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

Shikarpur District Shikarpur district (, ), is a district in Larkana Division of Sindh province in Pakistan. The city of Shikarpur is the district headquarters. There are 4 talukas: Lakhi, Garhi Yasin, Khanpur Tehsil and Shikarpur Tehsil itself. It is spre ...

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 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 the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the dis ...

, 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 Bolan Pass () is a valley and a natural gateway through the Toba Kakar range in Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is situated south of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. The pass is an stretch of the Bolan River valley from Rindli in the ...

. 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

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 Turkestan,; ; ; ; also spelled Turkistan, is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and East Turkestan (Xinjiang). The region is located in the northwest of modern day China and to the northwest of its ...

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 The Durrani Empire, colloquially known as the Afghan Empire, or the Saddozai Kingdom, was an Afghanistan, Afghan empire founded by the Durrani tribe of Pashtuns under Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747, which spanned parts of Central Asia, the Iranian ...

. 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 Muslim League may refer to: Political parties British India *All-India Muslim League, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan ** Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organization above **Unionist Muslim L ...

and

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

. 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 Sindhi Hindus are ethnic Sindhis who practice Hinduism and are native to the Sindh region of the Indian subcontinent. They are spread across modern-day Sindh, Pakistan and India. After the partition of India in 1947, many Sindhi Hindus were amo ...

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

Demographics

Population

According to 2023 census, Shikarpur had a population of 204,938. The population of

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 Garhi Yasin Sindh ( ', ') is a town and taluka of Shikarpur District, Sindh, Pakistan. One of the three talukas (sub-districts) of Shikarpur, Garhi Yasin is of political and historical significance to Pakistan. On 1 June 1977 the old Shika ...

. * Khanpur, Sindh. Its borders meet with districts of

Larkana Larkana (; ) is a city located in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the 15th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is home to the Indus Valley civilization site Mohenjo-daro. The historic Indus River flows in east and south of the ci ...

Jacobabad Jacobabad, also known as Khanger, is a city in Sindh, Pakistan, serving as both the capital city of Jacobabad District and the administrative centre of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivision of the district. The city itself is subd ...

Khairpur Khairpur ( Sindhi, ) is a city and the capital of the Khairpur Mirs District of Pakistan's Sindh province. History The Talpur dynasty was established in 1783 by Mir Fateh Ali Khan, who declared himself the first ''Rais'', or ruler of Sindh, a ...

. 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 Jacobabad District (, ) is a district in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. According to 2023 Census population of Jacobabad District is 1,174,097 It is located in the north of Sindh, by the provincial boundary with Balochistan. Its headquarters is ...

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 Larkana District ( Sindhi: لاڙڪاڻو ضلعو; ) is a district of the Sindh province of Pakistan. Its largest city is Larkana, which sits on the banks of the Indus River. It is the home district of the politically influential Bhutto famil ...

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