Kirthar Range
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

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 arise ...
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 fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
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, and which comprise much of the Kirthar National Park. The mountain range forms part of the Kirthar- Sulaiman 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 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 Channel ...
. In total, the Kirthars cover an area of about 9,000 square kilometers. The Khasa Hills and Mulri Hills close to 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 Channel ...
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. "H ...
.


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 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 ...
to
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. All ...
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- Sulaiman 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 whe ...
, while the middle and southern portions of the mountain are shale 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 Sindhi and Balochi tribes who subsist by flock grazing. Major Baloch tribes living in the Kirthars are Chhutta, Burfat, Gabol, Marri, Bozdar, Lund, 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.


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


See also

*
List of mountain ranges of Pakistan Pakistan is home to many mountains above . Five of the world's fourteen mountains taller than (" eight-thousanders") are in Pakistan, four of which are near Concordia. Most of Pakistan's high peaks are located in the Karakoram range, the h ...
*
List of mountains in Pakistan Pakistan is home to 108 peaks above 7,000 metres and 4555 above 6,000 m. There is no count of the peaks above 5,000 and 4,000 m. Five of the 14 highest independent peaks in the world (the eight-thousanders) are in Pakistan (four of which lie in ...
* Bado Hill Station *
Pom pom A pom-pom – also spelled pom-pon, pompom or pompon – is a decorative ball or tuft of fibrous material. The term may refer to large tufts used by cheerleaders, or a small, tighter ball attached to the top of a hat, also known as a ...


References

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