Nushki

Nushki (Balochi and Brahvi: نوشکے or Noshkay, Nushkay),(Urdu: نوشکی) is a city in Nushki District of Balochistan, Pakistan. It lies in the southwest of Quetta, the provincial capital, at an elevation of 2,900 feet (880 m) above sea level. From Nushki, the flat Balochistan desert stretches northward and westward to the Helmand River.^[1]

Nushki نوشکے Noshky
City
A camel in the Nushki Desert
Nickname:  City of the golden deserts
Nushki Show map of Balochistan, Pakistan Nushki Show map of Pakistan
Coordinates: 29°33′20″N 66°1′18″E
Country	Pakistan
Province	Balochistan
District	Nushki District
Population  (2023 census)
• Total	48,572
Website	balochistan.gov.pk

History

Nushki was a starting point for the British exploration of Central Asia. The British, concerned that their colonies in India would be attacked overland by either Napoleon or the Russians, sent two British officers, Captain Charles Christie and Lieutenant Henry Pottinger, to explore the regions between Balochistan and Persia, which was then allied with the British. Christie and Pottinger traveled from the coast to Kelat (now Kalat) and separated at Nushki on March 22, 1810, with Christie going northwest to Herat and Pottinger traveling west across the deserts. It was unlikely that either of the two men would be accepted by the locals, and they concealed their identities by posing as horse traders or holy men during their respective journeys. They were reunited in Isfahan on June 30, 1810, with Christie having ridden 2,250 miles and Pottinger having ridden 2,412 miles.^[2]

Demographics

Census	Population[3]
1972	5,329
1981	11,300
1998	23,948
2017	46,396
2023	48,572

See also

• Nushki District

References

1. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Nushki" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
2. Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game (1994), pp. 38–55.
3. "Balochistān (Pakistan): Province, Major Cities, Municipalites & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-09-05.