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Revision as of 02:26, 7 November 2005
The city of Kalat is located roughly in the center of Balochistan, Pakistan, south and slightly west of the provincial capital Quetta. It houses the former palace of the Khans of Kalat and a historic Hindu temple dedicated to Kali Devi.
District of Kalat
Kalat is also the name of a district in Balochistan. It is one of 26 in that province, and encompasses an area of 6,621 km². The population of the district was estimated at 316,787 in 1995.
The district was much reduced in size by the reorganisation of 1954/1955, when the last Khan of Kalat was formally removed from power. It had previously contained the areas that now comprise the districts of Khuzdar, Awaran, Mastung, Bolan, Jhall Magsi and Dera Murad Jamali (Nasirabad). Thus, the district of Kalat had initially embraced much of the east of Balochistan, omitting regions in the north and south. Many references to Kalat are for this larger area.
The climate is arid, hot in summer and cold in winter, with most rainfall occurring in the winter. The terrain is mountainous with several valleys and one main river, the Moro. The main economic activities are agriculture and livestock farming.
According to the census of 1995, 89% of the population speak the Brahui language and 10% the Balochi language; presumably, this refers to the proportions of the population that name the said language as their native tongue. Most people are Sunni Muslims; a Zikri Muslim minority exists.
History
The origins of the Brahui speaking tribes are uncertain, but they are most likely a Northern Dravidian people who have been modified by residence in the proximity of largely Iranian peoples, most notably the Baloch with whom the Brahui have greatly mixed. The Brahui people had already long been resident in Kalat when the Balochi speaking tribes arrived from the west. The Balochis established a large kingdom in the 15th century, but it soon declined and the region fell to Afghan and Iranian invaders. The Brahui Khans of Kalat were dominant from the 18th century onwards until the arrival of the British in the 19th century. A treaty was signed in 1876 granting certain powers to the British. In 1947, Kalat became nominally independent again when the British withdrew, but was soon forced to join Pakistan. The last Khan of Kalat was formally removed from power in 1955.