The Kirthar Mountains ( ur, كوه کھیرتھر; sd, کير ٿر جبل) are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...

that mark the boundary between the

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

i provinces of

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

and

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, and which comprise much of the

Kirthar National Park The Kirthar National Park ( ur, ), Sindhi (کيرٿرنيشنل پارڪ) is situated in the Kirthar Mountains in Jamshoro District in Sindh, Pakistan. The park was established in 1974, and encompasses over - making it the third largest natio ...

. The mountain range forms part of the Kirthar-

Sulaiman Sulaiman is an English transliteration of the Arabic name that means "peaceful" and corresponds to the Jewish name Hebrew: שְׁלֹמֹה‎, Shlomoh) and the English Solomon (/ˈsɒləmən/) . Solomon was the scriptural figure who was king of ...

geologic province, which stretches from the Arabian Sea coast north to the

Sulaiman Mountains The Sulaiman Mountains, also known as Kōh-e Sulaymān ( Balochi/Urdu/ fa, ; "Mountains of Solomon") or Da Kasē Ghrūna ( ps, د كسې غرونه; "Mountains of Kasi"), are a north–south extension of the southern Hindu Kush mountain system i ...

in northwest Pakistan. The highest peak of the mountains is Zardak Peak at .

Geography

The mountains extend southward for about from the Mula River in east-central Balochistan to

Cape Monze Ras Muari, often referred to as Cape Monze, is a beach located off the shore of the Arabian Sea in Karachi. It stretches from the village of Mubarak to Yousuf Goth (Pacha) in West Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Geography Ras Muari is part of a 25-kilom ...

on the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channe ...

. In total, the Kirthars cover an area of about 9,000 square kilometers. The

Khasa Hills Khasa Hills are located in Karachi, Pakistan, and lie between Orangi and North Nazimabad. The hills in Karachi are the offshoots of the Kirthar Range, and have a maximum elevation of about 528m in the extreme north. The Khasa hills are arid and dev ...

and Mulri Hills close to the

coast are sub-ranges of the Kirthar Mountains which extend into the city limits of

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

. The mountains are drained by the Gaj River and

Hub River Hub River ( ur, دریائے حب) is located in Hub District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It starts from the Pab Range in the south eastern Balochistan and continues along the border of Sindh and reaches Hub and then falls into the Arabian Sea. "Ha ...

Mountain peaks

The highest peak of the mountains is Zardak Peak at . The second tallest, Drakhel Hill, that was reported by British Army Corps of Engineers surveyed it as 8,135 ft (2,479 m) Barugh Hill, has a height that was reported in April 2009 as , although the British Army Corps of Engineers surveyed it as . Barugh Hill is the highest mountain in the Sindh portion of the Kirthars. Barugh, means "big fat mountain" in the

Brahui language Brahui (; brh, , links=no; also known as Brahvi or Brohi) is a Dravidian language spoken by some of the Brahui people. The language is spoken primarily in the central part of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan, with smaller communities of sp ...

, the language of the Sasoli tribe, who still live in the area. Barugh Hill is situated a few miles north-west of the Gorakh Hill Station, which is situated at an elevation of . The next highest peak is the mountain ''Kutte-Ji-Kabar'' (

Sindhi Sindhi may refer to: *something from, or related to Sindh, a province of Pakistan * Sindhi people, an ethnic group from the Sindh region * Sindhi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them People with the name * Sarkash Sindhi (1940–2012 ...

for "Dog's Grave"), also known as ''Kuchak-na-Kabar'' in Brahui. The mountain is located in a region claimed by the provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan. As recorded in ''Folk Tales of Scinde and Guzerat'' (circa 1855), the mountain is named for a story in which a Brahui man is forced to leave his dog as collateral to a wealthy Hindu merchant in order to settle his debts. According to the tale, the dog chased after thieves who had stolen from the merchant, leading the merchant to free him and return to his master. The Brahui man thought the dog escaped and so was angry with the dog for his disobedience. The rejected dog died, and when the Brahui man came to learn of the true story, he felt remorseful and climbed to the top of the mountain in order to bury his dog. Other peaks include the Andraj Mountain at . There are also a number of other peaks of the Kirthar Mountains exceeding , which all receive occasional snowfall during the winter season. To the south the mountains decrease in size towards Bedor Hill, with a height of .

Passes

There are several passes in the range which are passable, but the only one often used is the Gaji Lak Pass on the road from Zidi and

Khuzdar Khuzdar ( Brahui/ bal, ; ur, , ), historically known as Qusdar ( ar, قصدار, quṣdār), is the capital city of Khuzdar District in the central part of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Khuzdar is the 2nd-largest city of Balochistan provin ...

