Daily Times

Turbat is the second biggest city of Balochistan after Quetta. Its population is around 213,557 and growing day by day. Most of its residents belong to Baloch families. Baloch are called people with an existence by the era of prophets. Before the existence of Pakistan, Turbat was a part of Kalat. The historical place where the battle of Gokprosh was fought between Baloch and the English army is even present in Turbat. Turbat is a city in southern Balochistan, Pakistan, and the administrative centre of Kech District. Situated on the Kech River, Turbat was the historical capital of the State of Makran. Turbat is the second-largest city in Balochistan province after Quetta and is the largest city in the southern part of the province. The Gwadar Port is about 120 kilometres to the southwest of Turbat. We have some historical places in Turbat, three of which are:

KOH-E-MURAD — it is a holy shrine in Turbat. Koh in Balochi language means mountain and Murad means wish. Simply, there is a special mountain inside the shrine which is called the mountain of wishes. People gather there to express their wishes to Allah which are expected to be fulfilled soon after, the locals believe. Specifically, zikri, a minor community in Islam, gather here on specific Islamic nights like Shab-e-Meraj, Shab-e-Barat and Ramadan 27, etc. All throughout the night, the devotees worship Allah and then go back to their homes the next morning. Besides this, the location is a mountainous area. People often visit the place as it’s known to have existed ever since the world was created and was recognised even in the times of prophets. People, coming out of Turbat, do visit the holy shrine once for its long history. The place is loved in Turbat. Koh-e-Murad is a shrine, which is located in Turbat, Balochistan, Pakistan. This location is a sacred site for Zikris where prayers have been offered since over five centuries. Zikris, an offshooot of Mahdavia one among the 72 sects of Islam, called it Ziarat sharif, Zikris, think that their Mehdi, the 12th Imam has travelled this place and asked the people for long prayers. This obligatory prayer was led by him followed by his millions of followers. They prayed on the mountain of Koh-e-Murad. The members of Zikri sect gather on Ramadan 27 for ziyarat – to a shrine dedicated to their Mehdi in an event also called the Choghan in local Balochi language.

MEERI-E-KALAT — It’s an ancient fort present in Meeri. Baloch historians call it a wonder during the ruling of Hoths in the region. Punno, whose love story is famous with Sassi of Sindh, belonged to the same kalat. It has a connection with the Kech River which gives a beautiful view of the kalat. People from all across Makran, visit the kalat for picnics. Besides Makran, researchers from other countries have also visited the kalat to get a feel of its history. The kalat is a real beauty of Turbat which, on the other hand, shows the ultimate richness of Balochi culture and the role of Turbat city.

NALI POINT — Nali is a picnic point where the residents of Turbat and the nearby villages appear on happy occasions to celebrate. There exists mountains all around with water sprouting out. The beauty of Nali is worth description in words. According to the locals of Nali, they discovered the place about 80 to a 100 years ago, when the residents of Kassak, a nearby location, migrated to Nali point. Since then, the income source for the Baloch people was their livestock they had. The mere lack of water in Kassak compelled the people, along with their livestock, to shift to Nali which is by now famous for the beauty of its location and the water that flows there. Tourists can have the best view of nature and breathe in the very pleasant air.

Besides these, Turbat has many more beautiful locations that are of utmost beauty and uniqueness. The city is known to be one of the oldest and most recognised by literary circles. It’s really good for travel.

The writer is a teacher at DELTA. He can be reached at alijanmaqsood17@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, February 20^th 2019.