Bela (Balochi: بݔلہ), (Sindhi: ٻيلو) is an important city of Lasbela District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.[2] It is an ancient city in a historic track surrounded by hills above the Arabian Sea, nearly 180 km (110 mi) northwest of Karachi and 500 km (310 mi) south of Quetta. During the autumn of 325 BC, the settlement was part of the Asian campaign of Alexander the Great under the name Rhambacia (Greek: Ῥαμβακία).[3] After Alexander conquered the town, he commended the place and thought that if he built a city there it would become great and prosperous and he left Hephaestion behind to build it.[4]In 711 AD, it was part of Muhammad bin Qasim's campaign under the name Armabil.[5]
Bela بݔلہ | |
|---|---|
  Bela  Bela | |
| Coordinates: 26°13′36″N 66°18′41″E / 26.2267°N 66.3113°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Balochistan |
| District | Lasbela |
| Tehsil | Bela |
| 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,[6] 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.[5] It is described as the second port city of Sindh, after Debal.[7]
Demographics
Majority of Bela's population consists of Sindhi Lasis. The population is predominantly Muslim with a small Hindu community.[2]
| Religious group | 1941[8]: 13–14 | 2017[9][10] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam  | 3,389 | 86.79% | 23,156 | 94.12% |
Hinduism  | 469 | 12.01% | 1,436 | 5.84% |
Sikhism  | 47 | 1.2% | — | — |
Christianity  | 0 | 0% | 9 | 0.04% |
| Others | 0 | 0% | 2 | 0.01% |
| Total population | 3,905 | 100% | 24,603 | 100% |
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 ophiolitic belt of Bela.[2] The tomb of Muhammad ibn al-Qasim's general, Muhammad ibn Haroon, is located in Bela.[11]
See also
- Gondrani - an ancient town near Bela
- Alexandria in Orietai
References
- 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