Khash, Iran

Khash(Persian:خاش)is a city in theCentral DistrictofKhash County,Sistan and Baluchestanprovince,Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Today's Khash is located near the old city of Khash, which dates back to the reign ofNader Shah. During theSasanianera, an area called Washt was mentioned in modernBaluchistanin the area of Khash, which shows that the history of this city goes back to the ancient times and the old city of Khash dates back to the pre-Islamic era.
In the past, Khash was the military (and political) center of the region, and from 1307 to 1320, the province were under control of military rulers. All the governors and prefects were military, that's why many important offices were located in Khash, and Zahedan was nominally the central seat of government and the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan province from 1310 onwards, but Khash was officially more important.
The overwhelming majority of the city's inhabitants are ethnicBalochwho speak theBalochi language, andPersianswho speak a variant of thePersian languageknown asSistanior Seistani which is very similar toDari, also known as Afghan Persian. It is located at an altitude of 1,400 metres (4596 feet).
The people of Khash speakBalochi(Sarhadi and Makrani) and thePersianlanguage. 95% of the population of this city areSunnisand 5% areShias.
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 56,683 in 10,176 households.The following census in 2011 counted 54,105 people in 11,721 households.The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 56,584 people in 14,384 households.
Khash city is known by most of the people for the 288th Armored Brigade of Suleiman Hashemzehi Nezaja and the 08 Ibrahim Nouri Nezaja Training Center and the semi-active mountain of Taftan. Khash is a city of Baloch people located in the center ofBalochistanwith a cold and mountainous climate.
On 16 April 2013,an earthquake of magnitude 7.8struck the Iran-Pakistan border near Balochistan. The epicenter of the earthquake was at Khash.
The life of theBalochpeople is a mix of ideas and beliefs that have roots in their ancient traditions. It is rare to see a ceremony or ritual that is not accompanied bymusic. In local music, songs such as Nazink are used in wedding ceremonies and the Naat song that praises theHoly Prophet of Islam. Some of these ceremonies and rituals are:
Liko andZahiruk: are songs that are sung at the death or separation of relatives. Zahiruk is recited by women during their daily activities. Today, Liko and Zahiruk (Mudeg/Motek) are performed by men and accompanied by Qichak (Serud/Seroz).
It is asongwhose theme is epic stories,literature, love stories, historical events, and advice. Like the conflict of the Baloch people with theBritishforces, Jind Khan and the story of Mirqanbar,ChakerandGohram.
In Khash city, men'sclothingconsists of a long shirt with an open collar, loose pants, a dastar (lang) and a vest (basket), and sometimes it is a hat. Women's clothing is also a long shirt withneedleworkin the cuffs, pockets (gaptan), and tail. The legs and chest are decorated.
The city of Khash was located in the middle of the Iranshahr-Zahedan road. historically, due to the strategic location of the city in the middle of the province, it was the center of the political administration of Iran's Balochistan in the west.The city of Khash is located on the route of the desalinated sea water pipeline fromArabian seato the east of Iran, which supplies the water needed by industries.Also, the drinking water of the city is supplied throughKarvander dam.
The people of the city are mainly engaged in the food industry, agriculture in the surrounding areas, mining (especially cement and iron ore) and handicrafts, and trade with Pakistan (and fuel smuggling).
Khash handicrafts show the peak of art, elegance and culture of Khash people. Among the handicrafts of Khash people areneedlework,mat weaving,carpetweaving, back and khurjin weaving, coin and mirror embroidery, curtain weaving,goldsmithing, black curtain weaving,financial felt, inlay work, woven fabric,jewelrymaking,cream, Perivar embroidery, production ofmusical instrumentsand makingwall hangingsare the main handicraft arts in Khash city.
Khash is the point of origin for the abnormally high incidence ofFactor XIII deficiency, an extremely serious genetic bleeding disorder in Iran; it is more than 100 times more prevalent in Iran than anywhere else due to the high degree of consanguineous marriage.
In the city of Khash, there is a well-equipped Imam Khomeinihospital, several specialized medical clinics, courts, numerous centers of thepoliceand other law enforcement, security and military forces, a large number of smallmosques, as well as the Jame (Grand) Mosque of Khash.
Khash Islamic Azad University is located in Khash city.
Also, Khash Faculty ofIndustryandMiningis located in Khash city, which is a branch ofSistan and Baluchistan University. This faculty started its activity in 2013 with the training of mining engineering, computer engineering and industrial engineering, and its purpose is to train expert staff for the industrial and mining development of Khash region.
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