Pakistan – Quetta

Quetta

Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province in Pakistan. If you are taking the overland route from Istanbul to New Delhi without going through Afghanistan you will have to pass through Quetta.

Quetta is an excellent base for exploration of Balochistan. Kan Mehtarzai (2224 meters), the highest railway station in Asia, is a two-hour drive away. Loralai, the almond bowl of the country, is 265 km away. Besides, there are numerous other valleys that are fascinating places for explorers.

Understand

The name Quetta is derived from the Pashto word “Kwatta” which means a fort possibly because it is a natural fort surrounded by imposing hills on all sides. Three large craggy mountains — Chiltan, Zarghun and Koh-e-Murdar — seem to brood upon this town, and there are other mountains that form a ring around it. Their copper red and russet rocks and crests are powdered with snow in winters add immense charm to the town.

Strategically, Quetta is an important city due to its proximity to borders with Iran and Afghanistan. There is a huge military base just outside the city. Historically, Quetta owes much of its importance to the Bolan Pass which links it to Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Excavations in the Quetta valley have proved that humans have lived there since pre-history. Modern day Quetta is a growing centre of excellence.

The population of Quetta district is approximately two million, and the city has an area of 2653 sq. km.

Climate

Quetta is 1,680 meters (5,500 feet) above sea level and enjoys a healthy climate. The temperature drops a few degrees below the freezing point in winter following a typical autumn when the leaves turn golden and then a wild red.

Quetta can rightly be called the fruit basket of Pakistan. Plums, peaches, pomegranates, apricots, apples, guavas (locally called zaitoon), some unique varieties of melon like “Garma” and “Sarda” and cherries, pistachios and almonds are all grown in abundance. Some pistachios also grow in Qila Saif Ullah. Saffron grows very well and is being cultivated on a commercial scale. Tulips are an indigenous flower of Pakistan. The yellow and red varieties of tulip grow wild around Quetta.

People and Culture

The inhabitants of Quetta are mainly Pashtun followed by Brahui and Baloch. You can also find Punjabis, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Tajiks and Turkomen rubbing shoulders with the other inhabitants. They are known to be hospitable to visitors because hospitality is an important element of their cultures. Nomadic tribesmen, mainly Pashtun tribes of Nasaran, pass through Quetta Valley during spring and autumn with their herds of sheep and camels and their assorted wares for sale. This seasonal movement adds color to the life of the city. The people inhabiting this land are proud, robust and fiercely independent. They harbor no domination and the British who came here in the late nineteenth century learned to respect and honor their ways.

Get in

Quetta is connected to the rest of the country by road, rail and air.

By plane

There is an international airport about 15 minutes by taxi from the city center. Flights with PIA will take you to most major cities in Pakistan, such as, Karachi , Lahore and Islamabad. International destinations are to Dubai, London and Amsterdam.

By train

There are daily train connections with most major cities in Pakistan. The overnight sleeper Bolan Mail departs Karachi daily at 5PM, arriving after noon the next day. Another sleeper train, Quetta Express starts in Peshawar (33 h) daily at 8AM and make stop-overs in Rawalpindi (29 h) and Lahore (24 h) on it’s way, arrivial time in Quetta is around 5PM the next day. Comming from Afghanistan, there is a train departing the border town of Chaman every day at 2PM, arriving later that evening just before 6:30PM .

One international connection is avalible, with Zahedan in Iran. The train departs Zahedan the 3rd and 17th of every month at 8AM, supposedly arriving the next day at 3:15PM. Be aware however that delays are the norm, the actual arrival time is usually between 3-6 hours after schedule. On some occasions this train might be cancelled and replaced by a bus.

By road

The highway connects eastward to Karachi and westward via Koh-e-Taftan to Tehran, Iran, 1435 km away. The road to Sibi connects it with Punjab and upper Sindh. The road via Loralai – Fort Monro -D.G. Khan and Multan is a shorter route for Punjab. The Chaman Road is a link between the country and the Afghan border.

