Shikarpur (; ') is a city and the capital of Shikarpur District in

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 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# ...

. It is situated about 29 km west of the right bank of the Indus, with a railway station, 37 km north-west of

Sukkur Sukkur is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh along the western bank of the Indus River, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the List of cities in Sindh by population, third largest city in Sindh after Karachi and H ...

. It is the 42nd largest city of Pakistan by population according to the 2017 census.

History

Shikarpur was founded in 1677 as the hunting ground of Mahars. Shikarpur, the seat of civilisation, culture, trade and commerce acquired political and economic importance because of its strategic location on the map of

, being directly accessible to those who came from Central and West Asia through the Bolan Pass. In the early 17th century this emerald city in the northern Sindh province of Pakistan became the nucleus of a historical trade center on a caravan route through the Bolan Pass into

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. Shikarpur became the core of manufactures including brass and metal goods, carpets, cotton cloth, and embroidery. Its great bazaar (covered because of the summer heat) is famous throughout Turkistan and southern Asia. The city's economic prosperity was underpinned by the concentration of several Shikarpuri bania communities known as the Multanis (though not all of them actually hail from

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

). They were instrumental in increasing the importance of Shikarpur in the 18th century as the financial capital of the Durrani Empire. Like many urban areas in Sindh, the city of Shikarpur was predominantly populated by

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

prior to the partition of India. However, the predominantly

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

population of Sindh supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

in 1947, the Sindhi Hindu minority migrated to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

while the Muslims refugees from

, called the Muhajirs, settled down in the Shikarpur District.

Demographics

Population

According to 2023 census, Shikarpur had a population of 204,938. The population of Shikarpur District was estimated to be 1,231,481 in 2017. The predominant population is Sindhi. There are significant

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, Baloch, Brahui, speaking communities in Shikarpur. The population is mainly

. There is a small

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

minority in the city as most Hindus migrated to India after independence in 1947.

Geography

Shikarpur District has an area of 2640 square kilometers, divided into four "talukas": * Shikarpur, Sindh. * Lakhi. * Garhi Yasin . * Khanpur, Sindh. Its borders meet with districts of Larkana, Jacobabad, Khairpur &

. Two National Highways (N-65 & N-55) intersect in the city of Shikarpur, so it can well be termed as, one of the junction points of the four provinces. The district has a total road length of 920.0 kilometers, including 125.0 kilometers of National Highways and 195.0 kilometers of Provincial Highways. It is, thus, deficient in road density (0.35 km/Km2) compared with recognized international parameters of development (1 km/Km2). During the last few years, creeping development activity has taken place and 71.0 kilometers of road, 94 schools and a number of schemes in drainage, health and other sectors have been completed, under various programs. Basically, agrarian economy of district Shikarpur is dependent upon non-perennial irrigation system, so the district is always in semi-drought conditions. The last spell of drought is particularly notable as it created heavy unemployment and unsustainable poverty, which without any doubt created serious law and order situations.

Boundaries

The District is bounded on the north and east by Jacobabad District in the south by

Sukkur District Sukkur District (, ) is a district in Sindh Province in Pakistan. Two districts have been split off from the territory of Sukkur: Shikarpur District, Shikarpur in 1977 and Ghotki District, Ghotki in 1993. According to 2023 Pakistani census populat ...

on the west by

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

and Larkana District.

Gates of Shikarpur

The town consists of seven gates named Lakhi-dar, Hathi-dar, Hazari-dar, Civi-dar, Karan-dar, Wagono-dar, Khanpur-dar, and one window named Siddiqui Mari.

Covered Market or Dhak Bazar

Located in the center of the old city, Dhak Bazaar or covered market is a long, narrow street with shops on either sides. It is covered with woodwork of pure teak. It has been serving as a cool shade during the hot summers. Shikarpur along with other contemporary cities like Bukhara, Samarkand, and Istanbul at that time had a covered street market.

Healthcare

*Rai Bahadur Udhaudas Tarachand Hospital ( Civil Hospital) *Hiranand Gangabai Ladies Hospital

Education

Notable educational institutes located in Shikarpur include Shaikh Ayaz University and Chellaram and Seetaldas College. Institutes have their own libraries, but there is only one public library in Shikarpur named "Qadir Bux Bedil Library".

Notable People

Gallery

File:Shikarpur.jpg, Old building architecture of Shikarpur File:Deewan hotel.jpg, Deewan Ramchand's historical restaurant is very famous for its Sweets and Kulfi-Falooda File:Samosa Making at Hathi dar Shikarpur.jpg, Samosa Making at Hathi dar Shikarpur File:SHIKARPUR SAIF PLAZA.jpg, Shikarpur Saif plaza File: Shahi_Bagh.jpg, Shahi Bagh

References

General references

* Markovits, Claude ''The Global World of Indian Merchants 1750-1947 Traders of Sind from Bukhara to Panama'', Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 65–217.

External links

History of Shikarpur
{{Authority control Populated places in Sindh Shikarpur District Tehsils of Shikarpur District