The Sulaiman Mountains

[Leader]

@Leader here is the "Pul e Serat" i told u abt yesterday (near Danasar):

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Most of the pics of this road are old... it has been contructed or under construction(or atleast it was 1-2 year back)..

woah, it seems only one vehicle at a time can pass...

 

[Meengla]

But why 'Pul e Sirat' as the name of the bridge? Because so dangerous (landslides? Structurally?)? Correct me if I have forgotten: Pul e Sirat is the danger-filled path where only the Righteous humans would be able to cross at the End of the World, according to Islamic teachings.

 

[krash]

that was not my point, they are beautiful ofcourse, no doubt.. I was just wondering why there are no trees...anyway these places in Sindh should be developed, its ideal tourist, hiking and vocational spots.

some pictures seem to be dara zhob @DESERT FIGHTER ?

The Sulaiman and Kirthar ranges aren't completely devoid of trees. The central parts get loads of olive, cherry, pista, apple and badaam trees. Then we have Ziarat with its Juniper forests. The northwestern sides are actually alpine meadows which of course means that they are above the tree line but the lower slopes and peaks there get the Blue Pine in abundance. Still, on the whole, grass and trees are scarce in the ranges while shrub dominates the slopes.

The barrenness is mostly attributed to the little rainfall that these areas receive, which ironically is in part their own fault since they block the moisture laden winds from the south and east (they also play a major role in making Afghanistan the desert that it is). This is further made obvious when one sees that the plains right beneath its eastern end are lush green. In winters, however, the winds from the west bring plenty of snow.

All said, this is another face of Pakistan which is very strange and yet spectacularly beautiful. The diversity in this land leaves you bewildered every time.

Edit: Just found out that the Juniper forest in Ziarat is the second largest in the world, spanning more than 1000 Km Sq. Some of the trees there are 7000 years old!

 

[Leader]

The Sulaiman and Kirthar ranges aren't completely devoid of trees. The central parts get loads of olive, cherry, pista, apple and badaam trees. Then we have Ziarat with its Juniper forests. The northwestern sides are actually alpine meadows which of course means that they are above the tree line but the lower slopes and peaks there get the Blue Pine in abundance. Still, on the whole, grass and trees are scarce in the ranges while shrub dominates the slopes.

The barrenness is mostly attributed to the little rainfall that these areas receive, which ironically is in part their own fault since they block the moisture laden winds from the south and east (they also play a major role in making Afghanistan the desert that it is). This is further made obvious when one sees that the plains right beneath its eastern end are lush green. In winters, however, the winds from the west bring plenty of snow.

All said, this is another face of Pakistan which is very strange and yet spectacularly beautiful. The diversity in this land leaves you bewildered every time.

thanks alot, you mean the the valleys or lower altitude have these trees?


shouldnt that be a cause to more rains since they are blocking it?

 

[krash]

thanks alot, you mean the the valleys or lower altitude have these trees?


shouldnt that be a cause to more rains since they are blocking it?

Yes that is what is happening, if I remember correctly. In the winter season the Northwestern sides block the moist winds coming in from the west which take their moisture from the Mediterranean. The winds hit the North-western end first and precipitate which results in the blue pine, willow and Juniper forests on the slopes, the valleys and the peaks which lay below the tree line. Much the same way the lower Himalays block the southern rains and we get thick pine forests in the Galiyat, Naran, Kaghan, Neelum, Swat, etc. while Gilgit-Baltistan's slopes remain barren, with a few exceptions of course.

In the summers the eastern winds from the Indian Ocean hit the eastern end first and precipitate in the Indus-delta laying at the range's feet (that area is mostly flooded). Both these factors leave the heart of the range dry as a bone. And it is here that we find the pista, cherry, olive, etc. trees on the lower slopes and in the valleys (these trees require less water to survive). This scarcity of rain results in no grass for the better part of the year which makes everything look desolate and barren.

ps: I'm a bit rusty on the Sulaiman and Kirthar ranges, it's been a while since I studied on them.

 

[Leader]

Yes that is what is happening, if I remember correctly. In the winter season the Northwestern sides block the moist winds coming in from the west which take their moisture from the Mediterranean. The winds hit the North-western end first and precipitate which results in the blue pine, willow and Juniper forests on the slopes, the valleys and the peaks which lay below the tree line. Much the same way the lower Himalays block the southern rains and we get thick pine forests in the Galiyat, Naran, Kaghan, Neelum, Swat, etc. while Gilgit-Baltistan's slopes remain barren, with a few exceptions of course.

