Sistan and Baluchestan province

History

Pre-Islamic era

In the inscriptions at Behistun and Persepolis, Sistan is mentioned as one of the eastern territories of Darius the Great. The name Sistan is derived from Saka (also sometimes Saga, or Sagastan), a Central Asian tribe that had taken control over this area in the year 128 BC. During the Arsacid dynasty (248 BC to 224 AD), the province became the seat of Suren-Pahlav clan. From the Sassanian period until the early Islamic period, Sistan flourished considerably.

Post-Islamic era

During the reign of Ardashir I, Sistan came under the jurisdiction of the Sassanians, and in 644 AD, the Arab Muslims gained control as the Persian empire. During the reign of the sahaba and second Sunni caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, this territory was conquered by the Arabs and an Arab commander was assigned as governor. The famous Persian ruler Ya'qub ibn al-Layth al-Saffar, whose descendants dominated this area for many centuries, later became governor of this province. In 916 AD, Balochistan was ruled by the Daylamids and thereafter the Seljuqids, when it became a part of Kerman. Dynasties such as the Saffarids, Samanids, Ghaznavids, and Seljuqids, also ruled over this territory.

In 1508 AD, Shah Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty conquered Sistan. After the assassination of Nader Shah in 1747, Sistan-Baluchestan became part of the Brahui Khanate of Kalat, which ruled it until 1896. Afterwards, it became part of Qajar Iran.

Demographics

Ethnic demographics

The Baloch form a majority 70–76% of the population and the Persian Sistanis a minority. Smaller communities of Kurds (in the eastern highlands and near Iranshahr); the expatriate Brahuis (along the border with Pakistan); and other resident and itinerant ethnic groups, such as the Romani, are also found within the province.

Most of the population are Baloch and speak the Balochi language, although there also exists among them a small community of speakers of the Indo-Aryan language Jadgali.; Sistani Persians are the second largest ethnic group in this province who speak the Sistani dialect of Persian.

Religion

The majority of the Baloch people of the Balochistan area in the province are Sunni Muslims, belonging to Hanafi school of thought.

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 2,349,049 in 468,025 households. The following census in 2011 counted 2,534,327 inhabitants living in 587,921 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 2,775,014 in 704,888 households.

Administrative divisions

The population history and structural changes of Sistan and Baluchestan Province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.

Population (2006–2016)

Cities

According to the 2016 census, 1,345,642 people (over 48% of the population of Sistan-Baluchestan province) live in the following cities:

Top 10 cities by population

Geography

The whole of the province had previously been called Balochistan, but the government added Sistan to the end of Balochistan and became Baluchestan and Sistan. After the 1979 Iranian revolution, the name of the province was changed to Sistan and Baluchestan.

Today, Sistan refers to the area comrising Zabol, Hamun, Hirmand, Zehak, and Nimruz Counties. The province borders South Khorasan province in the north, Kerman province and Hormozgan province in the west, the Gulf of Oman in the south, and Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east.

Climate

Sistan-Baluchestan province is one of the driest regions of Iran, with a slight increase in rainfall from east to west, and a rise in humidity in the coastal regions. The province is subject to seasonal winds from different directions, the most important of which are the "120-day wind" of Sistan, known in Balochi as Levar; the seventh wind (Gav-kosh); the south wind (Nambi); the Hooshak wind; the humid and seasonal winds of the Indian Ocean; the north wind (Gurich); and the western wind (Gard).

In 2023, the Sistan region was affected by several dust events, occurring in April, June, and August. The latter sent 1120 people to hospitals from 10 to 14 August. Winds reached a speed of 108 km/h (67 mph) in Zabol station and reduced visibility to 600 m (2,000 ft).

Economy

Sistan-Baluchestan is the poorest of Iran's 31 provinces, with a Human Development Index (HDI) score of 0.688. The government of Iran has been implementing new plans such as creating the Chabahar Free Trade-Industrial Zone (CFZ).

Industry is new to the province. Efforts have been done and tax, customs and financial motivations have caused more industrial investment, new projects, new producing jobs, and improvement of industry. The most important factories are the Khash cement factory with production of 2600 tons cement daily.

The province has important geological and metal mineral potentials such as: chrome, copper, granite, antimony, talc, manganese, iron, lead, zinc, tin, nickel, platinum, gold, and silver.

One of the main mines in the province is the Chel Kooreh copper mine 120 km north of Zahedan.

Sistani embroidery has been an ancient handicraft of the region that has been traced as far back as 5th-century BC, originating from the Scythians.

Transportation

Road transport

National rail network

The city of Zahedan has been connected to Quetta in Pakistan for a century with a broad gauge railway. It has weekly trains for Kovaitah. Recently a railway from Bam to Zahedan has been inaugurated. There may be plans to build railway lines from Zahedan to Chabahar.

Airports

Sistan-Baluchestan province has two main passenger airports:

• Zahedan Airport
• Chabahar Konarak Airport

Ports

The Port of Chabahar in the south of the province is the main port. It is to be connected by a new railway to Zahedan. India is investing on this port. The port stands on the coast of Makran and is 70 km west of Gwadar, Pakistan.

Higher education

1. University of Sistan and Baluchestan
2. Chabahar Maritime University
3. Zabol University
4. Islamic Azad University of Iranshahr
5. Islamic Azad University of Zahedan
6. Zahedan University of Medical Sciences
7. Zabol University of Medical Sciences
8. International University of Chabahar
9. Velayat University of Iranshar
10. Jamiah Darul Uloom Zahedan

Water

Shortage of water

Iran ranks among the most water stressed countries in the world. Sistan-Baluchestan province suffers from major water problems that were aggravated by corruption in Iran's water supply sector, lack of transparency, neglect of marginalized communities, and political favoritism. Water diversion projects in the Isfahan and Yazd provinces receive priority despite critical shortages in Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan.

Iran's central government prioritizes water allocation for industrial and urban centers, often at the expense of rural and minority populations. These groups face severe water shortages, ecological degradation, and a loss of livelihoods. This pattern of unequal development not only exacerbates regional disparities but also fuels social unrest and environmental crises. Iran's water policy is also characterized by an overreliance on dam construction and large-scale diversion projects, primarily benefiting politically connected enterprises and urban elites.

IRGC involvement

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other politically connected entities control water resources, prioritizing projects for political and economic gain rather than public need. They divert supplies to favored regions, causing shortages in vulnerable provinces like Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan.

Reports also indicate that certain agricultural and industrial enterprises with ties to the IRGC have received significant amounts of water, while small farmers and rural communities struggle with severe shortages.

Outcome

This has led to the drying of rivers, wetlands, and other vital ecosystems, intensifying dust storms and land subsidence in regions like Khuzestan and Sistan-Baluchestan. Such environmental degradation, combined with insufficient governmental oversight and transparency, worsens living conditions for marginalized communities, reinforcing cycles of poverty and socio-political marginalization.