SUKKUR SINDH

Sukkur

 

Sukkur, or Sakharu (Urdu: سكهّر‎), (Sindhi: سکر), formerly Aror (Urdu: اروڑ and Bakar, is the third largest city of Sindh province, situated on the west bank of Indus River in Pakistan in Sukkur District. However, the word Sakharu in Sindhi means "superior", which the spelling of the city's name in Sindhi suggests is the origin of the name. Sukkur is nicknamed Darya Dino , meaning the gift of river), as without the Indus the city would be a desert. People of Sukkur speak Sindhi (72%), Urdu (15.5%), Punjabi (4%), Pashto (1.5%), Balochi (1%), and others 1%.

 

 

 

The Sukkur Barrage has 66 Gates. The Sukkur Barrage (formally called Lloyd Barrage), built under the British Raj on the Indus River, controls one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. It was designed by Sir Arnold Musto KCIE, and constructed under the overall direction of Sir Charlton Harrison, KCIE, as Chief Engineer. Construction of the barrage was started in 1923 and completed in January 1932. The 5,001 feet (1,524 m) long barrage is made of yellow stone and steel and can water nearly 10 million acres (40,000 km²) of farmland through its seven large canals. Some of the canals are larger than the Suez Canal.

In November 2004, the government of Pakistan initiated a rehabilitation project to revitalize its water storage capacity and distribution efficiency. The project was completed in July 2005, (with less than the allocated amount of Rs. 887 million). Experts believe that the rehabilitation of the barrage has enhanced its efficiency for another 60 to 70 years

 

 

 

The district of Sukkur (whose name is derived from its head quarter Sukkur city) covers an area of 5,165 square kilometres. Geographically it is spanned from 27°05' to 28°02' north latitudes and from 68°47' to 69°43' east longitudes. The city of Sukkur is located at an altitude of 220 feet (67 m) from sea level, having terrestrial coordinates 68°52' east and 27°42' north. It is also the narrowest point of the lower Indus course.

Sukkur district shares its northern border with Shikarpur and the recently constituted Kashmore districts. Ghotki is located on the north-eastern side while Khairpur on the south. The border with India lies further east. Sukkur is also connected by road and by air with all major cities of Pakistan.

 

 



 

 

Sukkur is a hub of many small and large scale industries. Among important industries are cotton textiles, cement, leather, tobacco, paint and varnish, pharmaceuticals, agriculture implements, hand pumps, lock making, rice-husking, and sugar. Small-scale cottage industries comprise hosiery, boat making, fishing accessories, thread ball spooling, trunk making brass-wares, cutlery and ceramics. Being an agricultural city, crops like rice, maize, cotton, tomatoes, peas wheat, barley, gram and melons are sown here. Sukkur is famous world over, for its delicious dates. Sukkur also holds a large number of riverine forest on the course of Indus. These tropical forests are found within the protective embankments on either side of Indus. During 1997-98 the total area under forests was 510 km² which yielded 55,000 cubic feet (1600 m³) of timber and 27000 cubic feet (760 m³) of firewood besides other miner products.

 

 

Visit : Ghanta Ghar (Clock Tower) Bazaar should be your starting point where the best part of bazaar is. Later you can visit Masoom Shah Jo Munaro (Menarat of Masoom Shah) which is at a walking distance and if you have energy to climb 84 narrow steps there is a spectacular view of the River Indus and its two bridges. Minaret was built by Historian and knight Masoom Shah in 18th century Later drive to The Lloyd Barrage and Lansdowne bridge . At Lloyd barrage there is also a small barrage Museum which explains the barrage system and some interesting facts of the river Indus irrigation system. Near Lansdowne Bridge also visit the "Sat Bahan Astan" A small graveyard from 15th to 17th century has beautifully decorated tombs with blue Glazed tiles.

 

 

Board a house boat to give you a tour of the floating villages of Mohanas (Fishermen) on the banks of river Indus. These people live on their house boats and spend a very difficult life. See the colorful boats decorated with very basic items and wood carving. Sometimes you can also get a glimpse of Indus Dolphin during this ride. Indus dolphin is a unique animal found only in the river Indus. They are blind due to the silt of the river and due to the flow of the river they have adopted a continuous movement in them, against water. Visit Sadh Belo a Hindu Pilgrimage area on the main island in river Indus, this was the asthan (Places) of a Sadhu known as Bankhandi (Forest wonderer) in 1823 who left the world in search of the od and meditated here. His meditation brought mericle and goddess Durga appeared at the island. Keepinf this background in mind the hindus pay a pilgramage to this island and consider it a sacred island. You need a permission from the department of Oqaf to go there.

 

 

Lab-e-Mehran is famous garden in Sukkur, situated on Bandar Road, adjacent to the Indus River, in Sindh Province, Pakistan. It was built with the cost of 12 crore rupees, and it is still under development. There is a separate family area with a small hotel. There is also boat riding facility. The garden is full of beautiful plants. This is main visiting place in Sukkur city.Sometimes heaps of rubbish can also seen at different places.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HYDERABAD PAKISTAN

Hyderabad

 

Hyderabad : حیدرآباد‎), Hyderabad. (Sindhi: حيدرآباد ) is the 2nd largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the 7th largest city in the country  . The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot (Sindhi: نيرُون ڪوٽ). Formerly the capital of Sindh, it serves as the HQ of the district of Hyderabad. The last Battle of Amir Talpor and British took place in this city in 1843. Before the creation of Pakistan, it was known as the Paris of India, for its roads used to be washed with river water.

