Sukkur

Sukkur, , (Sindhi: سکر), formerly Aror (Urdu: اروڑ) and Bakhar, is the third largest city of Sindh province, situated on the west bank of Indus River in Pakistan in Sukkur District. However, the word Sakhar in Sindhi means "superior", which the spelling of the city's name in Sindhi suggests is the origin of the name.

Administration
The city of Sukkur, as well as being district headquarters, is the capital of Sukkur Tehsils (Talukas) and contains many Union council.

Demographics
People of Sukkur speak Sindhi (72%), Urdu (15.5%), Punjabi (4%), Pashto (1.5%), Balochi (1%), and others 1%. Sukkur is well known for its bridge and buildings on the bank of indus river.

Sukkur district
The district of Sukkur (whose name is derived from its headquarters 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 ft 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 its northern border with Shikarpur and the recently constituted Kashmore districts. Ghotki is located on the north-eastern side while Khairpur on the south. The border with India lies further east. Sukkur is also connected by road and by air with all major cities of Pakistan.

Climate
The climate of Sukkur is characterised by very hot and hazy summer with dry and cool winter. Throughout the whole year wind speed is low and sunshine is abundant as the district exhibits a desert climate. Summer is very hot as the temperature can reach 50 °C. Dry heat is experienced starting April to early June until the Monsoon season starts to arrive. Monsoons in the city of Sukkur are not very wet, but extremely high dew point couple up with very hot temperature makes the temperatures extremely uncomfortable. Dew point over 30 °C and heat index in excess of 65 °C are recorded on some days, which are some of highest heat indices recorded in the world. Monsoons recede by September, but it is not until late October that the short lived autumn season is experienced. The average annual rainfall of the city is a scanty ... However, winter is mild and cool. Night temperatures rarely fall below freezing while day time temperatures are rather warm and comfortable. It is one of the few districts of Sindh to experience foggy conditions similar to that of north and central Punjab.

History
Sukkur has been an important strategic centre and trading route from time immemorial. Alor (or Aror, Sukkur) held the status of capital under the reign of Musikanos, when Alexander invaded the region in 326 BCE. The ruins of this ancient town still exist, 8 km east of Rohri, in Sukkur district. The Rai Dynasty built a huge temple of Shiva. In 711 CE, the Arabs invaded Sindh, led by 17-year-old Muhammad bin Qasim, and Sukkur (including all of Sindh and lower Punjab) became part of the Umayyad Caliphate.

Later Mughals and many semi-autonomous tribes ruled over Sukkur. The city was ceded to Mirs of Khairpur between 1809 and 1824. In 1833, Shah Shuja (a warlord of Kandahar, Afghanistan) defeated the Talpurs near Sukkur and later made a solemn treaty with the Talpur ruler, by which he relinquished all claims on Sindh. In 1843, the British (General Charles James Napier) defeated the Talpurs at the battles of Miani and Dubbo near Hyderabad. Sukkur, along with the rest of Sindh, was under British rule until the independence of Pakistan in 1947. The (current) district of Sukkur was constituted in 1901 out of part of Shikarpur District, the remainder of which was formed into the Larkana District. Sukkur saw a significant socio-economic uplift after the 1930s, when the British built the world's largest barrage here on the Indus River. The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Sukkur.

Sukkur Barrage
The Sukkur Barrage has 66  Gates. The Sukkur Barrage (formally called Lloyd Barrage), built under the British Raj on the Indus River, controls one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. It was designed by Sir Arnold Musto KCIE, and constructed under the overall direction of Sir Charlton Harrison, KCIE, as Chief Engineer. Construction of the barrage was started in 1923 and completed in January 1932. The 5001 ft long barrage is made of yellow stone and steel and can water nearly 10 million acres (40,000 km2) of farmland through its seven large canals. Some of the canals are larger than the Suez Canal.

In November 2004, the government of Pakistan initiated a rehabilitation project to revitalise its water storage capacity and distribution efficiency. The project was completed in July 2005, (with less than the allocated amount of Rs. 887 million). Experts believe that the rehabilitation of the barrage has enhanced its efficiency for another 60 to 70 years.

Industry
Sukkur is a hub of many small and large scale industries. Among important industries are Biscuit factories, Vegetable (Cooking) oil and Vanaspati Ghee Mills, cotton textiles, cement, leather, tobacco, paint and varnish, pharmaceuticals, agriculture implements, metal foundries, 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, ceramics. Milk Plant Engro Foods.

Agriculture
Sukkur had a large fertile and cultivable land area until a few decades ago, when the Indus river was not as barren as today. Now its agricultural productivity has been much reduced. It has not achieved a reasonable yield per unit area over time, on account of continuous shortages of water and ignorance of modern irrigation systems. Despite the lack of water, during kharif, rice, bajra, cotton, tomatoes and peas are cultivated; whereas during rabi the main crops are wheat, barley, graham and melons. Sukkur is famous, world over, for its dates. Sukkur also has a large Riveraine forest along the course of the Indus. These tropical forests are found within the protective embankments on either side of the Indus. During 1997–98 the total area under forests was 510 km2 which yielded 55000 ft3 of timber and 27000 ft3 of firewood besides other mine products.

Famous schools

 * Government High School
 * PPC Girls High School
 * Apwa Excellent World School
 * Faran High School
 * Islamia High School
 * Government Al-falah High School
 * Government Girls High School Barrage Colony
 * Government Double Section High School
 * Modern High School Sukkur
 * Public School
 * Pakistan Railway High School Sukkur
 * St. Mary's High School
 * Army Public School and College
 * Beaconhouse School System
 * The City School
 * The Educators
 * M K High School Sukkur
 * SMA High School
 * Government Comprehensive High School
 * Hira Public Higher Secondary School
 * Government Tameer-e-Nau High School
 * St. Saviour's High School and College
 * Mehran Model School
 * Deaf Reach School & Training Centre
 * The Radiant Way School Sukkur
 * The Smart School A Project of The City School

Colleges

 * Government Degree College
 * Government Islamia Arts and Commerce College
 * Government Islamia Science College
 * Army Public School and College
 * Cadet College Sangi
 * Government Girls Degree College
 * Government College of Education (BEd College)
 * Government elementary Education College
 * Government Commercial College
 * Government Polytechnic College
 * Agha Nizam-ud-Din Girls College
 * Atta Hussein Shah Oriental Government College

Higher education institutes

 * Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Sukkur
 * Sukkur Institute of Business Administration (IBA Sukkur)
 * Sukkur Institute of Science & Technology (Sistech)
 * Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education (Sukkur Campus)

Sites of interest

 * Sadh Belo ساڌ ٻيلو
 * Rohri
 * Aror
 * Jamia Masjid Bunder Road
 * Tomb of Mian Adam Shah Kalhoro
 * Tomb of the Seven Maidens Sateen Jo Aastan
 * Tomb of Abdul Baqi, Ex-Governor of Bukkur.
 * Bukkur Island
 * Minaret of Masum Shah
 * Sadh Belo Temple on River Indus
 * Lansdowne Bridge
 * Sukkur Barrage
 * Lab-e-Mehran
 * Queens Road
 * Muhammad bin Qasim Park