Derajat
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Derajat (
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
: , the plural of the word 'dera' ) is a historical and
cultural region In anthropology and geography, a cultural area, cultural region, cultural sphere, or culture area refers to a geography with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities (culture). Such activities are often associa ...
in central
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, bounded by the
Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...
to the east and the
Sulaiman Mountains The Sulaiman Mountains, also known as Kōh-e Sulaymān, Kasē Ghrūna Da Suleiman Ghruna (Pashto: د كسې غرونه ، د سلیمان غرونه; "Mountains of Qaes/Kasi and Solomon") ( Balochi:; "Mountains of Solomon") are a north–south ex ...
to the west. It is located in the area where the provinces of
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
, and
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
meet. Derajat includes the present-day administrative districts of
Dera Ismail Khan Dera Ismail Khan (; Urdu and , ), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 10th largest city of Pakistan and third or fourth largest in the province of Khy ...
,
Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan, abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 16th most-populous city in Punjab and List of most p ...
,
Rajanpur Rajanpur is a city and the headquarters of Rajanpur District in the far southwestern part of Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. The district lies entirely west of the Indus River. History Rajanpur was founded by Sheikh Rajan Shah, the Makhdoom ...
, Taunsa and
Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...
in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces. The "Baloch Derajat" (consisting of
Dera Bugti Dera Bugti ( Balochi: , Urdu: ) is a district within the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was established as a separate district in 1983. Administration The district is administratively divided into the following five tehsils (subdivisio ...
, Dera Allah Yar and
Dera Murad Jamali Dera Murad Jamali (), often abbreviated as D.M. Jamali, is a city (and district headquarters) located in Nasirabad District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is also the divisional headquarters of Nasirabad Division. In 1954 Dera Murad Jamali was part ...
) is adjacent to Derajat towards the southwest in Balochistan. The people of Derajat are called
Derawal The Derawal ( Saraiki: ) are a community originating from the Derajat, a cultural region extending from river Indus to Sulaiman Range in central Pakistan. The varieties of Saraiki spoken by the Derawal people are collectively known as Derawali ( ...
, and the varieties of Saraiki they speak are collectively called
Derawali dialect Ḍerāwālī () is a term used for a group of Lahnda varieties spoken in the Derajat and Mianwali. Derawali is not recognised as a distinct dialect; in Dera Ismail Khan District and Mianwali, ''Derawali'' is the local name of the Thali dialect, ...
, also known locally as ''Hindki''.
Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...
and Balochi languages are spoken in the northern and western parts of Derajat, respectively.


Topography

The Derajat is a level plain between the
Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...
and the
Sulaiman Mountains The Sulaiman Mountains, also known as Kōh-e Sulaymān, Kasē Ghrūna Da Suleiman Ghruna (Pashto: د كسې غرونه ، د سلیمان غرونه; "Mountains of Qaes/Kasi and Solomon") ( Balochi:; "Mountains of Solomon") are a north–south ex ...
, lying between 29°30′ and 34°15′ N. and 69°15′ and 72′ E., the name derives its name from, the three Deras : Dera Ismail Khan, Dera Fateh Khan, and Dera Ghazi Khan. It extends north to the
Sheikh Badin National Park View of Sheikh Budeen from Picnic Hill (1864) by Henry Brabazon Urmston Sheikh Badin National Park (also spelled Sheikh Badddin National Park) is located near Darra Pezu in the Dera Ismail Khan and Lakki Marwat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ...
among the Sheikh Badin range, which divides it from the Marwat plain, and south to the town of
Jampur Jampur () is the capital city of Jampur Tehsil, in the Rajanpur District of Punjab, Pakistan. It comprises an area of about 16.7 square kilometers and has a population of about 155,243 (2023) It is the capital of Jampur Tehsil. Approximately ...
, having a length of 325 miles and breadth of 50 miles.Derajāt - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 11, p. 269-271
/ref>


