Sibi (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Sindhi: سيوي) is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

in the

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

province of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

.Tehsils & Unions in the District of Sibi - Government of Pakistan
The main mountain ranges are

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

, Bambore and

Dungan Dungan may refer to: * Donegan, an Irish surname, sometimes spelled Dungan * Dungan people, a group of Muslim people of Hui origin ** Dungan language ** Dungan, sometimes used to refer to Hui Chinese people generally * Dungan Mountains in Sibi Dist ...

. The climatic and topography of Sibi District is quite varied compared to other districts of Balochistan. It is also known as the "Hot spot" of

where the temperatures in the summer exceed 52.6 °C (126.7 °F). Until 2013 the district had two sub-divisions,

Sibi Sibi ( Sindhi: سيوي ur, ) is a city situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The city is the headquarters of the district and tehsil of the same name. Etymology The origin of the town's name is attributed to Rani Sewi, a Hindu la ...

and Lehri, further organized into

Tehsils A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

and sub-tehsils:

, Lehri, Kutmandi and Sangan. Lehri was rejoined with Sibi district in 2018.

History

The early recorded history of Sibi District begins with the Hindu Sewa Dynasty. The Hindu Sewa dynasty ruled much of Baluchistan up until the 7th century AD. The Sibi division carved out of Quetta division still derives its name from Rani Sewi, the queen of the Hindu Sewa dynasty. Until the end of the 15th century the district had been a dependency of

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...

and had been part of

Ghaznavid Empire The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwes ...

ruled by petty chief named

Nasiruddin Kubacha Nasiruddin () was originally a honorific title and is a masculine given name and surname of Arabic origin. There are many variant spellings in English due to transliteration including Nasir al-Din, and Nasruddin. Notable people with the title or na ...

. Around 1500 it was taken by

Shah Beg Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

of the Arghun Dynasty from

Samma Dynasty The Samma dynasty ( sd, سمن جو راڄ, ) was a Medieval India, medieval Sindhis, Sindhi dynasty in the Indian subcontinent, that ruled Sindh, as well as parts of Kutch, Punjab region, Punjab and Balochistan (region), Balochistan from 135 ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

and so came under the control of

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a List of cities in Afghanistan, city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population ...

. However, during the period of Mughal rule the territory was once again ruled from Multan. In 1714 the territory was conquered by the

Kalhora The Kalhora () is a Sindhi tribe of Sindh, Pakistan, they claim Arab origin and direct descendants from Al-Hakim I and ultimately Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, companion and paternal uncle of Islamic prophet Muhammad. They founded the Kalhora Dy ...

s Amirs of Sindh, but they were then displaced by the

Durrani The Durrānī ( ps, دراني, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan ( Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, Pakistan, but ...

s. During the short rule of the Durranis, the local administrators were nominated from the

Barozai Barozai is a clan of Balailzai, a Pashtun tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Panni (Panri) are also known as Balailzai. The Panni are descended from Gharghasht, one of Qais Abdur Rashid sons. Originated from present Pakistan-Afghanistan border a ...

Sub clan of the Panni( Panri) Tribe. In the 19th century it fell under Marris and

Bugti Bugti ( bal, بُگٹی ) is a Baloch tribe found in eastern Balochistan, Pakistan. , it was estimated to comprise over 180,000 people, mostly living in the Dera Bugti region of Pakistan. They are in turn divided into the Rahija,Marhita, Perozani, ...

s hand. To finish rebellion in the area as raised by Marri & Bugti Tribes, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

signed the treaty with Khan of Kalat in late 19th century were under the Sibi, Shalkot and Chagai territory leased out to British India. The District of Sibi was established in 1903 during

British Rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was hims ...

its area was larger than the current district and lay between 27°55' and 30°38'N and 67°17' and 69°50'E lying south of

Loralai District Loralai District ( ur, ) is a district in the northeast of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Loralai town is the district headquarters. Demographics At the time of the 2017 census the district had a population of 244,446, of which 130,484 were ma ...