In the summers the eastern winds from the Indian Ocean hit the eastern end first and precipitate in the Indus-delta laying at the range's feet (that area is mostly flooded). Both these factors leave the heart of the range dry as a bone. And it is here that we find the pista, cherry, olive, etc. trees on the lower slopes and in the valleys (these trees require less water to survive). This scarcity of rain results in no grass for the better part of the year which makes everything look desolate and barren.

ps: I'm a bit rusty on the Sulaiman and Kirthar ranges, it's been a while since I studied on them.

great thanks, have you traveled in these areas? if so share your pictures kindly... enrich the thread.

I myself pretty weak in geography, I hated it since I learned "the Air" is called "moving mass"... so anything you tell is good for me

 

[W.11]

Edit: Just found out that the Juniper forest in Ziarat is the second largest in the world, spanning more than 1000 Km Sq. Some of the trees there are 7000 years old!

Some pics:

these are the pictures of Ziarat village in iran not Pakistan

Ziarat, Golestan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ziarat

Ziarat

 

[krash]

great thanks, have you traveled in these areas? if so share your pictures kindly... enrich the thread.

I myself pretty weak in geography, I hated it since I learned "the Air" is called "moving mass"... so anything you tell is good for me

One of my greatest regrets is that I haven't traveled Balochistan in an age that I could remember it, but not for long insha' Allah. I've been there all around but I was only 4-6 years old. I did go from Karachi to Gawadar at an older age and that has imprinted an image of Balochistan in my mind that I'm still in love with. All I know is from studying atlases and geography books, always loved studying Pakistan's geography.

these are the pictures of Ziarat village in iran not Pakistan

Ziarat, Golestan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ziarat

Ziarat

Ah! Dang it! I'll change them. Thanks for correcting me.

A WWF article on the Balochistan Black Bear that inhabits these mountains,

The Balochistan black bear (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus) is a subspecies of the Asiatic black bear found in the Balochistan mountains of southern Pakistan and Iran. In Balochistan, the bear is found in the higher hill ranges of Takht-e-Suliman and Toba Kakar. It is also found in Ziarat, Kalat and Khuzdar. Locally this bear is known as "mum" was once widely distributed in most of Balochistan but now it is considered extinct in most of the areas.

It has an unusually thin coat for an Asian black bear, but this is because it is found in a warmer climate than most of the other subspecies, which are found in the much colder Himalayan mountains. It is also more frugivorous than the other subspecies, and it loves to eat figs and bananas.

Balochistan black bear is smaller than the other subspecies and is more varietal. Another characteristic noticed in the Balochistan bear is that it has a darker chest patch than the other subspecies, and that has a thinner head but still has the flanks branching from its head. The Balochistan bear prefers to eat Indian olive (Olea ferruginea), Ber (Zizyphus nummularia) as well as the starchy rhizomes, insects and lizards, and fruits of the dwarf palm.

Balochistan black bear break up downed logs in their search for grubs, helping the process of decay in the forest and the return of nutrients to the soil.

The rest over here; Balochistan Black Bear.

And an article on the inclusion of our Juniper forests into the Global Network of Biosphere Reserves,
Pakistan’s Juniper Forest makes it to the Global Network of Biosphere Reserves - Vietnam travel and tours - Zimbio

 

[W.11]

One of my greatest regrets is that I haven't traveled Balochistan in an age that I could remember it, but not for long insha' Allah. I've been there all around but I was only 4-6 years old. I did go from Karachi to Gawadar at an older age and that has imprinted an image of Balochistan in my mind that I'm still in love with. All I know is from studying atlases and geography books, always loved studying Pakistan's geography.



Ah! Dang it! I'll change them. Thanks for correcting me.

A WWF article on the Balochistan Black Bear that inhabits these mountains,

The rest over here; Balochistan Black Bear.

And an article on the inclusion of our Juniper forests into the Global Network of Biosphere Reserves,
Pakistan’s Juniper Forest makes it to the Global Network of Biosphere Reserves - Vietnam travel and tours - Zimbio

i don't know why WWF has put himalayan black bear picture in balochistan bear article

 

[krash]

i don't know why WWF has put himalayan black bear picture in balochistan bear article

Actually they are both subspecies (more like just area-wise sub-divisions) of the Asiatic or Asian Black Bear and they both look almost the same. At times all Asiatic Black Bears are mentioned as the Himalayan Black Bears. I'm pretty sure that's the Balochistan Black Bear. The ones in Sindh look the same as well...the black moon bears in China also look the same except the white marks on their chests are a little bigger.