History
Quetta is derived from kuatta, meaning "fort" in the Pashto language. The city is a natural fort, surrounded by imposing hills on all sides. The hills are called Chiltan, Takatu, Mehrdar (so called because of its beauty, but now better known as Murdar), and Zarghun.
It is not known when Quetta was first inhabited, but most likely it was settled during the 6th century. The region remained part of the Sassanid Persian Empire and was later annexed by the Rashidun Caliphate during the 7th century Islamic conquest. It remained part of the Umayyad and Abassid Empires. However, the first detailed account of Quetta was in the 11th century when it was captured by Mahmud of Ghazni during one of his invasions of the Indian subcontinent. In 1543 the Mughal emperor Humayun rested in Quetta on his retreat to Persia, leaving his one-year-old son Akbar in the city until his return two years later. The Mughals ruled Quetta until 1556, when the Persians conquered the city, only to have it retaken by Akbar in 1595. The powerful Khans of Kalat held the fort from 1730.
In 1828 the first westerner to visit Quetta described it as a mud-walled fort surrounded by 300 mud houses. Although occupied briefly by the British during the First Afghan War in 1839, it was not until 1876 that Quetta came under permanent British control with Robert Sandeman being made the political agent in Baluchistan. Since Partition the population of Quetta has increased dramatically.
1935 Earthquake
Before the devastating earthquake of 7.1 magnitude on 31 May 1935, Quetta was a bright and bustling city with multi-storey buildings. The few minutes of the earthquake must have seemed like hours to the citizens of Quetta. The city was almost completely destroyed during this earthquake and was virtually razed to the ground in the small hours of the morning of that fateful day, when about 40,000 people perished. Today, houses are generally single storey and quake proof, built with bricks and reinforced concrete. The preferred structure is generally of lighter material. Incidentally, the bricks of Quetta are known to have a yellowish tinge unlike the red variety of Sindh and the Punjab.
Geography
Quetta city consists of a valley and is a natural fort, surrounded as it is by imposing hills on all sides. The encircling hills have the resounding names of Chiltan, Takatoo, Murdar and Zarghun. surrounded by three different mountain ranges. It is north west of Karachi and south west of Islamabad.
Climate
Quetta has a continental arid climate with high variations between summer and winter temperatures. Summer high's can reach 46 o C (115 o F) while winter temperatures can drop to -26 o C (-15 o F).
Summers start in late May and go on till early September with average temperatures ranging from 24-26 o C (75-78 o F). Autumn starts in late September and goes on till mid-November with average temperatures in the 12-18 o C (55-65 o F) range. Winters start in late November and end in late March, with average temperatures near 4-5 o C (39-42 o F) and snowfall in the months of January and February. Spring starts in early April and ends in late May, with average temperatures close to 15 o C (60 o F).
Unlike most of Pakistan, Quetta does not have a monsoon season of sustained, heavy rainfall. The snowfall in the winter months is the principle mode of precipitation.
Civic Administration
Under the latest revision of Pakistan's administrative structure, promulgated in 2001, Quetta was tagged as a City District, and divided into two towns: 1. Zarghoon Town, 2. Chiltan Town. Each town in turn consists of a group of union councils (U.C.'s).
Demography - Culture
The city in general is dominated by the Pashtuns. Others include Baloch, Brahuis, Hazaras and Punjabis. During the summer season, the main bazaars are full of people from all over Pakistan. The merchants are mainly Pushtun people. Some Hazarass immigrated from Afghanistan before the partition.
Sports
Football is popular in Quetta, which has produced more renowned players then any other part of Pakistan. Sadiq Shaheed Football Ground is the best-known football squad. Teams in Quetta include Afghan Football, Hazara Green Football, Baluch Football and Quetta Bazigars Club. Among the famous footballers of Quetta are: Taj Senior; Taj Junior; Qayyum Changezi; Agha Gul; Abdul Wahid Durrani (Wahido) Mohammad Younas Changezi; Mohammad Ismaeel Durrani (famous goal keeper) in the Indian subcontinent and his son Dawood Durrani of PIA football team, Kazim Ali Sheralyat (Former Capt of Pakistan Football Team), Master Siddique and Sher Ali. Sher ali is now training young sportsmen at PakTurk International School and Colleges Quetta. Additionally, Shoaib Khan of Quetta has played for the Pakistan Cricket Team.
In field hockey, Quetta has produced Zeeshan Ashraf and Shakeel Abbasi who are still representing the Pakistan national field hockey team.
In Mountain climbing and caving, Hayatullah Khan Durrani (Pride-of-Performance), chief executive of Hayat Durrani Water Sports Academy (HDWSA) at Hanna Lake Quetta.
In Kayaking, Muhammad Abubakar Durrani, National Junior Champion and Mr. Farhan Ullah Kakar.
Body building notables include: Shoukat Ali Changezi - Mr.Norway; Din Mohammad Brohvi - Mr. Pakistan; and Noorullah Khan Durrani - Mr. Pakistan Runner-up.
In squash Hiddy Jahan Khan was ranked among the top-6 players in the world from 1970 through to 1986. In recent years, British Open champion Qamer Zaman also hails from Quetta. Other famous squash players include: Zarak Jahan Khan; Abdul Wali Khan Khilji; Hamayoon Khan Khilji; Zubair Jahan Khan; Shams ul Islam Khan Kakar; Tariq Rahim Khan Kakar; and Shaied Zaman Khan.
Boxing Olympians from Quetta include: Abdul Salam Khan Kakar; Syed Ibrar Ali Shah; Asghar Ali Changezi; and Haider Ali Changezi.
In weight lifting Mohammad Alam Khan Kakar and Dilawer Khan Kilje are reknown
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