ii. In Modern Times

Bampūr, a baḵš and qaṣaba (borough) in the šahrestān of Īrānšahr in the province of Balūčestān o Sīstān, bounded by the baḵšes of Bazmān to the north, Sarbāz to the east, Nīkšahr and Qaṣr-e Qand to the south, and Kahnūj (šahrestān of Jīroft) to the west. The plain of Bampūr is encircled by several high mountains: Jebāl-e Bārez and Kūh-e Bazmān to the north, the mountains of Bašākerd, Fannūj, and Čāmp to the south, the mountains of Esfandeqa to the west, and Zardkūh, Espīdān, and Sīāhband to the east. For this reason the spring floods flow through riverbeds that are dry or almost dry during the rest of the year (e.g., Šahābrūd, Kūskīnrūd, and the Kahūr and Lāšār rivers) onto the plain of Bampūr. The Bampūr river, originating in the northeastern mountains of Īrānšahr, is fed by the Konārakī, Dāmen, and Kārvāndar rivers and waters most of the arable land of Bampūr before flowing into the Hāmūn-e Jāz-e Mūrīān 50 km to the west. The river is never dry and other streams that flow underground in sandy terrain also feed it. Earthen dams divide the Bampūr into eight branches, which permit irrigation of 12 villages (1,300 ha). Arable land that lies too far from the river is irrigated by qanāts and, more recently, deep wells. Modern agricultural technology, like machinery and chemical fertilizers, has been little exploited in this district, and production is therefore lower than in comparable areas in central and southern Iran. Thanks, however, to plentiful and relatively good water and mild weather, the plain of Bampūr is one of the most productive agricultural regions of Baluchistan. The main products are wheat, barley, corn, and dates (which are not exported because packing facilities are lacking). The land is partly state-owned and partly belongs to small landowners. In the 1960s state land yielded about 1,500 tons of wheat and 600 tons of corn yearly, most of which was exported across the southeastern borders of Iran (Nāṣeḥ, p. 166). Owing to good pastureland in the valleys around Bampūr, dairy products are also important. In 1336 Š./1957, 2,000 cows, 6,000 sheep, 4,000 camels, and 400 donkeys were counted in the area (ibid., p. 162), in 1360 Š./1981, 1,180 cows and calves and 34,280 sheep, goats, and kids (Āmārgīrī-e Rūstāʾī-e Jehād-e Sāzandagī, year 1360 Š./1981-82).

The baḵš of Bampūr is divided into two sections: the mountainous area, including the dehestān of Čānf, which is situated in the valleys of the Āhūrān range, and the plain including the dehestāns of Ḥūma and Maskūtān. The lowest point in the plain lies 900 m above sea level; the highest mountain peak is the volcanic Kūh-e Bazmān (2,500 m).

Bampūr, like other baḵšes of the province, has a mild and relatively humid climate. In June and July the temperature often rises to 48°C; in winter it falls to 2°C. Annual rainfall in the center of the baḵš is about 120 mm (Našrīya-ye Dāʾera-ye Joḡrāfīāʾī-e Setād-e Arteš-e Jomhūrī-e Eslāmī-e Īrān. Ostān-e Sīstān o Balūčestān, Tehran, 1364 Š./1985, p. 12). Until a few years ago the entire population of Bampūr retreated to ḵārḵānas (q.v.) in the hot season, and most inhabitants still do.

The baḵš of Bampūr includes the following dehestāns: Ḥūma, Maskūtān, Lāšār, Čānf, Fannūj, Bent, and Malūrān, comprising 160 villages and more than 500 settlements (Afšār Sīstānī, pp. 293-340). The total population in 1335 Š./1956, was 40,041 (Jahānbānī, p. 74); in 1345 Š./1966 it was reported as 51,606 for the baḵš and 15,686 for the dehestān (Afšār, pp. 301-40). The population is mostly Baluch, belonging to the two tribes of Mobārakī and Šīrānī, and follows the Hanafite school. It speaks Baluchi and its entire lifestyle is Baluchi (Nāṣeḥ, p. 165).

The administrative center of the baḵš is situated at 60°7’15″ E, 27°11’35″ N (Afšār, p. 294). It lies on the Čāhbahār highway 25 km west of Īrānšahr, 363 km from Čāhbahār, and 392 km from Zāhedān. A 350-km asphalt road connects Nōkjūb 4 km east of Bampūr to the city of Bam (Āmārgīrī-e Rūstāʾī, p. 13). The central dehestān of Bampūr includes 29 villages and 7 farms and has a total population of 4,182, housed in 3,881 dwellings (mostly reed huts). Drinking water is supplied through pipelines from a deep well in the vicinity of the Bampūr dam. Electricity is supplied from Irānšahr. The dehestān has eight public baths, six infirmaries, twenty-three elementary schools, seven intermediate schools (rāhnamāʾī), one high school, eighteen mosques and ḥosaynīyas, five post offices, and a telegraph office. There are 2,500 ha of arable land, irrigated by the Bampūr river, three qanāt systems, and thirteen deep and medium wells (Āmārgīrī-e rūstāʾī, 1360).

Old Bampūr was situated 500 m from the main street of the modern town of Bampūr, on the top of a hill, where its remains are still visible. The hill rises about 80 m above the surrounding area; because of its strategic position, it was the site of the residence of the governor of Baluchistan until the end of the 13th/19th century. As the frontier army in this area was also garrisoned there, it was one of the most developed parts of the province. It was often demolished and rebuilt during the rebellion of the Baluch chieftains in the last century and also during the rise of Āqā Khan (1257/1841) and his brother Abu’l-Ḥasan Khan in 1260/1844 (Fīrūz Mīrzā, p. 30, quoting Nāseḵ al-tawārīḵ</em>; Afšār, p. 236). But the unfavorable climate, the unhealthy drinking water, which had to be carried from the river, and also the wind called lawār blowing from the Lūt desert caused a high death rate among the soldiers assigned to this post from other towns in Kermān. This is quite apparent from the large numbers of soldiers’ tombs surrounding the fortress (Fīrūz Mīrzā, pp. 29, 39). Finally, in 1297/1880, Fīrūz Mīrzā Noṣrat-al-Dawla, the governor of Kermān and Makrān, made a trip to Baluchistan and transferred the army garrison from the half-ruined fortress of Bampūr to the village of Fahraj (now Īrānšahr) four parasangs away, where the climate was more favorable. Since then Bampūr has lost its former importance (Fīrūz Mīrzā, pp. 32, 36, 38; Afšār, p. 295).