Bela, Pakistan
Bela (Urdu: بیلہ) is an important town of Lasbela District in Balochistan province of Pakistan, and is the chief town of the Bela Tehsil.[2] Bela is an ancient town in a historic track surrounded by hills above the Arabian Sea nearly 200 km west of Karachi. During the autumn of 325 BC was part of the Asian campaign of Alexander the Great under the name Rhambacia.[3] In 711 AD, it was part of Muhammad bin Qasim's campaign under the name Armabil.[4]
Bela بیلہ | |
|---|---|
  Bela بیلہ | |
| Coordinates: 26.2267°N 66.3113°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Balochistan |
| Elevation | 88 m (289 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Estimate (2012) | 20,119 [1] |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
Name
Alexander's historians mention the river name as Arabius,[5] 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.[4] It is described as the second port city of Sind, after Debal.[6]
Demography
The Bela population consists of Sindhis, Balochis, Brahui and Punjabis. The population is predominantly Muslim with small Hindu minority.[2]
Significance
Bela 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 opholitic belt of Bela.[2] The tomb of Muhammad Bin Qasim's general, Muhammad Ibn-e-Haroon, is located in Bela.[7]
See also
- Shehr-e-Roghan - an ancient town near Bela
- Alexandria in Orietai
References
- "Population of Bela, Pakistan". Mongabay. Archived from the original on 2013-10-11. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- "Lasbela" (PDF). District Development Profile. Govt. of Balochistan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- Ashley 2004, pp. 344–345.
- Elliot 1853, pp. 127–.
- Ashley 2004, p. 464.
- MacLean 1989, p. 69.
- "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
