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Khuzdar ( Balochi, , ) also known as ''Hozdar'', is a city and the administrative headquarters of
Khuzdar District Khuzdar (Balochi language, Balochi: ; Urdu and Brahui language, Brahui: ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district in the Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan province of Pakistan. The city of Khuzdar serves as the district's headquarters. Until its e ...
in
Balochistan province Balochistan (; ; , ) is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Khybe ...
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# ...
. Khuzdar is surrounded by mountainous region of the southwestern portion of the country near the central Balochistan. It is the 3rd-largest city in the province and the 49th-largest city in the country by population. As of the
2023 Pakistani census The 2023 Census of Pakistan was the detailed enumeration of the Pakistani population and the seventh national census in the country. It was conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. It was also the first ever digital census to be held in ...
, the estimated population of the city is 228,112. Historically, Khuzdar was the main city and capital of the
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. ...
province of the
Khanate of Kalat The Khanate of Kalat, also known as the Brahui Confederacy, was a Brahui Khanate that originated in the modern-day Kalat region of Pakistan. Formed in 1666 due to the threat of Mughal expansion in the region,"Baluchistan" ''Imperial Gazet ...
. From October 1952 to 1955, it became part of the
Balochistan States Union The Baluchistan States Union or Balochistan States Union (BSU) was an administrative division of Pakistan that existed between 3 October 1952 and 14 October 1955 in the southwestern part of West Pakistan. It was formed by the four princely s ...
. In 1955, Khuzdar became the capital of the newly formed
Kalat Division Kalat Division or Qalat Division is an administrative division of Balochistan Province of Pakistan.Note: Although divisions as an administrative structure has been abolished, the election commission of Pakistan still groups districts under the ...
before it became a district of its own in 1974. Gresha is the sub tehsil of Khuzdar District and it is almost from Khuzdar city. , it is the largest Brahui-speaking city.


Etymology

The name for the city was originally in the
Middle Persian Middle Persian, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg ( Inscriptional Pahlavi script: , Manichaean script: , Avestan script: ) in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasania ...
language, deriving from the Middle Persian word for silk - "qaz", and "dar" which originates from
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
meaning "house of" or "seat of" - "Qazdar", meaning "place of silk". After the
Islamic conquest of Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind or Scinde) is a province 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 provinc ...
(which included Khuzdar at the time) that solidified the leadership of the area under the
Muslims 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 ...
, the name of the city was changed to "Khuzdar". "Khuz" means to "take firmly" or "retain forever" in
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
.


History

Under the rule of the
Umayyad caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a member o ...
, the city was the capital of the
Turan Turan (; ; , , ) is a historical region in Central Asia. The term is of Iranian origin and may refer to a particular prehistoric human settlement, a historic geographical region, or a culture. The original Turanians were an Iranian tribe of th ...
province, which was retained administratively from the
Sasanian Empire The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
. Under
Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...
rule a route from
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
through north-west
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 ...
connected Qandabil, Kalat, Khuzdar, and
Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...
. A caravan route connected Khuzdar with
Sehwan Sehwan (; ; also commonly referred to as Sehwan Sharif or ''Noble Sehwan'') is a historic city located in Jamshoro District of Sindh province in Pakistan situated on the west bank of the Indus River north-west of Hyderabad. The city is renowned ...
. After the decline of Arab rule,
Sabuktigin Abu Mansur Nasir ad-Din wa'd-Dawla Sabuktigin (; 940s – August-September 997) was the founder of the Ghaznavid dynasty, and amir of Ghazna from 977 to 997. Sabuktigin was a Turkic slave who was bought by Alp-Tegin, the commander of the r ...
, the founder of the
Ghaznavid dynasty The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic '' mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus to the Indu ...
, conquered Khuzdar. Khuzdar became the capital of the Brahui kingdom of
Makran Makran (), also mentioned in some sources as ''Mecran'' and ''Mokrān'', is the southern coastal region of Balochistan. It is a semi-desert coastal strip in the Balochistan province in Pakistan and in Iran, along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. I ...
. In the early 17th century, it was part of the Jhalawan Kingdom, but it soon fell under the
Khanate of Kalat The Khanate of Kalat, also known as the Brahui Confederacy, was a Brahui Khanate that originated in the modern-day Kalat region of Pakistan. Formed in 1666 due to the threat of Mughal expansion in the region,"Baluchistan" ''Imperial Gazet ...
, where it remained until a series of revolts during the reign of
Khudadad Khan Khudadad Khan, (20 October 1888 – 8 March 1971) was a Pakistani recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. During the First World War, ...
(1857–1893). By 1896, after Khudadad's death, the authority of Kalat was restored. Under a treaty with Kalat, the British appointed a political agent at Khuzdar in 1903. British assistance continued until 1947, after which the area was acceded to Pakistan and became a democracy. When the
Balochistan States Union The Baluchistan States Union or Balochistan States Union (BSU) was an administrative division of Pakistan that existed between 3 October 1952 and 14 October 1955 in the southwestern part of West Pakistan. It was formed by the four princely s ...
became
Kalat Division Kalat Division or Qalat Division is an administrative division of Balochistan Province of Pakistan.Note: Although divisions as an administrative structure has been abolished, the election commission of Pakistan still groups districts under the ...
, Khuzdar was established as the divisional headquarters. The divisional administration of Pakistan ended in 2000. Khuzdar was again established as the divisional headquarters in 2009, by the
Pakistan People's Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a centre-left political position, it is cu ...
government.


Demographics


Geography and climate

Khuzdar is at the apex of a narrow valley at an elevation of . Despite this altitude, Khuzdar like most of Balochistan has a
semi arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...
climate (
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BSh'') with very low and erratic rainfall. Unlike most parts of the province, the heaviest average rainfall comes from the Asian monsoon in July and August, though this rainfall tends to be very erratic and in many summers there is no significant rain at all.


Education

The city has a number of government and private colleges, including the following: *Balochistan Residential College * Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology *Boys Degree College, Khuzdar *Al Farooq Residential School, Khuzdar *
Divisional Public School and College Divisional Public Schools and Colleges (DPS or DPSC), established in 1963, is a series of mega-schools at the Divisions of Pakistan, division level in Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The series consists of one of the largest institutions pro ...
, Khuzdar *Girls Degree College, Khuzdar * Government College of Elementary Education (Women), Khuzdar * Hamdam College of Education, Khuzdar * Jhalawan Law College * Jhalawan Medical College * Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Science, Khuzdar campus * Pakistan Public School, Khuzdar * Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University, Khuzdar sub-campus * Shaheed Sikander Zarakzai University, Khuzdar * Sunrise Public School and College, Khuzdar * Workers Model Higher Secondary School


References


External links

{{Authority control Populated places in Khuzdar District Khuzdar District