world.wikisort.org - Iran

Sistan and Baluchestan Province (Persian: استان سيستان و بلوچستان, romanized: Ostân-e Sistân o Balučestân; Balochi: سیستان و بلۏچستان, romanized: Sistân o Balučestân) is the second largest province of the 31 provinces of Iran, after Kerman province. It is in the southeast of the country, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, and its capital is Zahedan.[3][4] The province has an area of 180,726 km² and a population of 2.5 million.[5]

Sistan and Baluchestan استان سیستان و بلوچستان
Province
Sib and Suran Castle
Sistan and Baluchestan province and its counties
Map of Iran with Sistan and Baluchestan province highlighted
Coordinates: 29.4924°N 60.8669°E / 29.4924; 60.8669
Country	Iran
Capital	Zahedan
Counties	26
Government
• Governor-general	Hossein Modarres-Khiabani
Area
• Total	180,726 km2 (69,779 sq mi)
Population  (2016)[1]
• Total	2,775,014
• Density	15/km2 (40/sq mi)
Demonym	Balochi
Time zone	UTC+03:30 (IRST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+04:30 (IRST)
Main language(s)	Baluchi Persian
HDI (2017)	0.688[2] medium · 31st

The Baloch form a majority of the population and the Persian Sistani a minority. Smaller communities of Kurds (in the eastern highlands and near Iranshahr); the expatriate Brahui (on the border between Iran and Pakistan); and other resident and itinerant ethnic groups, such as the Romani, are also found within the province.

Geography and culture

Sistan and Baluchestan province historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1996	1,722,579	—
2006	2,405,742	+39.7%
2011	2,534,327	+5.3%
2016	2,775,014	+9.5%
amar.org.ir

The whole of the province had been previously called Baluchestan, but the government added Sistan to the end of Baluchestan. After the 1979 revolution, the name of province was changed to Sistan and Baluchestan.

Today, Sistan refers to the narrow strip of the northern margin of the province and Baluchestan stretches north to south from Zahedan County to Chabahar County. The province borders South Khorasan province in the north, Kerman province and Hormozgan province in the west, the Gulf of Oman in the south, and Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east.

Sistan and Baluchestan province is one of the driest regions of Iran, with a slight increase in rainfall from east to west, and a 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 in Baluchi as Levar; the seventh wind (Gav-kosh); the south wind (Nambi); the Hooshak wind; the humid and seasonal winds of the Indian Ocean; the north wind ((Gurich)); and the western wind (Gard)).

Most of the population are Balōch and speak the Baluchi language, although there also exists among them a small community of speakers of the Indo-Aryan language Jadgali.[6]^: 25 Baluchestan means "Land of the Balōch"; Sistan represents the minority who speak the Sistani dialect of Persian.^{[citation needed]}

Administrative divisions

Sistan and Baluchestan province is subdivided into 26 counties: Bampur County, Chabahar County, Dalgan County, Dashtiari County, Fanuj County, Golshan County, Hamun County, Hirmand County, Iranshahr County, Khash County, Konarak County, Lashar County, Mehrestan County, Mirjaveh County, Nik Shahr County, Nimruz County, Qasr-e Qand County, Rask County, Saravan County, Sarbaz County, Sib and Suran County, Taftan County, Zabol County, Zahedan County, Zarabad County, and Zehak County.

Cities

The following table shows the ten largest cities of Sistan and Baluchestan Province:[7]

Rank	Name	Population (2016)
1	Zahedan	587,730
2	Zabol	134,950
3	Iranshahr	113,750
4	Chabahar	106,739
5	Saravan	60,014
6	Khash	56,584
7	Konarak	43,258
8	Jaleq	18,098
9	Nik Shahr	17,732
10	Pishin	16,011

Religion

The minority Sistani people of Sistan and Baluchestan province are Shia Muslims, and the majority Baloch people of the Baluchestan area in the province are Sunni Muslims.[8]

History

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), a Central Asian tribe that had taken control over this area in the year 128 BC. During the Arsacid Dynasty (248 BC to 224 AD), the province became the seat of Suren-Pahlav Clan. From the Sassanid period until 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 644 AD, the Arab Muslims gained control as the Persian empire was in its final moments of collapsing.

