Kalat, Pakistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Qalat or Kalat (Urdu: قلات) is a historical town located in Kalat District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Qalat is the capital of Qalat District and is known locally as Qalat-e Baluch.
Qalat, formerly Qilat, is located roughly in the center of Balochistan, Pakistan, south and slightly west of the provincial capital Quetta. It was the capital of the Qalat Khanate. The population is almost completely muslim.
[edit] History
The town of Kalat is said to have been founded by and named Qalat-e Sewa (Sewa's Fort), after Sewa, a legendary hero of the Brahui people.
The origins of the Brahui speaking tribes are uncertain, but their language indicates they are a Northern Dravidian people whose language has been modified by residence in the proximity of largely Iranian peoples, most notably the Baloch with whom the Brahui have been greatly mixed. The Brahui people had already long been resident in the Qalat area when the Balochi speaking tribes arrived from the west. The Balochis established a large kingdom in the 15th century, but it soon declined and the region fell to Afghan and Iranian invaders. The Brahui Khans of Qalat were dominant from the 16th century onwards until the arrival of the British in the 19th century. A treaty was signed in 1876 to make Qalat part of the British Empire. In 1948, Qalat became part of Pakistan when the British withdrew. The last Khan of Qalat was formally removed from power in 1955, but the title is still claimed by his descendents. The current Khan of Qalat is Mir Suleman Dawood Khan.
[edit] External links and references
- Kalat district - The Planning and Development Department of the Government of Balochistan
- The Land and People of Baluchistan
In 1947, the Khan of Qalat, Mir Ahmad Yar Khan, declared independence, and the Khanate of Qalat remained independent for nine months until forcibly incorporated into Pakistan.
