Kalat or Qalat is a
historical town
located in Kalat
District,
Balochistan,
Pakistan. Kalat is
the capital of Kalat
District.
Kalat is located
roughly in the
center of
Balochistan,
Pakistan, south and
slightly west of the
provincial capital
Quetta. It houses
the palace of the
Khans of Kalat and a
historic Hindu
temple dedicated to
Kali Devi.
History
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 Kalat
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 Kalat were
dominant from the
18th century onwards
until the arrival of
the British in the
19th century. A
treaty was signed in
1876 to make Kalat
part of the British
Empire. In 1947,
Kalat became part of
Pakistan when the
British withdrew.
The last Khan of
Kalat was formally
removed from power
in 1955. |
