the
Hooshak wind, the humid and seasonal winds of the Indian Ocean, the North or (
Gurich) wind and the western (
Gard) wind.
Gahl'eh Naseri, Iranshahr.
In the south, east and west of Sistān and Balūchestān, the people are mostly
Balōch and speak the
Baluchi language. The name
Balūchestān means "Land of the
Balōchi" in
Persian language. Similarly, the
Persian language name Sistān comes from the
Old Persian Sakastāna, meaning "Land of the
Sakas".
Many scholars, orators, and literary personalities have sprung up from this part of
Iran, amongst which are the reputed
Farrokhi sistani,
Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar and
Rostam.
Ayatollah Sistani is also from Sistān; though he currently resides in
Najaf,
Iraq.
History
Ghal'eh Sab, Saravan.
In the epigraphs of Bistoon and
Persepolis,
Sistan is mentioned as one of the eastern territories of
Darius the Great. The name Sistan, as mentioned above, is derived from
Saka (also sometimes
Saga, or
Sagastan), one of the
Aryan tribes that had taken control over this area in the year 128 BCE. During the
Arsacid Dynasty (248 BC to 224 CE), the province became the seat of
Suren-Pahlav Clan. From the
Sassanid period till the early Islamic period, Sistan flourished considerably.
During the reign of
Ardashir I of Persia,
Sistan came under the jurisdiction of the
Sassanids, and in 644CE, the Arab Muslims gained control as the Persian empire was in its final moments of collapsing.
The famous
Persian hero
Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari, whose descendants dominated this area for many centuries, later became governor of this province. Dynasties such as the
Saffarids,
Samanids,
Qaznavids, and
Seljuqids, also ruled over this territory.
In 1508 CE, Shah
Ismail I of the
Safavid dynasty conquered Sistan, and during the reign of
Nader Shah there was further turmoil.
The ancient name of Baluchestan was
Moka and through the passage of time it changed to
Mokran / Makran, which is now the southern sector of Baluchestan. This territory came to be known as Baluchestan from the time that the
Baluch tribes settled here.
During the reign of the second caliph of
Islam, this territory was conquered by the Arabs and an
Arab commander was assigned as governor. In 916 CE, Baluchestan was liberated by the
Daylamids and thereafter the
Seljuqids, when it became a part of
Kerman.
Sistan and Baluchestan today
The province today is the most underdeveloped, desolate, and poorest of
Iran's provinces. The government of Iran has been trying to reverse this situation by implementing new plans such as creating the
Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone.
Colleges and universities
Publications
A number of Iranian scholars have published their works on the cultural and social issues of Balochistan of Iran such as Dr. Iraj Afshar Sistani, Dr. Azim Shahbukhsh, Ghasem Siasar, and Abdolvodod Sepahi. On political issues several major works have been done by Professor Selig Harrison and Dr.
Taj Mohammad Berissiq. However, on the politics of Balochistan after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, two substaintial studies have been carried out by Dr.
Mohammad Hassan Hossinbour and Dr.
Ahmad Reza Taheri.
See also
thumb|Aerial view of Beris on the Gulf of Oman