Jhalawan Jhalawan ( Brahui: جھالاوان) was an administrative division of the Khanate of Kalat, a princely state of Brahui that acceded to Pakistan in 1947. It was established in the 17th century and its boundary was fixed with Sindh in 1853. ...

Geology

The Kirthars consist of a series of parallel rock hill ridges oriented mostly north–south, with piedmont and piedmont-

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. ...

plains located between ridges, with dry riverbeds. The ridges rise rapidly over short distances between valleys and ridges. From the Arabian Sea coast, they rise to nearly in the north. The Kirthars are part of the Kirthar-

geologic province, which stretches from the Arabian Sea coast north to northwestern Pakistan along the western boundary of the Indus Valley. The upper portions of the mountains are largely

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

, while the middle and southern portions of the mountain are

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especiall ...

which date to the middle

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', ...

era.

Settlement

Within the Kirthar Mountains are 21 prehistoric sites. The 16th-18th century Taung Tombs are also located in the range. There are 71 tombs which situated in the area of the ''Chhuttas'' tribe. The inhabitants of the Kirthar Mountains are chiefly Chhutto people of Bhootani tribe, and various

and Balochi tribes who subsist by flock grazing. Major Baloch tribes living in the Kirthars are

Chhutta Chhutto Baloch Qabila is a Baloch tribe in Balochistan, Sindh. Panjab The people who cultivate the Crown lands of Kalat in various niahats in Jhalawan are known as the Khan's ''ulus'' or subjects, and, with a few exceptions, are under the direct ...

Burfat Burfat (Urdu: برفات) is the name of a Baloch tribe in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fift ...

Gabol The Gabol ( ur, گبول) is a Baloch tribe having a distinct identity through the centuries, and not a branch of any other Baloch tribe. During the reign of Mir Jalal Khan, the Gabol joined the Rind Federation. Eventually, they joined Mir Ch ...

, Marri,

Bozdar Buzdar () is a clan of Baloch tribe Rind, living in Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. They mostly live in Koh Suleiman. Buzdar people also live in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, UAE and Afghanistan. The population of Buzdar tribe ...

Lund Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish province of Scania, across the Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipality, Scania County. The Öre ...

, Nohani,

Bugti Bugti ( bal, بُگٹی ) is a Baloch tribe found in eastern Balochistan, Pakistan. , it was estimated to comprise over 180,000 people, mostly living in the Dera Bugti region of Pakistan. They are in turn divided into the Rahija,Marhita, Perozani, ...

Chandio The Chandio () is a Baloch tribe in the Sindh and Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far south ...

, and

Lashari The Lashari () is a baloch tribe. According to baloch folklore the tribe was founded by Lashar Khan, one of Mir Jalal Khan's four sons. Lasharis led by Mir Gwahram Khan Lashari, are believed to have engaged in a 30-year war against the Rind, ...

Gallery

File:Cold water Spring in Kirthar National Park, Sindh, Pakistan.jpg, Cold water spring in the Kirthar National Park File:Kirthar park gazelle.jpg,

Chinkara The chinkara (''Gazella bennettii''), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Taxonomy The following six subspecies are considered valid: * Deccan chinkara (''G. b. bennettii ...

gazelle in the Kirthar Mountains File:Kirthar park view 2.jpg, Another view of the Kirthar National Park File:Taung tombs in Kirthar National Park.jpg, The Taung Tombs File:Spring of Piprasr in Kirthar Range.jpg, Spring of Piprasar in Kirthar Mountain File:Agricultural vale in Kirthar Mountain.jpg, Agricultural vale in Kirthar Mountain File:A cave near water spring in Kirthar Mountain.jpg, A cave near water spring in Kirthar Mountain File:Water fall in the Kirthar Mountain.jpg, Water fall in the Kirthar Mountain File:A wall of oldest fort in the Kirthar Mountain.jpg, A wall of oldest fort in the Kirthar Mountain File:A kind of flowery plant in Kirthar mountain.jpg, A kind of flowery plant in Kirthar mountain File:Senwar (in Sindhi) plant in Kirthar Mountain.jpg, Senwar (in Sindhi) plant in Kirthar Mountain File:A thorny plant in Kirthar Mountain.jpg, A thorny plant in Kirthar Mountain File:Kute Ji Kabar Mount Of Dogs Grave Highest Peak Khirthar Range in Sindh.jpg, The "Dog's Grave" at Kutte-ji-Qabar

References

{{Authority control Mountains and hills of Karachi Mountains and hills of Sindh Mountain ranges of Balochistan (Pakistan)