, north of the

Upper Sind Frontier District Upper Sind Frontier District was a district of the Bombay Presidency during British Rule in colonial India. The district was the northernmost portion of Sind and lay between 27°56' and 28° 27' N. and 68° and 69° 44' E., with an area of . It ...

, west of

Dera Ghazi Khan District Dera Ghazi Khan (Urdu and pnb, , Saraiki: , bal, ڈیرہ غازی خان) is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Its capital is the town of Dera Ghazi Khan. Most of its inhabitants are Saraikis and Baloch. The district lies t ...

and east of Kachhi,

Bolan Pass Bolān Pass ( ur, ) is a valley and a natural gateway, through the Toba Kakar range in Balochistan province of Pakistan, south of the Afghanistan border. The pass is an stretch of the Bolan river valley from Rindli in the south to Darwāza ...

and Quetta- Pishin. The total area of the district was , but this included Marri Bugti county (7,129 square miles) which not directly administered by the British, leaving that were directly administered by the British The population according to the 1901 census of India was 74,555 or 18 persons per square mile, the district contained four

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s these were: In 1974 the district was subdivided to create Naseerabad and

Kohlu Kohlu (Urdu and bal, ) is the capital of Kohlu District in Pakistan's Balochistan province.In· May 1892 a sub-tahsil was established at Kohlu, the income being treated as a part of the Zhob Zhob (; ) or Zhobak (), formerly known as Appozai ...

districts, in 1983

Dera Bugti District Dera Bugti ( Balochi and Urdu: ) is a district within the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was established as a separate district in 1983. Administration The district is administratively subdivided into Four sub-divisions, these are: * Pirko ...

, and in 1986

Ziarat District Ziarat ( ur, ) is a district in the north of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Ziarat town (situated at an altitude of about 2,400 meters) is headquarters of the district of the Sub division, and also of the tehsil. Khalifat Hills have the highe ...

. Until 2000, except for Naseerabad, these new districts were part of

Sibi Division Sibi Division () is a division of Balochistan province of Pakistan. It contains the following districts: The creation of Sibi Division in 1974, the divisional offices shifted to Ziarat during the summer. Districts * Sibi District (created 1 ...

of Pakistan. In 2000 the third-tier "divisions" structure of government was dissolved. Two further new districts were cleaved out of its territory:

Harnai Harnai ( ps, هرنای, ur, ) is the capital of Harnai District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was previously in Sibi District. It is located in the northeast of Balochistan province. The town is surrounded by the cities Ziarat, ...

in 2007 and Lehri in 2013. Lehri was reannexed into Sibi in 2018.

Demographics

At the time of the 2017 census the district had a population of 179,751, of which 94,723 were males and 85,009 females. Rural population was 115,077 (64.02%) while the urban population was 64,674 (35.98%). The literacy rate was 45.97% - the male literacy rate was 57.71% while the female literacy rate was 32.85%.

Religion

Islam was the predominant religion with 97.16%, while

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

are 2.41% of the population. Sibi district had the highest proportion of Hindus of any district in Balochistan at the time of the 2017 census.

Languages

At the time of the 2017 census, 38.18% of the population spoke Balochi, 25.33% Sindhi, 17.82% Saraiki, 11.02%

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

, 3.39% Brahui, 2.27% Punjabi and 1.73%

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Transport

Sibi is on the western edge of Pakistan and is well connected with the country by a wide network of roads, railways and airways.

Railways

Sibi Railway Station Sibi Junction railway station ( ur, , Balochi: سبی جنکشن ریلوے اسٹیشن) is located in Sibi, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is staffed and has a booking office. The station served as the junction between the Rohri-Chaman Railway Li ...

is a junction railway station. The railway track was lined in 1890s during the British era to link

with rest of the country.

Festivals

The famous

Sibi Mela The Sibi Mela is an annual cultural show held in Sibi, in the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. The first Sibi Mela was held in Sibi in January 1885. It has subsequently developed into a cultural festival, with animal markets, camel racing, tent ...

first held in January 1885 a market for Livestock trade with passage of time adopted as cultural show, tent pegging, departmental exhibitions, musical show and sports festivals.