| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Sindh is the third largest province geographically. Its size is about 579 km north-south and 442 km (extreme) or 281 km (average) east-west, with an area of 140,915 km² The population was about 28 million in 1994, with about half urban. Its capital is Karachi. Other towns and cities include Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Tando Adam , Tando Allahyar, Nawabshah , Larkana, Shikarpur , KhairpurKhairpur (khir´poor) is a city in the Sind province in southeast Pakistan. In 1981, its population was 61,447. Khairpur trades in wheat, cotton, tobacco, and dates and is linked by road and rail to Karachi. Manufactures include textiles, carpets, refined, Badin . Languages spoken include SindhiSindhi refers to an ethnic group of people originating in the Sindh. Most Sindhis live in Pakistan but many Sindhi Hindus emigrated to India when the subcontinent was partitioned. The language of these people is also known as Sindhi. Culture Sindhi cultur, Landa, Urdu and Rajasthani .
The province contains the southern part of the Indus RiverThe Indus ( (known as Sindhu in ancient times) is the principal river of Pakistan. It originates in Tibet, flowing from the Himalayas in a north-westerly direction, and then turning south for nearly the entire length of Pakistan. The Indus Valley Civiliza valley. In the east is the Thar DesertThe Thar Desert (also known as the Great Indian Desert is a desert located in the state of Rajasthan in northwest India. It continues into Pakistan as the Cholistan Desert. It is a region of constantly shifting sand dunes, with sparse vegetation in some a of India.
The main crops are cottonCotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant. The fibre is most often spun into thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile. Cotton is a valuable crop because only about 10% of the raw weight is lost in processing. Once tr, riceRice Rice fields on Java Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Poales Family: Poaceae Genus: Oryza Species Oryza barthii ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza latifolia ''Oryza longistaminata ''Oryza punctata ''O, wheat and sugar cane, with rice the most important. Other crops include banana and mango.
Historically, Sindh has been a very rich region. It was here that the first urban civilization developed in 3000 BC at Moen Jo Daro. Before that also there were many small village cultures dating as far back as 7000 BC.
The Indus civilization was very urbanized, with planned cities, a drainage system, and a binary system of weights and a system of tax collection.
In 1700 BC, Aryans came to this part of the world and it was known that beyond Sindh to the east was "Deserta inconeta," or unknown desert. Alexander the Great invaded in 325 BC and conquered several cities. Alexander's armies went from here towards the west. Hence, even the Macedonian conqueror didn't go beyond Sindh in the east.
In 275 BC, the Mauryan King Ashoka became Buddhist, having his capital at Taxila near Islamabad. Sindh too was converted to Buddhism. In AD 60, Kashans came and the country became prosperous and rich in agriculture. Later in the 6th century, White huns came and the country was divded into several pieces.
In 711 Muslims entered India via Sindh and conquered the city of Daible.
The 600s saw the end of a period of sporadic Buddhist rule in the Sindh. Islamic rule was introduced in the early 8th century when Muhammad bin Qasim took the Sindh from its Hindu rulers.
In 1842- 1843 British forces under General Charles Napier conquered Sindh. It is said that he sent back to the Governor General a one-word message, "Peccavi" – Latin for "I have sinned". In actual fact, this pun first appeared as a cartoon in Punch magazine. The first Aga Khan helped the British in the conquest of Sindh and was granted a pension as a result.
The province was incorporated into Pakistan in 1947.