The Kharan fort Balochistan
INTRODUCTION
The ancient fort of Kharan holds within a fascinating chapter of historical facts and events.
In the historical context where it shares the story of its habitant’s warfare, it also tells a captivating tale of spiritual occurrence.
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INTRODUCTION TO KHARAN
Kharan is a town in Kharan district, Balochistan.
The state of Kharan was established in about 1697 as a vassal state of Kalat until 1940.
On March 17, 1948 Kharan acceded to Pakistan and on October 3, 1952 it joined the Balochistan States Union.
The state was dissolved on October 14, 1955 when most regions of the western wing of Pakistan were merged to form the province ofWest Pakistan.
YELLOW MOUNTAIN
According to the historian Istakhari, the primeval name of it was Karan or Qaran meaning “barren mountains”. In linguistic manner, Kharan is a Balochi word which means yellow color (Yellow Mountain).
The infrastructure of the Kharan Fort is such that an underground tunnel leads to far off places, there is a huge courtyard and humongous rooms which are beautifully made but unfortunately they’re in shabby condition.
HISTORY
Kharan was conquered in 1789 by Azad Khan Nosherwani.
According to early history, the Nowsherwani tribes migrated from Iran to Kharan and were later bound to Sistan Balochsitan.
Azad Khan Nosherwani was the mastermind behind the Kharan fort.
He built eleven fortresses around the city to secure it politically from Afghanistan, the State of Kalat and foreign traders of that time, but from a military point of view it was necessary to build a central fort.
FORTRESS INCOMPLETE CONSTRUCTION
The construction of the main fort was stopped while it was underway each time due to inadequate water supply.
Despite the numerous efforts,the water crisis made the construction of the fort impossible.
Wells and Karez were excavated many times but water became impossible to obtain.
SPIRITUAL STORY BEHIND FORT
Local stories stated that a famous spiritual personality who was in close ties to the Chief called upon to settle this problem.
He took Azad Khan from the present Kharan town to the north on the point of Dilkasha, a famous place of that time, and marked the location of Karez and the fort with his supernatural wand.
It is reported that from that time onwards, the water of the Karez flows in the same quantity, neither less nor more, till date.
Construction details
The construction of the fort was again planned under a new strategy.
The fort was architecturally built on the Iranian style layouts,where solid burnt bricks were used and dome shaped structures were built around for security measures.
It is said that the building blocks for the fort were brought 6km away through a human chain.
The fort of kharan city , located in city’s congested locality, is stunning and its construction modus oprerandi is said to be Mughal alike design.
It is a two storied fort and is spread on an area of approximately 400 square yards.
It was built in three years with a workforce of 400.
It is made of mud and small bricks.
However, some locals are of the opinion that “gutch”( a constructing material ) has been used in its construction.
Inside the fort, a three room kitchen was built along the southern wall of the fort.
An Iranian style anchorage and military parade contingents’ rest rooms were constructed adjacent to the exterior wall, while beautiful arcade shaped masque was built on the east side of the fort which can be still used today.
There can be found a well exactly in the middle of the fort as well.
Window motifs were erected on all sides of the fort to keep an eye on the enemies.
Externally, the fort had forty shops that became center of the trading activities in the region and trade occurred with neighboring countries like Afghanistan and Iran.
The fort was brilliantly fortified that overlooked the whole Kharan city.
KITCHEN ON SOUTHERN SIDE
WINDOW MOTIFS WINDOW MOTIFS
REMAINING ARCADES OF MOSQUE
REMAINING ARCADES OF MOSQUE
FALL OF AZAD KHAN
After the death of Azad Khan Nowsherwani, his son Sardar Nawroz Khan Sherwani used the place for defense purposes and later by Sardar Yaqub Khan Nowsherwani who died in the same fort.
The remains of the fort still tell the story of its rise and fall.
While Kharan is historically considered to be the oldest part of Balochistan, it can certainly increase the heritage value of the province.
Better care for remnants of the fort can attract the attention of archaeologists and tourists.
There were a total of 1,500 caves during British rule, but now only 500 are left.
KHARAN FORT NEEDS PRESERVATION
The fort of kharan is considered the heritage of a princely state that is unfortunately fast decaying.
The negligence on the part of government , NGOs and the department of archaeology has left it on the brink of collapse.
Kharan , once a part of Persian empire, was conquered in 1789 by Azad Khan Nosherwani.
It had the distinction of being one of the four princely states prior 1951 when it was merged into Balochistan state union.
It was ruled by Nosherwani tribe.
Archaeological heritage
Moreover , an archaeological heritage is a site which the people visit to contact with past, but on the contrast, the fort of kharan has never caught the sight of visitors as the government’s ill treatment towards the fort has barred the latter to be declared an archaeological site.
From all round the clock, not only the castle itself , but its archaeological importance, wealth of information and artifacts are in greatest jeopardy.
For a long time, the fort has been exploited in the name of knowledge and treasure, looted for objects, destroyed out of idle curiosity and plundered for material for new construction.
FORT MIGHT LIVE FOREVER
The fort might have been stationing troops , strengthening the Power of kingdom, but above all , the security of kings and their families .
However , in this day and age , the fort itself is in dire need of security.
A prompted and substantive action on the part of government , NGOs and the department of archaeology is much needed for the purpose of fort’s safety and protection.
There is no time better than now to take initiatives rather than analyzing the causes in the aftermath of its collapse .
It is pertinent to request the provincial and district authorities to implement the orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan, issued couple of years ago , to build a backyard for the fort’s protection and preservation. Proactive policies should be made so that not a piece of heritage but the whole of the fort is preserved.
