The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Baluchistan

BALUCHISTAN,, a country in the south of Asia, lying between Persia and the valley of the Indus, having the former on the west, Afghanistan and the Northwest Frontier province on the north, Sindh, the Punjab and part of the Frontier province on the east and the Arabian Sea on the south; area, about 134,638 square miles. It is wholly under British influence and partly under British rule, an area of 9,096 square miles forming part of the Indian empire; the rest of the country is divided into Agency territories under British control (about 45,132 square miles), and the native states of Kalat and Las Belas. The general surface of Baluchistan is rugged and mountainous, with some extensive intervals of barren sandy deserts. In the case of the principal ranges, the general parallelism and uniformity of their formation are somewhat remarkable, one system having an inclination from north to south, another from east to west. Many of these mountains are of great height and are covered with snow. There are several broad and high table-lands, extremely cold in winter and extremely hot in summer. Makran in the south, the ancient Gedrosia, is one of the hottest regions of the globe. Some of the

mountain chains are of compact limestone, enclosing marine shells and corals identical with similar objects picked up on the sea-shores at this day. Excepting fragments of quartz found in Lus, primary formations have not been observed in any part of the Baluchistan Mountains. The mineral wealth of the country is believed to be considerable, but is almost undeveloped; lead, iron, many kinds of mineral salts, coal, asbestos, chromite and oil have been found. Throughout Baluchistan there is a great deficiency of water, particularly in summer. In the northeast part are the rivers Bolan and Mula, the courses of which form the celebrated passes bearing their names, leading from the valley of the Indus to Baluchistan and Afghanistan. In the south are the Hingol and the Dasht which flow into the Arabian Sea. The coast has a length of about 600 miles; it is very little indented and has no good harbors. The soil is not in general fertile, but by patient industry the plains and valleys can be made productive in wheat, barley and millet. The other chief crops are rice, maize and potatoes. Vegetables are abundant, and excellent fruits are produced in the gardens and orchards in the neighborhood of the towns. Panjgur in Makran is celebrated for its dates. Fine camels are bred in large numbers.

The inhabitants are composed of numerous races, the chief of which are the Baluchis or Baloch, the Pathan and the Brahuis, different in their languages, figures and manners, and each subdivided into a number of minor tribes. The Baluchis are of Arabian, Dravidian and Persian stock, and though essentially robbers and raiders have many fine characteristics. The Brahuis are less addicted to predatory violence Both races are hospitable, brave and capable of enduring much fatigue. Many of them live in rude tents made of black felt or coarse cloth of goat's or camel's hair stretched over a frame of wickerwork. Both Baluchis and Brahuis are Mohammedans of the Sunnite creed. Both are less violent and bloodthirsty than the Pathan. The Baluchi language resembles the modern Persian, the Brahui presents many points of agreement with the Hindu. The manufactures are mostly confined to coarse fabrics, a few matchlocks and other weapons, and iron work for agricultural purposes. Leather work and pottery are manufactured in certain parts and the Brahui women do excellent needlework. Overland trade with India is carried on by the Sindh-Pishin Railway and camel caravans, the chief exports bring mustard, rope, raw wool and food grains. The chief exports by sea are dates, matting and dried fish. The Khan, so far as his rule extends, has unlimited power over life, person and property. He usually resides at Kalat, and his rule is almost confined to the country around it. Quetta is the largest town. It is occupied by a British garrison and strongly fortified. Southern Baluchistan was the ancient Gedrosia, described by Arrian, the historian of Alexander the Great. The country was ruled by Hindu princes until the end of the 17th century when it was subdued by the Brahuis under their leader, Kumbar, who had been summoned to assist the Hindu rulers against turbulent tribesmen. A descendant of Kumbar, Nasir Khan, was confirmed in his authority over numerous tribal chiefs by the celebrated Nadir

Shah, ruler of Persia, who overran Baluchistan during his invasion of Hindustan in the middle of the 18th century, and as Khan of Kalat, Nasir proved himself the ablest ruler who ever governed the country. On his death in 1795 he left it in a fairly prosperous condition but it suffered later from intestine wars and its boundaries have been curtailed. In 1839 when the British were advancing toward Afghanistan the treacherous conduct of the Khan led to the capture of Kalat by General Willshire. In 1854 a treaty was executed between the British government and Nasir Khan II under which he received a yearly subsidy of 50,000 rupees which was later raised to 100,000 rupees. British residents were appointed to the court of the Khan but the country was considered independent until 1877 when the cantonment of Quetta, now the headquarters of the administration and terminus of the Indian railway system, was occupied by British troops. In 1879 the district was taken over by the administration on behalf of the Khan and in 1883 was made over to the British by the Khan together with the district of Bolan on payment of an annual quit-rent. Other districts have also been assigned to Great Britain and go to make up British Baluchistan (about 9,096 square miles), administered by a chief commissioner under the governor-general of India. Other territories under British control have an area of about 45,132 square miles. Kalat and Las Belas, formerly a fief of the Khan of Kalat, are under the control of a British political agent in Kalat. Their combined area is 80,410 square miles. There are 832 miles of metaled and partly metaled roads in the whole of Baluchistan. In 1917 there were 782,648 Mohammedans, 37,602 Hindus, 8,390 Sikhs and 5,085 Christians. In 1916 there were 73 government and aided and unaided schools with 3,263 pupils and 70 private schools with 865 pupils.

Bibliography.&mdash; Consult the annual administration reports of the Baluchistan Agency (Calcutta); also Hughes, A. W., &lsquo;The Country of Baluchistan&rsquo; (London 1877); MacGregor, C., &lsquo;Wanderings in Baluchistan&rsquo; (London 1882); Oliver, E. E., &lsquo;Across the Border or Pathan and Baluch&rsquo; (London 1891); Holdich, Sir T. H., &lsquo;The Indian Borderland&rsquo; (London 1901); id., &lsquo;The Gates of India&rsquo; (London 1910); Dames, &lsquo;The Baloch Race&rsquo; (Asiatic Society Monographs, Vol. IV, London 1904).