LAS BELA

also spelled Lasbela, district of Kalat division, Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. A former princely state, it has an area of 7,048 sq mi (18,254 sq km) and is bounded north by Khuzdar district, east by the Kirthar Range (separating it from Sind), south by the Arabian Sea, and west by the Hala Range. An agriculturally underdeveloped zone with untapped water resources, it is mountainous in the east and has a central alluvial lowland drained by the Porali and Kud rivers; in the west is a narrow coastal strip dotted with mangrove swamps. Cultivation depends upon flood irrigation, with jowar (sorghum) and oilseeds being the chief crops. Sheep, camels, and goats are bred extensively, and fishing is important along the coast. Sonmiani is the principal seaport. Bela (ancient Armabel, Armel), the district headquarters until it was replaced by Uthal, and site of the jam's (chief's) residence, lies just east of the Porali at the apex of the Las Bela Plain; it is linked by roads with Karachi and with Quetta via Kalat and Mastung. Rugs, embroidery, and crochet work are local handicrafts. The caves at Gondrani (north of Bela), hewn out of solid rock, are probably of Buddhist origin. Las Bela is strategically located on the Makran coastal trade route between Sind and Iran (Persia). The army of Alexander the Great retreated to Persia through the southern part in 325 BC, and the Arab general Muhammad ibn al-Qasim followed the same path c. AD 711. Stone ruins at Gondakeha on the Kud, 10 mi (16 km) northwest of Bela, indicate ancient Arab (possibly Himyaritic) occupation. Las Bela princely state acceded to Pakistan in 1948. In 1955 it became a district of Kalat division and in 1961 of Karachi division; it was returned to Kalat after 1972. Its population is Muslim. The Lumris or Lasis, whence the prefix Las, are the dominant tribal groups; other tribes include the Baluchi and Brahui. Pop. (1981 prelim.) town, 11,000; district, 187,000.