Get around

Walking

The city center is small enough that a traveler can reach most places by foot. It is a place of ancient monuments, wide tree-lined boulevards and sterling British architecture. Even more compelling, Quetta has a dramatic setting, with a mountainous backdrop on all sides. Most sights can be easily seen in a day: the impressive Archaeological Museum of Baluchistan, the fort or the city’s many colorful bazaars—great places to pick marble, onyx, and some of the finest carpets in Pakistan.

The main thoroughfare and the commercial centre of Quetta is Jinnah Road, where the Tourist Information Centre of Pakistan’s Tourism Development Corporation is located as well as the banks, restaurants and handicraft shops. Shahrah-e-Zarghun, a tree-lined boulevard, runs parallel to Jinnah Road, here many important buildings like the Governor’s House, Post and Telecommunication Offices are located.

By auto-rickshaw

Auto-rickshaws give Quetta polluted air, and are the most popular and the cheapest way to get around the city but they are rapidly being replaced by more environmentally friendly 4-stroke CNG rickshaws.

From the airport – When you arrive at the airport you will likely be besieged with touts offering you taxis and rooms. It’s wise not to book anything through them and arrange a taxi yourself to the hotel of your choice. Some of the mid-range and most top-end hotels offer a courtesy shuttle from the airport.

See

Hanna Lake

If you want to enjoy an excursion near the city, you can visit to Hanna Lake. It is in the hills overlooking Quetta, approximately 10 km from the city and very close to the Urak, where benches and pavilions on terraces have been provided. Golden fish in the lake come swimming right up to the edge. A little distance away, the waters of the lake take on a greenish blue tint. Right where the water ends, pine trees have been planted on the grass filled slopes. The turquoise water of lake is a stark contrast to the brownish-green hills that surround the area.

Wagon service operates from city bus station at Circular Road. The transport can be hired through the PTDC Tourist Information Centre, Muslim Hotel, Jinnah Road Quetta.

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dam—-

there is also aplace for tourists to enjoy the mountian side there is a dam which in rainfall and snow season it is filled by rain water and its extremely beautiful scenery.

Hazarganji Chiltan National Park

Hazarganji literally means “Of a thousand treasures”. In the folds of these mountains, legend has it, that, there are over a thousand treasures buried, reminders of the passage of great armies down the corridors of history. The Bactrian, Scythians, Mongols and then the great migrating hordes of Pashtuns, all passed this way.

In the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, 20 km southwest of Quetta, Markhors have been given protection. The park is spread over 32, 5000 acres, altitude ranging from 2000 to 3200 meters.

Nature lovers, students, scientists and researchers are welcome to visit the park at any time of the year. For overnight stay, accommodation is available at the Forest Department Rest House located five kilometers inside the Park.

Park Rangers help the visitors to see animals. Access trails have been developed in the park for visitors. A small museum of natural history is located near the Park entrance.

Pir Ghaib

It is a waterfall and picnic point located 70kms from the City Center on Sibi road

Kharkhassa

Located 10kms west of Quetta

Museums

• The Archaeological Museum, Fifa Road. Open 9AM-3PM daily.

Has a collection of rare antique guns, swords and manuscripts. It has a display of Stone Age tools, prehistoric pottery and articles found from Mehrgarh. There are also coins, manuscripts and photos of Quetta before 1935 earthquake.

• The Geological Museum, Sariab Road (near Balochistan University). Has a collection of rocks and fossils found in Balochistan. The Command and Staff College Museum is worth a visit for those interested in British military history. It is housed in the former bungalow of Field Marshal Montgomery.

