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COLLECTED BY
Collection: Wide Crawl started April 2013
| Sistan and Baluchestan Province استان سیستان و بلوچستان |
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| — Province — | |
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| Coordinates: 29°29′33″N 60°52′01″E / 29.4924°N 60.8669°ECoordinates: 29°29′33″N 60°52′01″E / 29.4924°N 60.8669°E | |
| Country |  Iran |
| Capital | Zahedan |
| Counties | 14 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 181,785 km2 (70,188 sq mi) |
| Population (2006-10-28)[1] | |
| • Total | 2,405,742 |
| • Density | 13/km2 (34/sq mi) |
| Time zone | IRST (UTC+03:30) |
| • Summer (DST) | IRST (UTC+04:30) |
| Main language(s) | Baluchi Persian Brahui Lampuki |
Sistan and Baluchestan Province (Persian: استان سيستان و بلوچستان, Ostān-e Sīstān-o Balūchestān ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southeast of the country, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan and its capital is Zahedan.
The province is the largest in Iran, with an area of 181,785 km² and a population of 2.4 million. The counties of the province are Chabahar, Qasar-qand, Dalgan, Hirmand, Iranshahr, Khash, Konarak, Nikshahr, Saravan, Sarbaz, Soran, Zabol, Zaboli, Zahedan and Zehak.
The population comprises the Baluch who form a majority in the province, followed by the second largest, the Sistani Persians. Smaller communities of Kurds (in the eastern highlands and near Iranshahr, Pashtuns (in Sistan regions of north), the Brahui (on the borders between Iran and Pakistan, and other resident and itinerant ethnic groups such as the Gypsies are also found in the province.
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The province comprises two sections, Sistan in the north and Baluchestan in the south. The combined Sistan and 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 Balōch and speak the Baluchi language. The name Balūchestān means "Land of the Balōch" in Balochi language.
Many scholars, orators, and literary personalities have sprung up from this part of Iran, amongst which are Farrukhi Sistani, Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar and Rostam. Ayatollah Sistani is also from Sistān; though he currently resides in Najaf, Iraq .
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), one of the Aryan tribes that had taken control over this area in the year 128 BCE. During the Arsacid Dynasty (248 BC to 224 CE), the province became the seat of Suren-Pahlav Clan. From the Sassanid period till 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 644CE, the Arab Muslims gained control as the Persian empire was in its final moments of collapsing.
During the reign of the second caliph of Islam,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 CE, 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 CE, Shah Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty conquered Sistan, and during the reign of Nader Shah there was further turmoil.
The province today is 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 the Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone.
The city of Zahedan was connected to Koveiteh in Pakistan From a century ago with broad gauge railway. It has weekly trains for Kovaitah. Recently Bam Zahedan railway has been inaugurated. There maybe plans to build railway lines from Zahedan to Chabahar.[2]
Sistan Province has two main passenger airports:
Port of Chabahar in South of province is the main port to be connected by a new railway to Zahedan in future.
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: – Khash cement factory with production of 2600 tons cement daily and three other cement.
Factories under construction: – Cotton cloth & 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 & silver.
One of the main Mines in this province is Chel Kooreh copper mine in 120 km north of Zahedan and because of copper in Mining in Iran.
Many scholars have worked and published on Balochistan of Iran. The works and projects are kept in the governmental libraries throughout Balochestan. Most of these works focus on economic developments of the region. On social, cultural, and political domains few works have been carried out. Most notable among them are books on Baloch history by Iraj Afshar Sistani, Azim Shahbukhsh, Ghasem Siasar, Taj Mohammad Berisiq, Ahmed Raza Taheri, Mohammad Hassan Hossinbor, Carina Jahani, and Vodod Sepahi. Several major works have been published by Western scholars such as Selig Harrison. On the politics of Balochistan after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, two studies have been carried out; one by Mohammad Hassan Hosseinbor and othe by Ahmed Raza Taheri. In recent times, Baloch scholars have become more interested to explore Balochestan. However, in comparison with the Pakistani Baloch scholars, the Iranians have been less active on publication business.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sistan-o-Baluchestan province |
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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Baluchistan (Persia). |
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South Khorasan Province | Farah Province,  AfghanistanNimruz Province, Afghanistan |
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| Kerman Province |  |
Balochistan,  Pakistan |
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| Hormozgan Province | Arabian Sea |
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