 

Hyderabad is a city built on three hillocks cascading over each other. Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro of the Kalhora Dynasty founded the city in 1768 over the ruins of Neroon Kot (Nerun or Nerun Kot) (meaning the place of Neroon), a small fishing village on the banks of River Indus named after its ruler Neroon. A formal concept of the city was laid out by his son, Sarfraz Khan in 1782. When the foundations were laid, the city obtained the nickname Heart of the Mehran as the ruler Mian Ghulam Shah himself was said to have fallen in love with the city. In 1768 he ordered a fort to be built on one of the three hills of Hyderabad to house and defend his people. The fort was built using fire-baked bricks giving it the name Pacco Qillo (Sindhi: پڪو قلعو) meaning the strong fort. After the death of the last Kalhoro, the Talpur dynasty ruled the region. Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur left his capital Khudabad, the Land of God and made Hyderabad his capital in 1789. He made the Pacco Qillo his residence and also held his courts there. Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur along with his three other brothers were responsible for the affairs that persisted in the city of Hyderabad in the years of their rule. The four were called char yar, Sindhi for the four friends.

The City has a history of Sufism. In the 18th Century Syeds from Multan migrated and settled at Tando Jahania making it a sacred place for Muslims. These Syeds came here from Uch Sharif (Bahawalpur District) via Jahanian (Khanewal District 42 km from Multan). These were the descendants of Jahaniyan Jahangasht a famous sufi saint.The family’s lineage is linked to Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari of Uch Sharif( Punjab, Pakistan). Tando Jahania is a small town in the city known for Sufism and Azadari.

The Baloch Talpur rule lasted almost over 50 years and in 1843, Talpurs faced a greater threat, the invasion of expanding British colonial empire. The British wanted to annex Sindh due to their strategic interests in the Punjab region and Afghanistan. The Talpur Amir signed a peace agreement that gave significant concessions to the British. After signing this peace agreement Amir Talpur demobilized his volunteer army. The British General Napier also started to march his army back towards Bombay. When the General Napier heard that the Talpur Amir had demobilised his Baloch army he turned back his army and again threatened Hyderabad. The peace agreement with Talpur Amir was of no consequence compared to the strategic interests of the British colonial empire. The British came face-to-face with the Talpurs at the Battle of Miani on 17 February 1843. General Napier was firmly determined in conquering Sindh and plundering Hyderabad. The battle ended on 24 March 1843 when the Talpur Amirs lost and the city came into the hands of the British. The Amirs of Hyderabad suffered great loss, their Fort was plundered, thousands were killed and Amirs themselves were exiled to Rangoon, Burma - never to see Sindh again. The British made the city part of the Bombay Presidency of British colonial empire.

At the time of independence of Pakistan in 1947, the Muhajirs began to immigrate to Pakistan and many settled in the city of Hyderabad. These refugee Muslim lost everything in India and were settled in refugee camps. This hostility translated into communal tension in Hyderabad between Muslim refugees and local Hindus; After independence of Pakistan, Hindus expected to remain in Sindh, however a large number of them left due to communal violence or due to better socio-economic prospects in India. The massive migration of (Muhajirs) who began mass migration into Pakistan after independence of Pakistan in 1947 raised the population levels of the city to extremes. The late 1980s saw a black period in the history of Hyderabad as riots and violence broke out between the Muhajirs, and the indigenous Sindhi nationalist parties due to which the social fabric of the city was damaged.

climate

Hyderabad has a hot desert climate , with warm conditions year-round. The period from mid-April to late June (before the onset of the monsoon) is the hottest of the year, with highs peaking in May at 41.4 °C (106.5 °F). During this time, winds that blow usually bring along clouds of dust, and people prefer staying indoors in the daytime, while the breeze that flows at night is more pleasant. Winters are warm, with highs around 25 °C (77 °F), though lows can often drop below 10 °C (50 °F) at night. The highest temperature of 48.5 °C (119 °F) was recorded on 7 June 1991, while the lowest temperature of 1 °C (34 °F) was recorded on 8 February 2012.

 

Sport

Hyderabad is home to the Hyderabad Hawks who play at the Niaz Stadium. It has a seating capacity of 25,000 known for the first ever hat-trick taken by a bowler in a one-day international (ODI) match in 1982. Many cricket test matches were played at Niaz Stadium. Nowadays many visiting test playing countries refuse to play in Hyderabad because of lack of 5 star hotel. Hyderabad also has a hockey stadium. There is another stadium in Latifabad called Board Stadium mostly catering to school sports under the supervision of BISE (Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education) Hyderabad.

 Education

The University of Sindh  is the dominant player in educational reforms since its inception in 1947. The University of Sindh,the second oldest university of the country, was constituted under the University of Sindh Act. No. XVII of 1947 passed by the Legislative Assembly of Sindh. It was founded in Karachi and relocated to Hyderabad in 1951, only because the city was re-enacted as the capital of the province of Sindh. It has 32 colleges affiliated with it. Main campus of the university is located outside Hyderabad city in Jamshoro town Jamshoro district along with other universities like the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology and Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Sindh's first medical school. It also has a Nursing school and Dental school. Sindh Agriculture University in Tando Jam is still in Hyderabad district and focus primarily on agriculture and horticulture. Other universities in the private sector in Hyderabad city include University of East and Isra University.