History

The Derajat owes its existence as an historical area to the Baloch migration in the 15th century when Sultan Husseyn Shah of
Langah Sultanate The Langah Sultanate was a late medieval sultanate based in the Punjab region in the western Indian subcontinent between the 15th and 16th centuries. It was the dominant power of the lower Doab tract with Multan at its centre. The Langah Sult ...
, being unable to hold his vast trans Indus possessions called in Baloch mercenaries, and assigned these territories to
Malik Sohrab Dodai Malik Sohrab Dodai was a Baloch mercenary who moved to Multan (Punjab) in the late 15th century with his father Mir Doda Khan at the behest of the Langah Sultanate dynasty. He was accompanied by his sons, Ghazi Khan, Fateh Khan, and Ismail Khan. ...
as
jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...
. Malik Sohrab's sons, Ghazi Khan, Ismail Khan and Fateh Khan, founded the three Deras or 'settlements' named after them. During
Babar Babar (), also variously spelled as Baber, Babur, and Babor is a male given name of Persian language, Persian origin, and a popular male given name in Pakistan. It is generally taken in reference to the Persian language, Persian ''babr'' (Persian ...
's conquest of
Northern India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...
in 1526 the chiefs of Derajat submitted to him, and at his death the Derajat became a dependency of his son
Kamran Mirza Kamran Mirza () (1512 – 5 October 1557) was the second son of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire and the first Mughal Emperor. Kamran Mirza was born in Kabul to Babur's wife Gulrukh Begum. He was half-brother to Babur's eldest son Hu ...
, the ruler of
Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...
. Under
Humayun Nasir al-Din Muhammad (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), commonly known by his regnal name Humayun (), was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from ...
the Baloch immigration increased, and they gradually pushed the Nahars farther south. All the Baloch tribes acknowledged the overlordship of the Dodai Nawabs, who ruled for about fifteen generations at Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan and also held Darya Khan and Bhakkar, east of the Indus. Early in the eighteenth century the Nawabs lost their supremacy, being overwhelmed by the Kalhoras of Sind. In 1739 after
Nadir Shah Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...
had defeated the
Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...
s and acquired all the territory west of the Indus, he made the Wazir, Mahmud Khan Gujar, governor in Dera Ghazi Khan under the Kalhora chief, who also became his vassal. Under Ahmad Shah Durrani the Kalhoras, now in a state of decadence, contended for possession of Dera Ghazi Khan, but Mahmud Khan Gujar appeared to have been its real governor. He was succeeded by his nephew, who was killed in 1779, and the
Durranis The Durrānī (, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest tribal confederation of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan (Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, Pakistan, bu ...
then appointed governors directly for a period of thirty two years. Meanwhile, the last of the chiefs of Dera Ismail Khan had been deposed in 1770, and his territories were also administered from Kabul. In 1794 Humayun Shah attempted to deprive
Zaman Shah Durrani Zaman Shah Durrani, or Zaman Shah Abdali ( Persian: ; 1767 – 1844) was the third King of the Durrani Empire from 1793 until 1801. An ethnic Pashtun of the Sadozai clan, Zaman Shah was the grandson of Ahmad Shah Durrani and the fifth son of Timu ...
of his kingdom, but he was defeated and fell into the hands of Muhammad Khan
Sadozai Sadozai, also Sudhozai, Sudhazai, may refer to: * Sadozai (Pashtun tribe), a major tribe from Afghanistan and Pakistan * Wazirzada Sadozai (Pashtun tribe), a branch of the Sadozai tribe, concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa * Sadozai dynasty, was ...
, governor of the
Sind Sagar Doab Sindh Sagar Doab (, ''Sind Sāgar Dōāb''), sometimes shortened as Sagar Doab, is a '' Doab'' or tract of land in the Punjab region, lying between the Indus and Jhelum rivers, in present-day Pakistan. It, administratively, covers a huge portion ...
. As a reward for this capture, Zaman Shah bestowed the province of Dera Ismail Khan on Nawab Muhammad Khan, who governed it from
Mankera Mankera ( Saraiki and ) is the principal town of Mankera Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of Bhakkar District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan.Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia M ...
in 1821, and at the same time tribute was imposed by the Sikhs on the chiefs of Tank and Sagar. Dera Fateh Khan was also occupied; but Dera Ismail Khan, to which Hafiz Ahmad Khan was permitted to retire on the fall of Mankera, remained independent till 1836, when Nao Nihal Singh deposed Muhammad Khan, the son of Hafiz Ahmad Khan, and appointed Diwan Lakhi Mal to be Kardar. Diwan Lakhi Mal held this post till his death in 1843, and was succeeded by his son Diwan Daulat Rai, who enjoyed the support of the Multani Pathan Sardars. He was bitterly opposed by Malik Fateh Khan Tiwana, who had also procured a nomination as Kardar from the Sikh Durbar. These rivals contended for supremacy with varying success until 1847, when the Diwan then in possession was deposed on the recommendation of
Herbert Edwardes Major-General Sir Herbert Benjamin Edwardes DCL (12 November 1819 – 23 December 1868) was a British administrator, soldier, and statesman active in the Punjab region of British India. He is best known as the "Hero of Multan" for his pivot ...
, who appointed General Van Cortlandt to be Kardar. The Derajat passed to the British in 1849, and is now (in 1911) divided between the Districts of Dera Ghazi Khan in the Punjab and Dera Ismail Khan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. After the independence of
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
in 1947, many
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
refugees from India settled in Derajat while most
Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
and
Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...
migrated to India. Many of Derajat's Hindu residents settled in the Derawal Nagar colony of
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, while others were dispersed around in the states of
Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...
,
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
and
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...
.


Demographics

According to the
2023 Census of Pakistan The 2023 Census of Pakistan was the census, detailed enumeration of the Pakistani population and the census in Pakistan, seventh national census in the country. It was conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. It was also the first ever di ...
, the total population of Derajat (comprising Dera Ismail Khan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Tank Districts) was 8,003,764. The main languages in Derajat are Saraiki,
Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...
, and Balochi. In addition,
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
and English are also used.


Notes


References


External links

* {{Coord, 32, N, 71, E, display=title Saraikistan Regions of Pakistan Geography of Balochistan, Pakistan Geography of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Geography of Punjab, Pakistan