Sukkur (; ) is a city in the

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

i province of

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 ...

along the western bank of the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmi ...

, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the third largest city in

after

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...

, and 14th largest city of Pakistan by population. New Sukkur was established during the British era alongside the village of Sukkur. Sukkur's hill, along with the hill on the river island of Bukkur, form what is sometimes considered the "Gate of Sindh".

Etymology

The name Sukkur may derive from the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

word for "sugar," ''shakkar'', in reference to the

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

fields that have historically been abundant in the region. This may be an allusion to the relative prosperity of the region at the time. Others have suggested the name may derive from the word ''Suukh'', derived from a

Sindhi Sindhi may refer to: *something from, or related to Sindh, a province of Pakistan * Sindhi people, an ethnic group from the Sindh region * Sindhi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them People with the name * Sarkash Sindhi (1940–2012 ...

word for "comfort."

History

The region around Sukkur has been inhabited for millennia. The ruins of Lakhan-jo-daro, located near an industrial park on the outskirts of Sukkur, date from the

Mature Harappan The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900& ...

period of the

Indus Valley Civilization The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900& ...

, between 2600 BCE and 1900 BCE covers more than 300 Hectares of area and is touted to be second largest city of the Indus Valley Civilization just 75 Kilometers away from another major city of Indus Valley Civilization,

Mohenjo Daro Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men'; "Old Sukkur" was initially a small village prior to the establishment of a military garrison in 1839. Sukkur was built on a low limestone ridge on the banks of the

. The city was once surrounded by groves of

date palm ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...

s that were traditionally believed to have grown from the discarded date-pits from Arab invaders in the 8th century. Mir Masum's Minar and tomb 3

The village of Sukkur was directly across from the larger town of Rohri, which served as a busy port along the Indus by the 1200s, and was a major trading centre for agricultural produce. An tall minaret was built at Sukkur's shrine of Mir Masum Shah in 1607.

British

Modern Sukkur, or New Sukkur, was built during British rule alongside what was once a small village directly across from the historic city of Rohri. The British established a military garrison here in 1839, which was abandoned in 1845, though Sukkur continued to grow in importance as a trading center. The Sukkur Municipality was constituted in 1862. Completed in 1889, Sukkur's

Lansdowne Bridge The Lansdowne Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries the northbound carriageway of the Hume Highway (route A22 at this point) across Prospect Creek between Lansvale and Lansdowne. Situated in southwestern Sydney it is located on t ...

connects the Sukkur to Rohri across the Indus, and was one of the first bridges to cross the river. The bridge made the journey between

and

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the ol ...

easier. The bridge was built with two large pylons rather than a series of pillars extending across the river - a cutting-edge design for such an expansive span. The bridge was also made of metal, and features an unusual design. Sukkur Barrage (formerly called Lloyd Barrage), built under the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

on the

, 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 between 1923 and 1932. The 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. On the eve of the Partition of British India in 1947, Sukkur's old town was home to about 10,000 residents, while New Sukkur was home to 80,000.

Modern

After the

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondar ...

most of the city's Hindu population migrated to India, though like much of Sindh, Sukkur did not experience the widespread rioting that occurred in Punjab and Bengal. According to the 1941 census, about 70% of the population of Sukkur was Hindu, this number decreased to 2% by the 1951 census as a result of the partition. However, less than 500 Hindus were killed in all of Sindh between 1947 and 1948 as Sindhi Muslims largely resisted calls to turn against their Hindu neighbours. Hindus did not flee Sukkur ''en masse'' until riots erupted in Karachi on 6 January 1948, which sowed fear in Sindh's Hindus despite the fact that the riots were local and related to Sikh refugees from Punjab seeking refuge in Karachi. Muslim refugees from India settled in Sukkur. The Sindh Industrial Trading Estate in Sukkur was established in 1950. The Ayub Bridge was built in 1962, and spans the Indus River alongside the British-era Landsdowne Bridge. The city suffered major flooding during the 2010 Pakistan floods which inundated large parts of the city.

Geography

The small

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', ...

limestone outcropping upon which Sukkur was founded is the most significant land deformation on the vast plains along the Indus Valley in Sindh and Punjab. The outcropping is part of the "Jacobabad-Khairpur High" and Rohri Hills. The outcropping, along with the similar outcropping on Bukkar Island are sometimes referred to as the "Sukkur Gorge," and has historically served as the traditional northern boundary of Sindh.

