Sistān and Balūchestān is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It is in the southeast of the country, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan and its capital is Zahedan, with a population of 420,000 inhabitants. Image File history File links province of Iran File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Iran consists of 30 provinces: Provinces are governed from a local center, mostly the largest local city. ... Zahedan (Persian: زاهدان) is an Iranian city and the center of the province of Sistan and Baluchistan. ...

The province is the second largest in Iran, with an area of 181,600 sq km and a population of 2.1 million. The townships of the province are Iran Shahr, Chabahar, Khash, Zabol, Zahedan, Saravan, and Nik Shahr. Iranshahr is a city in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan in Iran. ... Chabahar (in Persian چابهار) is an Iranian city and free port on the coast of the Sea of Oman. ... Khash is a traditional Armenian dish, originating in the Shirak region. ... Zabol (زابل) is a city in the province Sistan and Baluchistan, in Iran, on the border with both Afghanistan and Pakistan. ... Zahedan (Persian: زاهدان) is an Iranian city and the center of the province of Sistan and Baluchistan. ... Salavan (also Saravane, Lao ສາລະວັນ) is a province of Laos, located in the south of the country. ...

Geography and culture

Gahl'eh Naseri, Iranshahr.

The province comprises of 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. Image File history File links I am providing this pic to Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links I am providing this pic to Wikipedia. ...

In the south and west of Sistān and Balūchestān, the people are mostly Balōchi and speak the Baluchi language. The name Balūchestān means "Land of the Balōchi" in Fārsi. Similarly, the Fārsi name Sistān comes from the Old Persian Sakastāna, meaning "Land of the Saka". Major Ethnic Groups in Pakistan and surrounding areas, 1980. ... Balochi, a north-western Iranian language, is the principal language of Balochistan. ... Major Ethnic Groups in Pakistan and surrounding areas, 1980. ... Persian (فارسی = Fârsi . ... Persian (فارسی = Fârsi . ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

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 Barahuie 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 reputed Farrokhi Sistani, Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar and Rostam. Ayatollah Sistani is also from Sistān; though he currently resides in Najaf, Iraq. Yaqub bin Laith as-Saffar (?-879?) was the founder of the Saffarid dynasty. ... Rostam (رستم Rostæm in Persian) is a mythical warrior of ancient Persia, son of Zal and Rudaba. ... His Honourarable Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Husaini Sistani (Arabic: السيد علي الحسيني السيستاني Persian: سید علی حسینی سیستانی), born approximately August 4, 1930, is a Grand Ayatollah, a Shia marja and currently an important person in relation to the occupation of Iraq. ... Najaf (Arabic: ) is a city in Iraq, about 160 km south of Baghdad, located at 31. ...

History

Ghal'eh Sab, Saravan.

In the epigraphs of Bistoon and Persepolis, Sistan is mentioned as one of the eastern territories of Darius I of Persia. The name Sistan, as mentioned above, is derived from Saka, one of the Aryan tribes that had taken control over this area in the year 128 BCE. From the Sassanid period till the early Islamic period, Sistan flourished considerably. Image File history File links I am providing this pic to Wikipedia. ... Image File history File links I am providing this pic to Wikipedia. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Seal of Darius I, showing the king hunting on his chariot, and the symbol of Ahuramazda Darius the Great (Old Persian Dārayawuš: He Who Holds Firm the Good), was the son of Hystaspes and Persian Emperor from 521 BC to 485 BC. His name in Modern Persian is داریوش (D... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Aryan is an English word derived from the Indo-Aryan Vedic Sanskrit and Iranian Avestan terms ari-, arya-, ārya-, and/or the extended form aryāna-. The Old Persian (Iranian) ariya- is a cognate as well. ... Sassanid Empire at its greatest extent The Sassanid dynasty (also Sassanian) was the name given to the kings of Persia during the era of the second Persian Empire, from 224 until 651, when the last Sassanid shah, Yazdegerd III, lost a 14-year struggle to drive out the Umayyad Caliphate...

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. Silver coin of Ardashir I with a fire altar on its verso (British Museum London) Ardashir I (early Middle Persian Arđaxšēr Who has the Divine Order as his Kingdom), also known as Ardashīr-i Pāpagān Ardashir, son of Pāpağ and as Artaxerxes, was ruler... Sassanid Empire at its greatest extent The Sassanid dynasty (also Sassanian) was the name given to the kings of Persia during the era of the second Persian Empire, from 224 until 651, when the last Sassanid shah, Yazdegerd III, lost a 14-year struggle to drive out the Umayyad Caliphate...

