Ziarat (Urdu and Pashto: زیارت) is a city in the Ziarat District situated in the Balochistan. It is 130 kilometres (81 mi) from the capital city of Eastern Balochistan Quetta.[1] It was established as a district on 1st July 1986, before then it was part of Sibi district. The Quaid-e-Azam Residency is in the valley, where Quaid-e-Azam (the founder of Pakistan) spent a few of his most memorable days.

Ziarat زیارت
City
Ziarat Show map of Balochistan, Pakistan Ziarat Show map of Pakistan
Coordinates: 30.3810°N 67.7270°E / 30.3810; 67.7270
Country	Pakistan
Province	Balochistan
District	Ziarat
Area
• Total	1,489 km2 (575 sq mi)
Elevation	2,543 m (8,343 ft)
Population  (2017)
• Total	160,422
• Density	11.028/km2 (28.56/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+5 (PST)
Calling code	0833

History

On 29 October 2008, at around 4 am, Ziarat and surrounding areas were struck by an earthquake doublet. The first tremor, 6.2 magnitude, lasted a couple of seconds, and was followed by a magnitude-6.4 tremor that lasted almost 30 seconds, destroying many mud houses and several government buildings. Neighbouring villages were also badly affected by the earthquake. More than 200 people were killed, and over 50,000 were left homeless. Landslides cut off many roads, making the area less accessible to emergency responders. Pakistani military helicopters were used to reach mountainous and remote locations.[2][3]

Geography

Ziarat is surrounded by a lush green juniper forest, known locally as Sanober, home to the largest area of juniper forest (Juniperus excelsa) in Pakistan, covering about 110,000 hectares. It is believed that the forest is the second largest of its kind in the world.[4] It also contains species of Juniperus macropoda and Juniperus excelsa polycarpos.[5] The indigenous tribes over here are Kakar and Tareen (including Raisani).

Climate

Ziarat has a continental climate (Koppen: Dsa) and remains quite cool in summer compared to other cities in Pakistan.^{[citation needed]}

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ziarat, Balochistan.

На других языках

[ru] Зиарат