Climate

Sukkur has a hot desert climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''BWh''), characterised by extremely hot and hazy summers with warm winters. Sukkur 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 on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. Wind speed is low throughout the year, and sunshine is abundant. Summer temperatures regularly surpass . Dry heat is experienced starting 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 atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

season starts to arrive. Monsoons in Sukkur are not very wet, but bring high

dew point The dew point is the temperature to which air must be cooled to become saturated with water vapor, assuming constant air pressure and water content. When cooled below the dew point, moisture capacity is reduced and airborne water vapor will ...

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 Sukkur 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.

Demography

Sukkur is the third largest city in Sindh after

and

. The population of Sukkur is 551,357 according to the

2017 Census of Pakistan The 2017 Census of Pakistan was a detailed enumeration of the Pakistani population which began on 15 March 2017 and ended on 25 May 2017. It was the first census taken in the country in the 21st century, nineteen years after the previous one in ...

. Around 70% of the population speaks Sindhi natively, while 20% of the population speaks Urdu natively. Roughly 96% of the city is Muslim, while the remaining 4% comprise other minorities, overwhelmingly Hindus.

Economy

Sukkur Skyline along the shores of the River Indus

Sukkur's economy is largely reliant upon the agricultural produce from northern Sindh's farms, and serves as a trading and processing center for agricultural goods. The city also once had a bustling shipbuilding industry. Sukkur is well-connected to the rest of Pakistan by road and rail, which in turn has attracted new industries such as chemical manufacturing, metalworking, and cement manufacturing.

Agriculture

Sukkur had a large fertile and cultivable land area. During ''kharif'', rice, bajra, cotton, tomatoes and peas are cultivated; whereas during ''rabi'' the main crops are wheat, barley, graham and melons. Sukkur is famous, world over, for its dates. Sukkur also has a large Riveraine forest along the course of the Indus. These tropical forests are found within the protective embankments on either side of the Indus. During 1997–98 the total area under forests was which yielded of timber and of

firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood ca ...

besides other mine products.

Transportation

Road

The city will be connected to

by M-5 motorway, with onwards motorway connections to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

, and

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

. Sukkur will also be connected to

by the M-6 motorway, with onwards connections to Karachi via the M-9 motorway. The M-5 and M-6 are being built as part of the wider China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Rail

Sukkur railway station Sukkur railway station ( ur, , sd, سکر ریلوي اسٽیشن) is a railway station located in Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan. A Dak bungalow, now used as a resthouse, is located here. History The railway station was built in 1891, when Sukkur ...

serves as the city's main rail station. Passenger services are provided exclusively by

Pakistan Railways Pakistan Railways ( ur, ) is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of track across Pakistan, stretching from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger se ...

. The city's station is serviced by the

Jaffar Express ''Gaffar Express'' ( ur, ) is a passenger train operated daily by Pakistan Railways between Quetta and Peshawar. The trip takes approximately 34 hours, 10 minutes to cover a published distance of , traveling along a stretch of the Rohri–Cham ...

that runs between

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan ...

and

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of th ...

, the Sukkur Express that runs between

and

Jacobabad Jacobabad ( ur, and sd, جيڪب آباد; formerly Khanger or Khangarh) is a city in Sindh, Pakistan, serving as both the capital city of Jacobabad District and the administrative center of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivisi ...

, and the Akbar Express that runs between Quetta and

Air

Sukkur Airport The Sukkur Airport , also known as Begum Nusrat Bhutto International Airport Sukkur, is a domestic airport located in Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan. It is a medium-sized airport located about from the centre of Sukkur, and serves Sukkur and its sur ...

, located 8 km outside of the city, is served by

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines ( ur, ; abbreviated PIA, ur, ) is an international airline that serves as the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Aviation Secretary of Pakistan, Secretary to the Governme ...

, with direct flights to

, and

Administration

The city of Sukkur is the capital of Sukkur Division and Sukkur District. Sukkur District has four Tehsils (Talukas) and many Union Councils. Sukkur is home to one of three circuit benches of the

Sindh High Court The High Court of Sindh ( ur, ) is the highest judicial institution of the Pakistani province of Sindh. Established in 1906, the Court situated in the provincial capital at Karachi. Apart from being the highest Court of Appeal for Sindh in ...

