Khairpur
Khairpur District is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The district has an area of 15,910 square kilometres and is headquartered at the city of Khairpur.
Location
Khairpur District is located in northern Sindh and is bounded on the north by Shikarpur and Sukkur, on the east by India. On the south by Sanghar and Nawabshah and on the west by Larkana and Naushahro Feroz and drives its name from the town.
Administration:
The district has eight Talukas (counties):
* Khairpur
* Nara
* Kot Diji
* Sobho Dero
* Mirwah
* Kingri
* Faiz Ganj
* Gambat
History:
Khairpur State was ruled by Talpur Mirs (ameers) of the Talpur dynasty from 1783 to 1955. In 1947, when Pakistan gained independence, Khairpur Mir’s was one of the princely states that opted to join Pakistan. In 1955, the Government of Pakistan announced the abolition of all the princely states and Khairpur Mir’s was annexed into the then province of West Pakistan.
Kot Diji:
Kot Diji site is 25 kms (15 miles) south of Khairpur town in the Khairpur District of Sindh. Archaeologists say that the discovery of this pre-historic site has furnished information of high significance since it pushed back the pre-history of Pakistan by at least an other 300 years from about 2,500 BC to 2,800 BC. Evidence of new cultural element of pre-Harappan and pre-Moenjodaro date has been found at Kot Diji. The excavations there have proved that the Indus Valley Civilizations people borrowed or developed some of the basic cultural elements of the Kot Dijians. The site consists of two parts: one comprising the citadel area on the high ground where the ruling elite lived and outer area inhabited by the common man. The Kot Diji culture is marked by well- furnished well-made pottery and houses built of mud-bricks on stone foundations. In fact, the Kot Dijian ceramics through different in form and technique are no way less artistic then the sophisticated back-on-red pottery of Harappans. The Harappans borrowed some of the basic cultural elements from Kot Diji. The Harappan decorated designs such as the “fish scale ” intersecting circles and the pipal leaf pattern were evolved from the Kot Dijian decorated elements like the horizontal and wavy lines, loops and simple triangular patterns. There is a no proof yet of the place or the regions from where the Kot Dijians arrived in the Indus Valley. Kot Diji situated between Ranipur and Khairpur on the highway from Hyderabad, on the east bank of the Indus close to Rohri. Worth site trip. Khairpur is dotted with historical sites. The Kot Diji Fort, said to be built by the Talpurs, stands on a high hill with massive walls surrounding an elaborate complex of exquisite homes, ornate canopies, marbled courtyards, promenades and long corridors with arched entryways. The corridors run along deep rooms which now lay dark and can get infested with bats. Another architectural classic is the Faiz Mahal, built in 1798 as the palace of the Talpur family in Khairpur Mirs. Besides, there are other palaces, tombsites in Kot Diji and the surrounding areas. The present successor of the Talpur Dynasty, Mir Ali Murad Khan Talpur, who acceded to the Pakistani state in 1956, is a conservationist and has to his credit an impressive wildlife sanctuary called the Mehrano, known for its black buck, and hog deer, both of which have become rare in Sindh.The north-western part of Thar Desert lies in Khairpur district. Rohri Hills are a tourist attraction for the tombs of Pir Ubhan Shah near Kotdiji, Shadi Shaheed near Layari, Tehsil Kotdiji and Pir Baqir Shah near Choondko. Mehrano, Nara, Kalmi Quran, Thar Dhani, shah jee machine at solangi and many other sites also draw tourist traffic.
Dubbi:
Village Dubbi is situated in Tehsil Thari Mirwah. This is a beautiful village located in between Mirwah canal and sandy mounds of Thar Desert. More than 7 beautiful natural lakes are located near this village. Some are:
* Bakri Waro
* Khuth Sim
* Wadi Sim
* Jamal Shah
* Tal
* Wairo
* Ganairo
Tomb of Jamal Shah is located on the bank of Jamal Shah lake. Water of this lake is popular for the treatment of skin diseases. Many people come to take bath from this lake and they get healthy.
People use these lakes for birds hunting and fishing. Tarai, Talab and other hill areas are also popular for the bird hunting. Many tourist come here every year. Ex-President Ayub Khan also visited this village for the hunting purpose. Shaikh’s of UAE come in this area every year for hunting purpose. Dubbi is a copy of Dubai UAE.
Khairpur is famous for the Pir’s and Mir’s of Khairpur.
Bachal Shah Jo Pawrho, the neighbourhood of Bachal Shah, is one of the oldest settlements of the town of Khairpur. It is named after the Sufi Saint Bachchal Shah whose shrine is located in the neighbourhood. A three-day festival is celebrated every year at the shrine. The neighbourhood sits by Khairpur’s main irrigation artery, Mirwah, meaning the Mir canal.
Saints:
* Hazrat Sachal Sarmast
* Nanak Yousuf
* Ghulam Hyder Godrya Fakeer Shar
* Faulad Ali Fakeer Shar
* Fakeer Ghulam Muhammad Talpur (Talpur wada)