Manghopir or Mangopir ( sd, ) is a neighbourhood in the Malir district of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, that previously was a part of Gadap Town until 2011. There are several ethnic groups in Manghopir including Muhajirs, Sindhis,

Punjabis The Punjabis ( Punjabi: ; ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ; romanised as Panjābīs), are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The ...

, Kashmiris,

Seraikis The Saraikis ( skr, ), are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group inhabiting parts of central and southeastern Pakistan, primarily in the southern part of the Pakistani province of Punjab They are mainly found in a region of southern Punjab known ...

, Pakhtuns, Balochis, Memons, Bohras,

Ismailis Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...

, etc. The population of the neighborhood is

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. The population of Gadap Town is estimated to be nearly one million. Manghopir is a rural area of Karachi, named after

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

Pir Pir or PIR may refer to: Places * Pir, Kerman, a village in Kerman Province, Iran * Pir, Satu Mare, commune in Satu Mare County, Romania Religion * Pir (Alevism), one of the 12 ranks of Imam in Alevism * Pir (Sufism), a Sufi teacher or spiritu ...

Haji Syed Sakhi Sultan. The area has the oldest

shrines in the city, hot sulphur springs that are believed to have curative powers, and many crocodiles - believed locally to be the sacred disciples of Pir Mangho.

Baloch Baloch, also spelled Baloch, Beluch and in other ways, may refer to: * Baloch people, an ethnic group of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan * Baluch, a small itinerant community of Afghanistan * Balouch, Azad Kashmir, a town in Pakistan * Baloch (s ...

s often call this place as ‘Mangi’ or Garm-aab / Sard-aab (due to the presence of the hot & cold springs).

Manghopir Lake

One of the inhabitant of Shrine of Pir Mangho (Karachi)

The Manghopir Lake is situated near the shrine of

Pir Mangho and there over one hundred Mugger crocodiles in the lake which are fed by the pilgrims.Runaway crocodiles returned to Manghopir shrine
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Sheedis and Festivals

Manghopir is mostly inhabited by one of Pakistan's smallest ethnic communities, the Sheedi, also known as Makrani. Sheedi are said to be the descendants of Afro-Arabs from Zanzibar and maintain their distinct Afro-Arab and Omani identity in the midst of the dominating South

Asian cultures Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

. Presently, these African-Pakistanis live in various parts of Karachi. Most are found in

Lyari Lyari (Urdu: ; sd, لیاري) is a historic locality in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the most densely-populated part of Karachi, and is one of its earliest settled areas.Sarwat Viqar (2014) Constructing Lyari: place, governance and identity in a Kar ...

, but they are also found in

Malir Malir Town ( sd, ملير ٽائون, ur, ) lies in the northern part of the city that was named after the Malir River. History Administrative status 2000 The federal government under introduced local government reforms in the year ...

, Moaach Goth, Manghopir, and further interior at

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

and Balochistan. Due to Lyari's dominant

Sheedi people The Siddi (), also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, or Habshi are an ethnic group inhabiting India and Pakistan. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa and Ethiopia, most whom arrived to ...

population, it is often called 'Little Africa'. Some Afro-Arab style festivals and dances like Gowaati,

Lewa Lewa may refer to: * A traditional Baluch folk dance in Pakistan * LEWA, a manufacturer from Germany that produces diaphragm metering pumps, process pumps as well as customized metering systems and production units * Lewa Wildlife Conservancy * Le ...

, Dhamaal, beating Omani style shindo, jabwah, and jasser

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

s are still popular in Manghopirs Lyari locale. Many forms of folk beliefs and medicines are also still practiced. A prominent Urdu poet and Lyari citizen,

Noon Meem Danish Noor Mohammed Danish ( ur, ; born 1958), also known as Noon Meem Danish, is a Pakistani poet of African and Baloch descent. Early life and education Danish was born in 1958 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan to a working-class family. He was raised ...

, proudly claims to be the great-great-grandchild of an African from Zanzibar. "Now after centuries of cultural amalgamation, Sheedis proudly call themselves Baloch or Makrani."

References

External links

Karachi Website
{{coord, 24, 59, N, 67, 02, E, region:PK_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Neighbourhoods of Karachi Gadap Town

Manghopir Lake

Sheedis and Festivals

See also

References

External links