Panjgur
Panjgur or Pangor (Balochi and Urdu: پنجگور), transliterated and misspelled in Arabic as Bannajbur or Fannazbur is a town in Panjgur District, Balochistan. It is renowned for its dates. The name drives its origins from blending of two Balochi words i.e "Panj" meaning five and "Goran" meaning highland, i.e land of 5 highlands. As the name suggests, Panjgur is situated 980 meters above sea level and constitutes the only highland of the Makran region. The origins of the word "Goran" are unclear but some scholars believe the name originates from the Avestan word gairi meaning mountain. Additionally, the presence of areas surrounding Panjgur carrying the name Goran, such as Chokgoran meaning "small highland" and Mazangoran "big highland" point to a possibly identical origin of the name. However, it is also contented that the name Panjgur might be a portmanteau of another two Balochi words i.e Panj and Goor meaning five graves.
Panjgur district is known as one of the largest growing regions of Mazafti or Muzati dates, a high quality table date. Panjgur has (circa 27,000 acres) of its lands under the Muzati harvest with estimates that Mazafati accounts for around 10% of Panjgur’s total revenues.
History
Al-Muqaddasī (985 AD) documented that Bannajbur was the capital of Makran and that it was populated by people called Balūṣh (Baluch). This is the first known Arabic reference to the Baloch people.
Climate
Panjgur has a hot desert climate although milder and cooler than other parts of Makran (Köppen climate classification BWh) with hot summers and cold windy dry winters. Precipitation mainly falls in two distinct periods: in the mid-winter and early spring from late December to March, and in the monsoon in June and July.
| Climate data for Panjgur | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 26.7 (80.1) |
29.4 (84.9) |
34.5 (94.1) |
39.0 (102.2) |
44.4 (111.9) |
45.0 (113.0) |
45.0 (113.0) |
43.3 (109.9) |
41.5 (106.7) |
38.0 (100.4) |
34.0 (93.2) |
29.0 (84.2) |
45.0 (113.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) |
19.8 (67.6) |
25.6 (78.1) |
31.2 (88.2) |
36.3 (97.3) |
39.4 (102.9) |
38.8 (101.8) |
38.1 (100.6) |
35.4 (95.7) |
30.7 (87.3) |
24.8 (76.6) |
19.5 (67.1) |
29.8 (85.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.5 (50.9) |
12.8 (55.0) |
18.2 (64.8) |
23.7 (74.7) |
28.5 (83.3) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
30.7 (87.3) |
27.2 (81.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
16.6 (61.9) |
12.1 (53.8) |
22.1 (71.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.7 (38.7) |
5.7 (42.3) |
10.9 (51.6) |
16.1 (61.0) |
20.7 (69.3) |
24.0 (75.2) |
24.7 (76.5) |
23.3 (73.9) |
19.0 (66.2) |
13.6 (56.5) |
8.4 (47.1) |
4.6 (40.3) |
14.6 (58.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.7 (19.9) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
0.0 (32.0) |
5.0 (41.0) |
5.5 (41.9) |
13.5 (56.3) |
13.9 (57.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
8.9 (48.0) |
3.0 (37.4) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 16.3 (0.64) |
16.2 (0.64) |
15.6 (0.61) |
7.4 (0.29) |
3.1 (0.12) |
3.3 (0.13) |
25.0 (0.98) |
9.2 (0.36) |
1.5 (0.06) |
0.8 (0.03) |
0.8 (0.03) |
9.5 (0.37) |
108.7 (4.26) |
| Source: NOAA (1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
Demography
| Religious group |
1941 | 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam 
|
416 | 87.95% | 80,273 | 99.83% |
Hinduism 
|
45 | 9.51% | 96 | 0.12% |
Sikhism 
|
9 | 1.9% | — | — |
Christianity 
|
3 | 0.63% | 42 | 0.05% |
| Total population | 473 | 100% | 80,411 | 100% |
Subdivisions
The three main modern subdivisions of Panjgur are Gramkān, Qila Khudābadān and Tasp. Historically it was said to be divided into 12 subdivisions which also was the reason for the prefix Dwazdah Shahr e Panjgur meaning 12 Towns of Panjgur.
See also
References
- ^ Bosworth, Clifford Edmund (January 1977). The Medieval History of Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Variorum Reprints. p. 128. ISBN 9780860780007. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
- ^ Citypopulation.de Balochistān (Pakistan): Province and Major cities, Municipalities & Towns
- ^ Verma, Harish Chandra (April 13, 1986). Dynamics of Urban Life in Pre-Mughal India. Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN 9788121500012 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hansman, John (1973), "A Periplus of Magan and Meluhha", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 36 (3): 553–587, doi:10.1017/S0041977X00119858, JSTOR 613582
- ^ "Panjgur Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
- ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME XIV BALUCHISTAN". Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Final Results (Census-2017)". Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017) TABLE 9 - POPULATION BY SEX, RELIGION AND RURAL/URBAN" (PDF). Retrieved 27 January 2023.