The famous 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, Samanids, Qaznavids, and Seljuqids, all ruled over this territory for periods as well. But the region witnessed particularly heavy damage during the Mongol assault. Yaqub bin Laith as-Saffar (?-879?) was the founder of the Saffarid dynasty. ... The Saffarid dynasty of Persia ruled a short-lived empire centred on Seistan, a border district between modern-day Afghanistan and Iran, between 861-1003. ... The Sāmānid dynasty (819-999) was a Iranian dynasty in Central Asia, named after its founder Saman Khoda. ... The Ghaznavid Empire was a state in the region of todays Afghanistan that existed from 963 to 1187. ... The Seljuk Turks (also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq; in Turkish Selçuklu; in Arabic سلجوق Saljūq, or السلاجقة al-Salājiqa; in Persian سلجوقيان Saljūqiyān) were a major branch of the Oghuz Turks and a dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th... Khanates of Mongolian Empire: Il-Khanate, Chagatai Khanate, Empire of the Great Khan (Yuan Dynasty), Golden Horde The Ilkhanate (also spelled Il-khanate or Il Khanate) was one of the four divisions within the Mongol Empire. ...

In 1508 CE, Shah Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty conquered Sistan, and during the reign of Nadir Shah due to internal discrepancies, the region underwent turmoil onmce more. Shah Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid State. ... The Safavid Empire at its 1512 borders. ... Tomb of Nadir Shah, a popular tourist attraction in Mashhad Nadir Shah (Nadir Qoli Beg, also Tahmasp-Qoli Khan) (October 22, 1688 - June, 1747) ruled as shah of Iran (1736–47) and was the founder of the short-lived Afsharid dynasty. ...

The ancient name of Baluchestan was Moka and through the passage of time it changed to Mokran, which is now the southern sector of Baluchestan. This territory came to be known as Baluchestan from the time that the Baluch tribes settled here. According to the relics discovered in the hillocks of Baluchestan, the history of this region dates back to the 3000 BCE.

During the reign of the second caliph of Islam, this territory was conquered by the Arabs and an Arab commander was assigned as governor. In 916 CE, Baluchestan was conquered by the Daylamids and thereafter the Seljuqids, when it became a part of Kerman. Islām is described as a dīn, meaning way of life and/or guidance. ... The Buwayhids were a Shiite Muslim tribal confederation from the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. ... The Seljuk Turks (also Seldjuk, Seldjuq, Seljuq; in Turkish Selçuklu; in Arabic سلجوق Saljūq, or السلاجقة al-Salājiqa; in Persian سلجوقيان Saljūqiyān) were a major branch of the Oghuz Turks and a dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th... Kerman is a province rich in historical sites and monuments. ...

Sistan va Baluchestan today

The southern coasts of the province along the Sea of Oman.

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 the Chabahar Free Trading Zone. Talks have also been underway for building automobile assembly plants in the zone as well. Image File history File links Chabahar coast. ... Image File history File links Chabahar coast. ... The Gulf of Oman is a strait that connects with the Arabian Sea with the Persian Gulf. ...

Colleges and universities

• 1. University of Sistan And Baluchestan
  2. University of Zabol
  3. Islamic Azad University of Iranshahr
  4. Islamic Azad University of Zahedan
  5. Zahedan University of Medical Sciences
  6. Zabol University of Medical Sciences
  7. International University of Chabahar

See also

• Balochistan (Iran)

The Iranian part of Balochistan (or Baluchistan). ...

External links

• Chabahar Free Trading Zone, Sistan and Baluchistan
• The Provincial Heritage Organization

Provinces of Iran
Ardabil | Bushehr | Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari | East Azerbaijan | Isfahan | Fars | Guilan | Golestan | Hamadan | Hormozgan | Ilam | Kerman | Kermanshah | Khuzestan | Kohkiluyeh and Buyer Ahmad | Kurdistan | Lorestan | Markazi | Mazandaran | North Khorasan | Qazvin | Qom | Razavi Khorasan | Semnan | Sistan and Baluchistan | South Khorasan | Tehran | West Azerbaijan | Yazd | Zanjan