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Sukkur


Situated about 544 km (338 miles) north-east of Karachi, Sukkur is an important road and rail junction while traveling between Karachi, Lahore and Quetta. Sukkur is the third largest city of Sindh province, situated on the west bank of Indus River (Pakistan). Sukkur (read as Suck-khar, or sometime Sukhar) is a local variant of Arabic word Saqar which means intense. In the 10th century AD when Arabs invaded Sukkur (Sindh), they found extreme (hot and cold) climate, and called it saqar. Sukkur is given a title of Darya Dino (means the gift of river), as without the Indus this would be like Egypt deprived of Nile. Sukkur is the central city of Sindh province in Pakistan. Muslim shrines and a river island having a Hindu temple are of particular interest for locals and visitors alike. Shooting of game birds is possible in the nearby lakes, canals and green spots around Sukkur. The district of Sukkur (whose name is derived from its head quarter Sukkur city) covers an area of 5,165 square kilometres. Geographically it is spanned from 27°05' to 28°02' north latitudes and from 68°47' to 69°43' east longitudes. The city of Sukkur is located at an altitude of 220 feet (67 m) from sea level, having terrestrial coordinates 68°52' east and 27°42' north. It is also the narrowest point of the lower Indus course. Sukkur district shares northern border with Shikarpur and (recently constituted) Kashmore districts. Ghotki is located on the north-eastern side while Khairpur on the south. Sukkur also shares its border with India (Jaisalmir, Rajasthan). Sukkur is also connected by road air with all major cities of Pakistan. Sukkur is chiefly dominated by Muslims that constitute 96% of total population. But it also has relatively greater proportion of Hindus, mostly settled in urban areas and engaged in trade and services sector. Ethnically Sindhis share the biggest segment of population (74%), followed by Muhajirs (13%). Sukkur is also domicile of many Baloch tribes, including, Rindh, Chandio, Gabol, Khoso and Laghari. Amongst others like Syed, Mangrio, Phulpoto and many more. There are Memon, Punjabi and Siraiki sections. Traditionally Memons were associated with trade and retail business but during last two decades they have ascended as an active social and economic front. The Sukkur Barrage, officially named the Lloyd Barrage, on the Indus about three miles below Sukkur Gorge, is the pride of Pakistan's irrigation system. It is the largest system of its kind in the world. It is the backbone of the economy of the entire country, providing, through its network of canals, irrigation to an area of 7.63 million acres , approximately 25 per cent of the total canal-irrigated area of the country. The Nara Canal, which is one of the seven canals absorbing the run-off from this barrage, is the largest in the country, carrying a discharge almost equal to that of the River Thames. Its bed width is 346 ft. --- one and a half times that of the Suez Canal. It is not a man- made Canal, but the south-western arm of the Hakro, the 'Lost River of the Indian Desert'. Sukkur is a hub of many small and large scale industries. Among important industries are cotton textiles, cement, leather, tobacco, paint and varnish, pharmaceuticals, agriculture implements, hand pumps, lock making, rice-husking, and sugar. Small-scale cottage industries comprise hosiery, boat making, fishing accessories, thread ball spooling, trunk making brass-wares, cutlery and ceramics. Sukkur has many places of interest i.e Rohri, Aror (ruines of historical city), Tomb of Shah khairuddin jillani GEA SHAH , Tomb of the Seven Maidens Sateen_Jo_Aastan , Tomb of Abdul_Baqi_Purani, Ex-Governor of Bukkur. ,Bukkur Island , Minaret of Masum Shah ,Sadh Belo Temple on River Indus.