During the reign of the second Sunni caliph, Omar ibn Al-Khattab, this territory was conquered by the Arabs and an Arab commander was assigned as governor. The famous Persian ruler Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari, whose descendants dominated this area for many centuries, later became governor of this province. In 916 AD, Baluchestan was ruled by the Daylamids and thereafter the Seljuqids, when it became a part of Kerman. Dynasties such as the Saffarids, Samanids, Qaznavids, and Seljuqids, also ruled over this territory.

In 1508 AD, Shah Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty conquered Sistan, and during the reign of Nader Shah, there was further turmoil.

Sistan and Baluchestan today

Sistan and Baluchestan is the poorest of Iran's 31 provinces, with a HDI score of 0.688.[2]

The government of Iran has been implementing new plans such as creating the Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone.

Colleges and universities

1. University of Sistan and Baluchestan
2. Chabahar Maritime University
3. Zabol University
4. Islamic Azad University of Iranshahr
5. Islamic Azad University of Zahedan[9]
6. Zahedan University of Medical Sciences[10]
7. Zabol University of Medical Sciences
8. International University of Chabahar
9. Velayat University of Iranshar
10. Jamiah Darul Uloom Zahedan

Landmarks such as the Firuzabad Castle, Rostam Castle and the Naseri Castle are located in the province.

• 
  Naseri Castle, Iranshahr
• 
  Rostam Castle, in Hamun County

Transportation

Road transport

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (March 2022)

National rail network

The city of Zahedan has been connected to Quetta in Pakistan for a century with a broad gauge railway. It has weekly trains for Kovaitah. Recently a railway from Bam, Iran to Zahedan has been inaugurated. There may be plans to build railway lines from Zahedan to Chabahar.[11]

Airports

Sistan va Baluchistan Province has two main passenger airports:

• Zahedan Airport
• Chabahar Airport (Konarak Airport)

Ports

Port of Chabahar in south of province is the main port to be connected by a new railway to Zahedan in future. India is investing on this port. The port stands on Coast of Makran and is 70 km in west of Gwadar, Pakistan.[12]

Industry

Industry is new to the province. Efforts have been done and tax, customs and financial motivations have caused more industrial investment, new projects, new producing jobs and improvement of industry. The most important factories are the Khash cement factory with production of 2600 tons cement daily and three other cement.

Factories under construction:

• Cotton cloth and fishing net weaving factories and the brick factory can be named as well.

The province has important geological and metal mineral potentials such as chrome, copper, granite, antimony, talc, manganese, iron, lead, zinc, tin, nickel, platinum, gold and silver.

One of the main mines in this province is Chel Kooreh copper mine in 120 km north of Zahedan.

Sistan embroidery has been an ancient handicraft of the region that has been traced as far back as 5th-century BC, originating from the Scythians.[13]

See also

• Bazman, volcano mountain
• Baloch people
• Sistan region
• Balochistan region
• Balochistan, Afghanistan
• Balochistan, Pakistan

References

Bibliography

• W. Barthold (1984). "Sistan, the Southern Part of Afghanistan, and Baluchistan". An Historical Geography of Iran. Translated by Svat Soucek. Princeton University Press. pp. 64–86. ISBN 978-1-4008-5322-9.

External links

• Official website of Sistan and Baluchestan Governorship
• Chabahar Free Trading Zone, Sistan and Baluchistan

На других языках

---

[de] Sistan und Belutschistan

Sistan und Belutschistan (persisch سيستان و بلوچستان) ist eine der 31 Provinzen des Iran. Die Hauptstadt ist Zahedan. In der südost-iranischen Provinz leben 2.775.014 Menschen (Volkszählung 2016).[1] Die Provinz umfasst 181.785 Quadratkilometer und hat eine Bevölkerungsdichte von 15 Einwohner pro Quadratkilometer.

---

- [en] Sistan and Baluchestan province

---

---