Bampur

Bampur
Persian: بمپور
City
Bampur is located in Iran
Bampur
Bampur
Coordinates: 27°11′42″N 60°27′17″E / 27.19500°N 60.45472°E / 27.19500; 60.45472[1]
Country Iran
ProvinceSistan and Baluchestan
CountyBampur
DistrictCentral
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total12,217
Time zoneUTC+3:30 (IRST)

Bampur (Balochi: بُنپور, Persian: بمپور, also Romanized as Bampūr and Bampoor)[3] is a city in the Central District of Bampur County, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[4]

At the 2006 census, its population was 9,073 in 1,664 households, when it was in the former Bampur District of Iranshahr County.[5] The following census in 2011 counted 10,071 people in 2,426 households.[6] The latest census in 2016 showed a population of 12,217 people in 3,123 households.[2]

In August 2017, the district was separated from the county in the establishment of Bampur County, which was divided into two districts of two rural districts each, with Bampur as its capital.[4]

Geography

It is located 330 miles (530 km) south-east of Kerman at an elevation of 1,720 feet (520 m) In 1911 its population was about 2,000 and it was the capital of the province. It is situated on the banks of the Bampur river which flows from east to west and empties itself about 70 miles (110 km) west into a hamun, or depression, 50 miles (80 km) in length, and called Jaz Murian.[7]

Archaeology

Bampur is an important site in relation to the ancient Helmand culture of western Afghanistan, and to the closely related Jiroft culture of eastern Iran.[8]

The position of Bampur is near a river and major routes. Thus, prehistoric and later settlements were founded in the area. Sir Aurel Stein carried out reconnaissance here in 1932. In 1966, Beatrice de Cardi excavated next, and she established that there were six successive occupational phases (Periods I-VI) at the site.[9]

There were links with major sites such as Shahr-i Sokhta in Iran, and Mundigak.[10]

During the Period I of Shahr-e Sukhteh (3200–2800 BCE), there were already close connections between that city and the Bampur valley. These contacts also continued in the Period II of Shahr-e Sukhteh.[11]

New ceramics appeared at the end of Period IV, suggesting contact with Iran, Makran, and Oman. Ceramics similar to Shahr-i Sokhta IV (ca. 2200-1800 b.c.) style were introduced in Periods V-VI.[9]

There are also links with Umm an-Nar culture of Oman, dating possibly to the last quarter of the 3rd millennium.

Tepe Yahya in Kerman Province, Iran, is another important site that may be related.

History

The old citadel of Bampur, on a hill about 100 feet (30 m) high 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the river, fell into ruins. A new fort called Kalah Nasseri, was built at Pahrah, which is known as Iranshahr, 15 miles (24 km) further east, in the 1880s.[7]

Fahraj, which in 1911 had a population of about 2,500, has become more important than Bampur. Fahraj, which is also known as Pahura (or Paharu or Puhra), is by some identified as the Poura where Alexander the Great halted on his march from the Indus Valley.[12]

The majority of the population are ethnic Baloch, who speak the Balochi language.

References

  1. ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (7 April 2023). "Bampur, Bampur County" (Map). OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016)". AMAR (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 11. Archived from the original (Excel) on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  3. ^ Bampur can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3055057" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
  4. ^ a b Jahangiri, Ishaq (13 August 2017). "Letter of approval regarding reforms and divisional changes in Sistan and Baluchestan province". Qavanin (in Persian). Ministry of Interior, Council of Ministers. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  5. ^ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006)". AMAR (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 11. Archived from the original (Excel) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  6. ^ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011)". Syracuse University (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 11. Archived from the original (Excel) on 25 November 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bampūr". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 305.
  8. ^ Jarrige, J.-F., Didier, A. & Quivron, G. (2011) Shahr-i Sokhta and the Chronology of the Indo-Iranian Borderlands. Paléorient 37 (2) : 7-34 academia.edu
  9. ^ a b B. de Cardi, BAMPŪR iranicaonline.org
  10. ^ M. Tosi, “Excavations at Shahr-i Sokhta, a Chalcolithic Settlement in the Iranian Sistan: Preliminary Report on the First Campaign, October–December 1967,” East and West, N.S. 18/1-2, 1968, pp. 9-66
  11. ^ Pierfrancesco Callieri, Bruno Genito (2012), ITALIAN EXCAVATIONS IN IRAN www.iranicaonline.org
  12. ^ Others are more in favour of another Fahraj near Bam, or even of Bampūr itself as the halting place of Alexander the Great (Chisholm 1911).
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