Amusement and Recreation

The Askari Park at the Airport Road and Liaquat Park on Shahrah-e-Iqbal offer amusement and recreational facilities. Balochistan Arts Council Library is located on Jinnah Road. The Chiltan Hill viewpoint on Brewery Road offers a panoramic view of Quetta. Karkhasa is a recreation Park situated at distance of 10 km to the west of Quetta. It is a 16 km long narrow valley having a variety of flora like Ephedra, Artemisia and Sophora. One can see birds like partridges and other wild birds in the park. Limited recreational facilities are provided to the visitors through the Forest Department, Spinney Road, Quetta.

Festivals

There are religious and social festivals celebrated by the people of Quetta. Two major religious festivals are Eid-ul-Azha and Eid-ul-Fiter. On these festivals people adorn their houses, wear new dresses, cook special dishes and visit each other. Eid-Meladun-Nabi is another religious festival. It is a celebration of the Holy Prophet’s P.B.U.H birthday. Numerous colorful social festivals are also source of jubilation. Sibi festival that traces its roots to Mehergarh, an archeological site of ancient human civilization, attracts people from across the country. It is attended by common folks, ministers and other government officials. Folk music performance, cultural dances, handicrafts stalls, cattle shows and a number of other amusing activities present a perfect riot of color. Buzkashi is a peculiar festival showing valor of Pashtun people. It is celebrated on horse-back by two teams that use their skills to snatch a goat from each other.

Buy

Local handicrafts, specially green marble products, mirror work and embroidered jackets, shirts, and hand bags, pillow covers, bed sheets, dry fruits, etc.

The main bazaar is on Jinnah Road. Prominent bazaars of Quetta are located on Shahrah-e-Iqbal (Kandahari Bazaar) and Shahrah-e-Liaqat (Liaqat Bazaar and Suraj Gang Bazaar). Here you can find colorful handicrafts, particularly Balochi mirror work and Pashtun embroidery which is admired all over the world. The Pashtun workers are prominently expert in making fine Afghani carpets, with their pleasing and intricate designs, fur coats, jackets, waist-coats, sandals and other creations of traditional Pashtun skills.

Balochi carpets are made by the nomadic tribes of this area. They are generally not nearly as fine or expensive as the Persian city products, or even the Turkoman tribal rugs from further North, but they are generally better than Afghan carpets and more authentic than the bad copies of Turkoman and Persian designs that the cites of Pakistan produce. They definitely have a charm of their own. They range from relatively crude rugs that can, with some bargaining, be had at very reasonable prices to quite fine and valuable pieces. Many are small enough to be fairly portable.

Eat

In the old bazaars one comes across quaint old tea-shops. These are the local “clubs”. There are also many popular eating houses offering different types of delicacies. Among the delicacies you must try is Sajji(leg of lamb), which is roasted to a delightful degree of tenderness and is not very spicy. It is a whole leg of lamb deliciously marinated in local herbs and spices and barbecued beside an open fire. It is very popular among the locals and is offered with great insistence to the guests. The Pathan tribesmen of the valley also enjoy Landhi (whole lamb) and Khadi Kebab. “Landhi” is a whole lamb which is dried in shade and kept for the winters. “Kebab” shops are very popular, the best being Lal Kebab, Tabaq, Cafe Farah and Cafe Baldia. They serve Pakistani and Continental food. The Chinese restaurant that is one of the oldest in town is CAFE CHINA. Some of the finest mutton in the country is raised around Quetta. It has a delicious smell which can be sampled in the Pulao that most of the eating houses offer.

There is famous Lehri Sajji house and Mir Afzal Karahi at Jinnah Road. The most famous is the Khadi kebab which is just behind the street at Liaquat Bazaar

The Pashtun people are also very famous for their refreshing green tea and Dood Pati shops

Very few places can compete with Quetta valley in having wide range of tasteful fruits, exported to all parts of the country as well as abroad. There you can find plums, peaches, pomegranates, apricots, apples, olives, different types of melon, water-melon, cherries, pistachios, almonds and other dry fruits. Saffron and tulip are also grown and cultivated on a commercial scale. The fruits heaven is Urak, called SAMARISTAN meaning the land of fruits in Persian.