Sistan an Baluchestan Province

**Sistan an Baluchestan** () is ane o the 31 provinces o Iran. It is in the sootheast o the kintra, borderin Pakistan an Afghanistan an its caipital is Zahedan.

The province is the lairgest in Iran, wi an aurie o 181,785&nbsp;km² an a population o 2.4 million. The coonties o the province are Chabahar, Dalgan, Hirmand, Iranshahr, Khash, Konarak, Nikshahr, Saravan, Sarbaz, Soran, Zabol, Zaboli, Zahedan an Zehak.

The population comprises Sunni Muslim Baluchis an Shi'a Persian Sistanis.

## Geography an cultur
The province comprises twa sections, *Sistan* in the north an *Baluchestan* in the sooth. The combined Sistan & Baluchestan province the day accoonts for ane o the driest regions o Iran wi a slicht increase in rainfaw frae east tae wast, an an obvious rise in humidity in the coastal regions. The province is subject tae seasonal winds frae different directions, the maist important o which are the 120-day wind o Sistan kent as *Levar*, the *Qousse* wind, the seiventt (*Gav-kosh*) wind, the *Nambi* or sooth wind, the *Hooshak* wind, the humid an saisonal winds o the Indian Ocean, the North or (*Gurich*) wind an the wastren (*Gard*) wind.

In the sooth, east an wast o Sistān an Balūchestān, the fowk are maistly Balōch an speak the Balochi leid. The name *Balūchestān* means "Land o the Balōchi" in Persie leid. Similarly, the Persie leid name Sistān comes frae the Auld Persie *Sakastāna*, meanin "Land o the Sakas".

Mony scholars, orators, an literary personalities hae sprung up frae this pairt o Iran, amangst which are the reputit Farrokhi sistani, Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar an Rostam. Ayatollah Sistani is an aa frae Sistān; tho he currently resides in Najaf, Iraq.

## History

In the epigraphs o Bistoon an Persepolis, Sistan is mentioned as ane o the eastren territories o Darius the Great. The name Sistan, as mentioned abuin, is derived frae Saka (an aa whiles *Saga*, or *Sagastan*), ane o the Aryan tribes that haed taken control ower this aurie in the year 128 BCE. Durin the Arsacid Dynasty (248 BC tae 224 CE), the province became the seat o Suren-Pahlav Clan. Frae the Sassanid period till the early Islamic period, Sistan flourished considerably.

Durin the reign o Ardashir I o Persie, Sistan came unner the jurisdiction o the Sassanids, an in 644CE, the Arab Muslims gained control as the Persian empire wis in its feenal moments o collapsin.

Durin the reign o the seciont caliph o Islam, this territory wis conquered bi the Arabs an an Arab commander wis assigned as govrenor. The famous Persian ruler Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari, whose descendants dominatit this aurie for mony centuries, later became govrenor o this province. In 916 CE, Baluchestan wis ruled bi the Daylamids an thereefter the Seljuqids, when it became a pairt o Kerman. Dynasties such as the Saffarids, Samanids, Qaznavids, an Seljuqids, an aa ruled ower this territory.

In 1508 CE, Shah Ismail I o the Safavid dynasty conquered Sistan, an durin the reign o Nader Shah thare wis further turmoil.

Baluchestan haes aaways gane bi twa auncient names, the *Maga/Maka* (which throu the passage o time it chyngit tae *Mokran / [[Makran]]*), an *Godar* (frae the Bactrian leid (Pashto) frae which the Greeks derived *[[Gedrosia]]* an which, throu the passage o time, chyngit tae Gwadar). Baith names still survive inside the Pakistan admeenistered pairt o Baluchestan the day.

## Sistan an Baluchestan the day

The province the day is the maist unnerdeveloped, desolate, an poorest o Iran's provinces. The govrenment o Iran haes been tryin tae reverse this situation bi implementin new plans such as creatin the Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone.

### Colleges an universities
# University o Sistan an Baluchestan
# Chabahar Maritime University
# Zabol University
# Islamic Azad University o Iranshahr
# Islamic Azad University o Zahedan http://www.iauzah.ac.ir 
# Zahedan University o Medical Sciences http://www.zdmu.ac.ir 
# Zabol University o Medical Sciences
# International University o Chabahar
# Iranshar University

## Publications
A nummer o Iranian scholars hae published thair wirks on the cultural an social issues o Balochistan o Iran such as Dr. Iraj Afshar Sistani, Dr. Azim Shahbukhsh, Ghasem Siasar, an Abdolvodod Sepahi. On poleetical issues several major wirks hae been done bi Professor Selig Harrison an Dr. Taj Mohammad Berissiq. Housomeivver, on the politics o Balochistan efter the Islamic Revolution o 1979, twa substantial studies hae been carried oot bi Dr. Mohammad Hassan Hosseinbor an Dr. Ahmad Reza Taheri.

## See an aa

* Bazman
* Baluch fowk
* Baluchi muisic
* Auncient Persie
* Sistan
* Balochistan (region)
* Balochistan (Afghanistan)

## References

## Freemit airtins

* Chabahar Free Trading Zone, Sistan and Baluchistan 
* Chris Zambelis, "Insurrection in Iranian Balochistan," *Jamestown Foundation,* Vol. 6, Iss. 1, 11 Januar 2008.
* Chris Zambelis, "Violence and Rebellion in Iranian Balochistan," *Jamestown Foundation,* Vol. 4, Iss. 13, 29 Juin 2006.