Khairpur District

Khairpur District Template:Sd iconخيرپور ضلعو
District
Map of Sindh with Khairpur District highlighted
Country	Pakistan
Province	Sindh
Capital	Khairpur
Established	1546
Government
• District Commissioner	Muhammad Abbas Baloch
Area
• Total	15,910 km2 (6,140 sq mi)
Population  (1998)
• Total	1,515,000
• Density	95.2/km2 (247/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+5 (PST)
Number of Tehsils	8
Website	http://www.khairpur.gov.pk

Khairpur District (Template:Lang-ur) is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The district has an area of 15,910 square km. 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.

Demographics

According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the district had a population of 1,546,587 of which 23.23% was urban. The average annual growth rate of the population is 2.71%. As per definition of Board of Revenue Sindh, a place of human habitation having at least ten houses is called a settlement. There are 1,709 rural settlements in the district having population of 200 to 1000+ people.

Following are the demographic indicators of the district as per the 1998 census of Pakistan:

Religion:

• Islam: 96.86%
• Hinduism: 2.93%
• Christianity: 0.09%
• Ahmaddiya: 0.07%
• Others: 0.04%

Languages:

• Sindhi: 95.15%
• Baluchi:2.70%
• Punjabi: 1.16%
• Urdu:1.7%
• Seraiki:0.34%
• Others: 0.33%

Government

The district is divided into eight Talukas:

• Khairpur
• Nara
• Kot Diji
• Sobho Dero
• Kingri
• Faiz Ganj
• Gambat
• Mirwah

Tribes

The tribes in the district include: Talpur,Jamali,Thebo,Shaikh,Phulpoto,Shah-Syed,Jillani,Wassan.

History

Main article: Khayrpur (princely state)

File:Mir Ali Murad2.JPG

Mir Ali Murad Talpur II in 1953

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.

Sites of interest

Faiz Mahal, Khairpur

One Rupee coin (dated 1285 AH), 12 ounce silver, minted during the reign of Mir Ali Murad

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, tomb sites 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.

Bakri Waro Lake, Khairpur

Children fishing on Khuth Lake

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.

Notable people

• Mir Ali Murad Talpur - former ruler of the princely state of Khairpur
• Sachal Sarmast - eighteenth-century Sufi poet
• Qaim Ali Shah - current Chief Minister of Sindh province
• Ghous Ali Shah - former defence minister of Pakistan and former Chief Minister of Sindh province.
• Sohrab Faqeer - and national singer.

Agriculture

Khairpur is noted for its bountiful harvest of dates. However, the soil is suitable for many cash crops including cotton and wheat. The dry, hot climate makes the fruit very sweet, supple and juicy. It is very hot and sunny during the summer and cold in winter. Humidity is low. Khairpur gets its water through a web of canals coming out of River Indus. Mir Wah is the main source of irrigation and drinking water.

Education

The main institutions of higher education in Khairpur district are:

• Shah Abdul Latif University
• Mehran University College of Engineering Technology

External links

• District of Khairpur