Khairpur (
Sindhi, ) is a city and the capital of the
Khairpur Mirs District of
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
's
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
province.
History
The Talpur dynasty was established in 1783 by Mir Fateh Ali Khan, who declared himself the first ''Rais'', or ruler of Sindh, after defeating the
Kalhoras at the
Battle of Halani.
The death of Mir Sohrab Khan Talpur, founder of the Khairpur branch abdicated power to his eldest son Mir Rustam Ali Khan, in 1811.

Rustam ruled until 1842, when he abdicated in favor of his youngest brother Mir Ali Murad. Ali Murad helped the British in 1845-7 during the Turki campaign, but was later accused of plotting against the British in 1851–2, and so was stripped of his lands in upper Sindh by the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
. As a result, the remaining land under his control consisted mostly of Khairpur city, and its immediate environs. During the 1857
Sepoy Mutiny, Ali Murad sided with the British, and prevented rebels from seizing the
Shikarpur jail and treasury.
He regained the favour of the British, and in 1866, the British promised to recognize any future successors as rightful rulers of Khairpur.
Ali Murad's eldest son had predeceased him, and so he was succeeded by his second son, Mir Faiz Muhammad Khan, who ruled until his death 1909.
He was in turn succeeded by his son, Mir Imam Bakhsh Khan Talpur,
who aided the British war effort during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, and was thus awarded the honorary title Lieutenant Colonel in 1918.
He died in 1921, and was succeeded by Mir Ali Nawaz Khan. Under his rule, the feudal ''Cherr'' system of forced labour was abolished, while new canals were laid for irrigation.
Geography
Khairpur district is located in north-eastern Sindh and is bounded on the north by Shikarpur and Sukkur, on the east by India, on the south by Sanghar district and Shaheed Benzeerabad and on the west by Larkana and Noshero Feroz. The district lies from 680 10’ to 700 10’ east longitude and 260 9’ to 270 42’ north Latitude.
Politics
Politically, the city of Khairpur have been dominated by the
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) since the era of 1970s. Excluding the exceptional occasions, where other parties had also left mark of their victory now or then but more or less the city have been represented by the MNAs belonging PPP in the
Provincial and
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
.
The National Assembly
The city is represented by the 1 MNA in the federal legislature since the remapping of the constituencies during
2018 Elections.
The Provincial Assembly
Climate
Khairpur has a
hot desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''BWh''), characterised by extremely hot and hazy summers with warm winters. Khairpur is known for its extremely hot summers, and was described as the hottest city in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
.
Wind speed is low throughout the year, and sunshine is abundant. Summer temperatures regularly surpass . Dry heat is experienced starting from April to early June until the
Monsoon
A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
season starts to arrive. Monsoons in Khairpur are not very wet, but bring high
dew point
The dew point is the temperature the air needs to be cooled to (at constant pressure) in order to produce a relative humidity of 100%. This temperature depends on the pressure and water content of the air. When the air at a temperature above the ...
s, resulting in high heat indices. Monsoons recede by September, but it is not until late October that the short lived autumn season is experienced before the onset of the region's cool winters.
The average annual rainfall of Khairpur is and mainly occurs in the monsoon season. The highest annual rainfall ever is , recorded in 1978 and the lowest annual rainfall ever is 0 mm in 1941.
Demographics
Population
According to
2023 census, Khairpur had a population of 191,044. At the 1998 census, the population of the city of Khairpur was 102,188 having increased from 61,447 at the 1981 census. The city had an estimated population of 127,857 in 2006.
Education
There are following Colleges and Universities in Khairpur
Khairpur Medical College KMC, Khairpur MirsPir Abdul Qadir Shah Jeelani Institute of Medical Sciences, Khairpur MirsShah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur MirsIBA-Institute of Emerging Technologies, SIBAU Campus KhairpurMehran University College Of Engineering And Technology SZAB Campus Khairpur
The Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University of Technology & Skill Development, Khairpur Mirs
Khairpur College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (KCAET) at Khairpur
Pak-Turk Maarif International Schools and Colleges Khairpur Campus,
IBA Community College Khairpur,
Superior Science College Khairpur Mirs,
Khairpur Women College Khairpur,
See also
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
Khairpur diaries: Where women earn and women rule
{{Authority control
Populated places in Sindh
Khairpur District