- Sistan and Baluchestan Province
Infobox Iran Province
province_name = Sistan and Baluchestan
ostan_name = سيستان و بلوچستان
loc_
capital =Zahedan
latd = 29.4924
longd = 60.8669
area = 181,785
pop = 2,290,076Fact|date=April 2008
pop_year = 2005
pop_density = 12.6
sub_provinces = 8
languages= Baluchi
Persian
Brahui
Sistān o Balūchestān (Persian: استان سیستان و بلوچستان) is one of the 30 provinces of
Iran . It is in the southeast of the country, borderingPakistan andAfghanistan and its capital isZahedan .The province is the largest in
Iran , with an area of 181,785 km² and a population of 4.1 million. The counties of the province areIran Shahr ,Chabahar , Khash,Zabol ,Zahedan , Saravan, andNik Shahr .The region is also home to Iran's
Balochi Sunni minority.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.In the south, east and west of Sistān and Balūchestān, the people are mostly Balchi and speak the
Baluchi language . The name "Balūchestān" means "Land of the Balchi" inPersian language . Similarly, thePersian language name Sistān comes from theOld Persian "Sakastāna", meaning "Land of theSakas ".The inhabitants of the province of Sistan Va Baluchestan continue to embrace their own norms and traditions, and the region has the potential to become one of the sight-seeing areas of Iran. The two most important tribes of the province are the "Brahui" and "Baluch" tribes. Their means of livelihood, life-style, mode of dwelling, customs, traditions, and tribal paths all form a cultural background worth seeing.
Many scholars, orators, and literary personalities have sprung up from this part of
Iran , amongst which are the reputedFarrokhi Sistani ,Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar andRostam . Ayatollah Sistani is also from Sistān; though he currently resides inNajaf ,Iraq .History
In the epigraphs of Bistoon and
Persepolis ,Sistan is mentioned as one of the eastern territories ofDarius the Great . The name Sistan, as mentioned above, is derived fromSaka (also sometimes Saga, or Sagastan), one of theAryan tribes that had taken control over this area in the year 128 BCE. During theArsacid Dynasty (248 BC to 224 CE), the province became the seat ofSuren-Pahlav Clan . From theSassanid period till the early Islamic period, Sistan flourished considerably. During the reign ofArdashir I of Persia ,Sistan came under the jurisdiction of theSassanid s, 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 bin Laith as-Saffar , whose descendants dominated this area for many centuries, later became governor of this province. Dynasties such as the Saffarids,Samanid s, Qaznavids, and Seljuqids, also ruled over this territory.In 1508 CE, Shah
Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty conquered Sistan, and during the reign ofNader 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 theBaluch tribes settled here. During the reign of the second caliph ofIslam , this territory was conquered by the Arabs and anArab 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.istan and Baluchestan today
The province today is one of 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 theChabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone .Colleges and universities
#
University of Sistan And Baluchestan
#Zabol University
#Islamic Azad University of Iranshahr
# [http://www.iauzah.ac.ir Islamic Azad University of Zahedan]
# [http://www.zdmu.ac.ir Zahedan University of Medical Sciences]
#Zabol University of Medical Sciences
#International University of Chabahar ee also
*
Bazman
*Baloch
*Sistan
*Balochistan (region)
*Balochistan (Pakistan)
* Lashar
*Negur Town
*Balochistan Afghanistan External links
* [http://www.chabaharfz.com/ Chabahar Free Trading Zone, Sistan and Baluchistan]
* [http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370046 Chris Zambelis, "Violence and Rebellion in Iranian Balochistan,"] "Jamestown Foundation Terrorism Monitor," Volume 4, Issue 13, June 29, 2006.
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