Education

Sukkur IBA University - academic block I (2)

The Sukkur IBA University (''previously'' Sukkur Institute of Business Administration or Sukkur IBA) is a business school founded in 1994. The institute is ranked 3rd among the five independent business schools of Pakistan included in the Higher Education Commission Pakistan Business School Ranking 2013.

Begum Nusrat Bhutto Women University First ever public sector Women University in the Upper Sindh was established at Rohri, in the name of Begum Nusrat Bhutto by the government of Sindh through the act of parliament. Begum Nusrat Bhutto (BNB) Women University () is located at the ...

is the public sector University exclusively for women. Established on 50 Acre of land at the Rohri Bypass N-5 National Highway The

Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College ( غلام محمد مہر میڈیکل کالج) or GMMMC in short is the sixth public sector Medical college under the Government of Sindh where 100 meritorious students of tagged districts, including Su ...

is a constituent College of

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) ( sd, شهيد محترمه بينظير ڀٽو ميڊيڪل يونيورسٽي), established on July 9, 2009, is a public university of medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and allied health s ...

. The Aror University of Art, Architecture, Design and Heritages is established near Sukkur at Rohri bypass N-5 National Highway. The University will offer the graduate, postgraduate an advance studies in the field of architecture, textile design, photography, interior design, communication design, ceramics and other disciplines.

Islamia Science College Sukkur ''Islamia'' is a genus of small freshwater snails with a gill and an operculum (gastropod), operculum, aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Hydrobiidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Islamia Radoman, 1973. Accessed t ...

was founded by the Syed Hasan Mian Advocate and he remained the Chief Patron of the College till his death, Syed Hasan Mian advocate with the help of Noble families of Sukkur founded 25 Schools and Vocational centers in Sukkur. He was the General Sec of All India Muslim League and close associate of Founder of Pakistan Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Notable people

* Mir Muhammad Masum Nami (d. 1606): Born to Shaikh-ul-Islam of

Bhakkar Bhakkar ( ur, ), is the principal city of Bhakkar District located in Punjab, Pakistan. It lies on the left bank of the Indus River. It is the 86th largest city in Pakistan. Administration Bhakkar city is also the administrative centre of Bh ...

of that time. He authored ''Tarikh-i-Masumi'' (aka ''Tarikh-i-Sind''), a book on history of the Sindh province from the start of

Muhammad Bin Qasim Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim al-Thaqāfī ( ar, محمد بن القاسم الثقفي; –) was an Arab military commander in service of the Umayyad Caliphate who led the Muslim conquest of Sindh (part of modern Pakistan), inaugurating the Umayy ...

's arrival in Sindh to the beginning of 17th century. ''Mufradat-i-Nami'' was book written on medicine by him. He wrote a ''Diwan'' of poetry and versified the translation of legend of ''Sassi Pannu''. *

Hemu Kalani Hemu Kalani (, 23 March 1923 – 21 January 1943) was a revolutionary and freedom fighter during the Indian Independence Movement. He was a leader of Swaraj Sena, a student organisation which was affiliated with All India Students Federation (AISF ...

, martyr * Sardar Ghulam Muhammad Khan Mahar * Syed

Nasir Hussain Shah Syed Nasir Hussain Shah is a Pakistani politician who currently holds the office of Provincial Minister at the Government of Sindh for Local Government, Forests and Religious Affairs. He had previously been Sindh's Provincial Minister for Works ...

Abdul Hafeez Pirzada Abdul Hafeez Pirzada ( ur, ; 24 February 1935 – 1 September 2015) was a Pakistani lawyer, legal theorist, and politician, who served variously as minister for information, minister for law, minister for finance, and minister for education ...

* Syed Khurshid Shah, Leader of Opposition for National Assembly of Pakistan from June 2013 to May 2018. * Islam Ud Din Shaikh, Member of Senate of Pakistan since March 2015. * Nouman Islam Shaikh, Member National Assembly of Pakistan, NA-207 (Sukkur-II), NA-198 (Sukkur-cum-Shikarpur-I). * Dr Sana Ramchand Gulwani, first female Hindu civil servant from Pakistan Administrative Service.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

*
Sukkur

Ghulam Muhammad Maher Medical College, Sukkur

ADB Report on Sukkur Barrage 2001

An Overview of the History and Impacts of the Water Issue in Pakistan

Pakistan Floods Situation Report, 26 July 2005
{{Authority control Metropolitan areas of Pakistan Populated places in Sukkur District