Kharan - the Princely State of Kharan (Balochistan)
Kharan is a district in Balochistan at the distance of 280 km from Quetta on Kharan Road and accessed via Quetta-Taftan Highway N-40. It was a princely state during the British Regime and finally merges with Pakistan in 1955.
Kharan district has boundaries with Chagai, Nushki, Kalat, Khuzdar, and Washuk districts. The Basima-Kharan Road is the main road in the district that can be used to access all of its major towns. It connects with the Panjgur Highway N85 to access the Gwadar Port. It also connects the Quetta-Taftan road to access the Quetta city.
The region was once part of the Persian Empire and was conquered by Azad Khan Nosherwani in 1789. Then it became part of the Kharan State. The State of Kharan was an autonomous princely state during the British Regime, covering an area of Balochistan province. It acceded to Pakistan in 1952 after the creation of Pakistan, then finally it was merged into Pakistan in 1955.
Azad Khan built eleven forts in the region to protect it. In which the Fort of Karez and the Fort of Kharan city are larger and famous. The Kharan Fort was built in Iranian style with an area of 400 square yards with mud and baked bricks. It is said that the bricks for fort were brought 6 km away through a human chain. The fort was constructed in such way to overlook whole of the Kharan city. Several windows in its exterior walls are used to watch the movement of enemies. There several rooms in the fort various purposes. There is also a mosque outside the fort. Due to negligence of the authorities, the condition of fort is not good and the remains of the fort building are telling the story of the oldest dynasties of Balochistan.
Nausherwani tombs are set of nine tombs near Qila Ladgasht in Mashkel town in the Kharan district. Two out of nines have collapsed by 2004, whereas remaining also nearly in better condition. It was built nearly 800 years ago during the Arghun dynasty. These are square shaped tombs with a single large dome on it.
Land of the district Kharan is combination of mountain ranges, sandy deserts, as well as plains to grow various crops and vegetables along the seasonal rivers and streams. The Korakan River is the main river in the district. The main crops which are produced in the district are wheat, cotton, maize, corn, etc. District is also famous for the growth of dates, grapes, etc. One of the main profession of the people of Kharan is farming of camel, goats, sheep, etc.
The Kharan Desert is located in the district of Kharan and Chagai. It is a sandy and mountainous desert that is not suitable for cultivation due to lack of water in this area. Most of the area is composed of terrain of dry and gray brown sand dunes. You can see patches of date trees in the abundant quantity which produce best quality date in the region.
The Ras Koh Hills are located in the Chagai and Kharan district on the south of the Chagai hills. It is a range of granite hills and forms the southwestern part of the Sulaiman Mountain range. The word Ras Koh means gateway to the mountains. It has elevation in the range of 600 metres to 3,000 meters. It is zero rain zone and outside the monsoon system, so mostly it covers the barren and rugged mountain range devoid of vegetation. Ras Koh Wildlife Sanctuary is the protected area in this mountain range to protect various kind of wild animals, birds, and reptiles.
The Loos valley is a beautiful and attractive valley in within the high mountains of the Ras Koh range and is also known for its greenery and fruit orchards due to the flow of water stream there. There are numerous fruit orchards, trees, and shrubs in the valley. It is located at a distance of 46 km from the Kharan city and famous tourist spot in the district.
The weather of the Kohlu district is extreme hot in summer season due to barren mountains of the Sulaiman Mountain range, whereas in winters, the weather becomes cold and sometimes temperature falls below zero. There is a negligible amount of rainfalls in the monsoon period during July to September.