Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: November 24, 2023 | 
| 中文
Koh-e-Noah, Chaghi
Located in the north west corner of Balochistan, Chaghi is the largest district of Pakistan spread over about 44,748 square kilometers, more than the land size of Denmark or Netherlands, with a population of merely 226,000 (census: 2017). The word Chaghi is a combination of two Persian words: ‘Chah’ meaning well, and ‘Gah’ meaning spot. In olden times people used to dig wells here to get water for land irrigation and domestic purposes. With majority of its population speaking Balochi and Brahvi languages, Chaghi is subdivided into smaller units such as Amuri, Chagai, Nok Kundi, Taftan and Chilgazi, with Dalbandin as its district headquarters. Before the colonial period, Dalbandin was known as ‘Naalbandin’ (horseshoe makers), and was famous for its expert farriers. The English could not pronounce the word Naalbandin and modified it to ‘Dalbandin’. District Chaghi, part desert, part plain and part mountains, forms a triangular border with Afghanistan and Iran, and is the only district of Pakistan that shares its borders with two countries.
Archive photo of a government bungalow in Dalbandin, 1955
Pakistan conducted a nuclear test on May 28, 1998 at Ras Koh Hills of Chaghi District, making it the world’s 7th nuclear power. Keeping in view the prerequisites for conducting underground nuclear tests, a bone-dry mountain with the capability of withstanding 20 kilotons of a nuclear blast from the inside was needed. Pakistan’s scientists carried out a thorough reconnaissance of the area between Khuzdar, Awaran, Turbat, Kharan and Nok Kundi regions of Balochistan. The survey confirmed that the topography, climate and water level of Ras Koh Hills in Chaghi District met all requirements for conducting the underground test. The Ras Koh (gateway to mountains), is a range of hills that is part of the Sulaiman Mountain Range. Despite a rich anthropological history, its geo-strategic significance with Chaghi drawing international attention after the nuclear tests, the region still largely remains shrouded in mystery.
Ismaili Railway Station, Dalbandin, Chaghi, Baluchistan
The earliest archeological monuments recorded in Chaghi District are the ruins of several terraced embankments found at the foot of the Ras Koh Hills, where the fire-worshippers lived two thousand years ago. However, very little of these embankments remain. The next traces of ancient history are the square shaped tombs in the western areas of the district, attributed to the Kianian dynasty of Iran. Ruins of forts and karezes (underground waterways) found in different parts of the district are assigned to Arabs, and at a later period, to Mughals. Sanjrani Baloch ruled Chaghi for more than seven hundred years before the British took control. Major Baloch tribes in the district are Sanjrani, Notezai, Sherzai, Mandazai, Muhammadzai, Nausherwani, Kubdani, Kashani, Mengal, Jamaldini, Balanoshi, Badini, Reki and Rodeni.
Pulchotu Mountain
Chaghi District is known as the ‘Museum of Minerals’. Saindak Lake of Chaghi District is a natural wonder located within the restricted area of Saindak Copper-Gold Project near Taftan. With turquoise waters surrounding dark maroon mountains, the lake and the adjoining area is also called Saindak, roughly translating to ‘black mound’. Large quantities of copper deposits were first found here by the Geological Survey of Pakistan in 1961. In 2022, the Saindak Copper-Gold Project reported generating a profit of $74.71 million by collecting revenue of $550,000. The project is being handled by Metallurgical Construction Corporation (MCC) Resources Development (Pvt) Limited (MRDL), a Chinese firm, for the past 19 years. The operations have been a steady source of revenue for Pakistan and the province, while also creating jobs for locals and contributing to the development of local trade, transportation, logistics and other industries. The Reko Diq Gold Mine in Chaghi District, another excavation site discovered in 1992, is estimated to contain over 12.3 million tons of copper and 20.9 million ounces of gold, making it one of the largest deposits of its kind in the world. Many other minerals and natural reserves also abound in Chaghi, including granite, sulphur, iron and chromite. Chaghi District also has vast deposits of Onyx, a dark green, superior quality marble. Onyx was discovered in Chaghi in 1953 by Mir Imam Bux Zehri who introduced this exquisite marble variety to Italians in 1954, who named him ‘the King of Onyx’. Chaghi has vast deposits of five different verities of Onyx including pink Onyx, white Onyx, multigreen Onyx, wooden vein Onyx, and honey Onyx.
Reko-Diq Gold excavation site
Balochistan lies in a zone that generally sees low precipitation. The province receives approximately only 176 millimeters of rain annually, while Chaghi district receive much less, lower than 50 millimeters. The climate of the district ranges from extreme hot in summer, to severe cold in winter. Although the climate and soil of Chaghi are generally not conducive for agriculture, people lead nomadic lives relying mainly on raising subsistence livestock and handicrafts. However, some patches of greenery can be found where vegetables, dates, grapes, watermelons, and muskmelons are grown. Climate change has impacted the region, outside the sphere of monsoon currents, making it tougher to adopt farming. Recent years have witnessed prolonged spells of drought or erratic torrential rains and flash floods.
Saindak lake
Koh-e-Sultan (King of the Mountains) is a volcano near Nok Kundi, and part of the tectonic belt formed by the collision of the Eurasian Plate and Indian Plate. The volcano, youngest in Pakistan, consists of three main cones, with heavily eroded craters indicating an age range from 5,900,000 to 90,000 years. Geothermal activity and the emission of volcanic gases are ongoing, and the volcano has been prospected for the possibility of obtaining geothermal energy. Miri Mud Volcano is also one of several mud volcanoes found in the region and formed by the eruption of natural gases, which mixes with the soil and water to create thick, bubbling mud. Names of the various mountains that dot Chaghi have equally intriguing origins. One of the mountains is called ‘Hoshter Koh’, which in Balochi means ‘the camel-shaped mountain’. ‘Pulchoto’ is another mountain that stands tall amongst miles of flat land and is also referred to as a ‘Nail in the Chaghi Desert’. ‘Koh-e-Noah’ or ‘Mountain in the shape of Ark of Noah’, is another unique mountain with a plateaued summit that actually looks like a large boat sailing through a sea of limitless sand.
Two Balochi men, residents of the Chaghi District
The phantasmagoric natural features of Chaghi, its mysterious natural bounties, and its inobtrusive primitiveness make the perfect backdrop for folk legends, one of which is of ‘Pir Balanosh’ or ‘The Demon Eater’. George Passman Tate who was the Assistant Superintendent of the Surveyor General of India conducted critical surveys, such as Baluch-Afghan Boundary Commission (1895‒96) in the region. He was later a member of The Asiatic Society and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. In his book, The Frontiers of Baluchistan (1909), Tate notes the folk legend of Pir Balanosh in detail. According to the local lore, a green dragon once lived in the hills north of the Dalbandin town, who ate a human every day. Wearying of this terrible toll, the people petitioned a man of God to save them from this demon. A great struggle ensued and the saint destroyed the dragon, while winning the respect of the local Baloch. After he died, his tomb became a much-visited shrine with devotees coming as far as from Iran and a small settlement came into being there. It is said that no matter how harsh the weather, the water never runs dry in the stream that runs close to his shrine.
With Saindak Copper-Gold Project becoming part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, there is hope that the region will see an accelerated development and soon Chaghi will start getting the attention that it deserves.
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