Bela (Balochi: بݔلہ), (Sindhi: ٻيلو) is an important city of Lasbela District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.[2] It is an ancient city in a historic track surrounded by hills above the Arabian Sea, nearly 180 km (110 mi) northwest of Karachi and 500 km (310 mi) south of Quetta. During the autumn of 325 BC, the settlement was part of the Asian campaign of Alexander the Great under the name Rhambacia (Greek: Ῥαμβακία).[3] After Alexander conquered the town, he commended the place and thought that if he built a city there it would become great and prosperous and he left Hephaestion behind to build it.[4] In 711 AD, it was part of Muhammad bin Qasim's campaign under the name Armabil.[5]
Bela
بݔلہ | |
|---|---|
  Bela  Bela | |
| Coordinates: 26°13′36″N 66°18′41″E / 26.2267°N 66.3113°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Balochistan |
| District | Lasbela |
| Tehsil | Bela |
| Elevation | 88 m (289 ft) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2012) | 20,119 [1] |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
Name
editAlexander's historians mention the river name as Arabius,[6] and local people as Oreitans.[3] The Arab sources call it Armabil or Armanil. The Chachnama, in addition, uses the names Armael, Armana-Bil, Armapilla.[5] It is described as the second port city of Sindh, after Debal.[7]
Demographics
editMajority of Bela's population consists of Sindhi speaking Lasis as well as some Brahui speakers. The population is predominantly Muslim with a small Sindhi Hindu community.[2]
| Religious group |
1941[8]: 13–14 | 2017[9][10] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam 
|
3,389 | 86.79% | 23,156 | 94.12% |
Hinduism 
|
469 | 12.01% | 1,436 | 5.84% |
Sikhism 
|
47 | 1.2% | — | — |
Christianity 
|
0 | 0% | 9 | 0.04% |
| Others | 0 | 0% | 2 | 0.01% |
| Total population | 3,905 | 100% | 24,603 | 100% |
Significance
editBela and surrounding areas have some mineral reserves. 64 kilometres (40 mi) north of Bela are the Kundi deposits where traces of chalcopyrite, Galena, and silver are also found. Manganese ore is also found in the ophiolitic belt of Bela.[2] The tomb of Muhammad ibn al-Qasim's general, Muhammad ibn Haroon, is located in Bela.[11]
See also
edit- Gondrani - an ancient town near Bela
- Alexandria in Orietai
References
edit- ^ "Population of Bela, Pakistan". Mongabay. Archived from the original on 2013-10-11. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- ^ a b c "Lasbela" (PDF). District Development Profile. Govt. of Balochistan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- ^ a b Ashley 2004, pp. 344–345.
- ^ Arrian, Anabasis, 6.21
- ^ a b Elliot 1853, pp. 127–.
- ^ Ashley 2004, p. 464.
- ^ MacLean 1989, p. 69.
- ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME XIV BALUCHISTAN". Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Final Results (Census-2017)". Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017) TABLE 9 - POPULATION BY SEX, RELIGION AND RURAL/URBAN" (PDF). Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Archaeological sites and historical monuments". Lasbela. Govt. of Balochistan. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- Sources
- Ashley, James R. (2004), The Macedonian Empire: The Era of Warfare Under Philip II and Alexander the Great, 359-323 B.C., McFarland, ISBN 978-0-7864-1918-0
- Elliot, Sir Henry Miers (1853), Appendix to the Arabs in Sind of the Historians of India, Vol. III, Part 1, S. Solomon & Company
- MacLean, Derryl N. (1989), Religion and Society in Arab Sind, BRILL, ISBN 90-04-08551-3