Moen-jo-daro

Moen jo daro(Mound of the Dead, Sindhi: موئن جو دڙو ) was one of the largest city-settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization of south Asia situated in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built around 2600 BCE, the city was one of the early urban settlements in the world, existing at the same time as the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Crete. The archaeological ruins of the city are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is sometimes referred to as "An Ancient Indus Valley Metropolis

Rediscovery and excavation
Moenjo-daro was built around 2600 BCE and abandoned around 1900 BCE. It was rediscovered in 1922 by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay , an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India. He was led to the mound by a Buddhist monk, who believed it to be a stupa. In the 1930s, massive excavations were conducted under the leadership of John Marshall, K. N. Dikshit, Ernest Mackay, and others. John Marshall's car, which was used by the site directors, is still in the Mohenjo-daro museum, showing their struggle and dedication to Mohenjo-daro. Further excavations were carried out in 1945 by Ahmad Hasan Dani and Mortimer Wheeler.
The last major excavation of Mohenjo-daro was conducted in 1964-65 by Dr. G. F. Dales. After this date, excavations were banned due to damage done to the exposed structures by weathering. Since 1965, the only projects allowed at the site have been salvage excavation, surface surveys and conservation projects. Despite the ban on major archaeological projects, in the 1980s, teams of German and Italian survey groups, led by Dr. Michael Jansen and Dr. Maurizio Tosi, combined techniques such as architectural documentation, surface surveys, surface scraping and probing, to determine further clues about the ancient civilization

Background
Mohenjo Daro was created as a very well planned out city, its original purpose was to serve as a major trading spot and for farming.

Location

Mohenjo-daro is located in the Sindh province on a Pleistocene ridge in the middle of the flood plain of the Indus River. The ridge is now buried by the flooding of the plains, but was prominent during the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. The ridge allowed the city to stand out above the surrounding plain and be elevated. The site is situated in a central position between the Indus river valley on the west and the Ghaggar-Hakra on the east. In the modern day, the Indus still flows to the east of the site, but the Ghaggar-Hakra riverbed is dry.
Anthropogenic construction over the years precipitated the need for expansion. To accommodate this, the ridge was expanded via giant mud brick platforms. Ultimately, the settlement grew to such proportions that some buildings reached 12 meters above the modern plain level, and probably much higher above the ancient plain

Significance

Mohenjo-daro in ancient times was most likely one of the administrative centers of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. It was the most developed and advanced city in South Asia, and perhaps the world, during its peak. The planning and engineering showed the importance of the city to the people of the Indus valley.The Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300–1700 BC, flowered 2600–1900 BC), abbreviated IVC, was an ancient riverine civilization that flourished in the Indus river valley in ancient India (now Pakistan and the present north-west India). Another name for this civilization is the "Harappan Civilization."
The Indus culture blossomed over the centuries and gave rise to the Indus Valley Civilization around 3000 BCE. The civilization spanned much of what is now Pakistan and North India, but suddenly went into decline around 1900 BCE. Indus Civilization settlements spread as far south as the Arabian Sea coast of India in Gujarat, as far west as the Iranian border, with an outpost in Bactria. Among the settlements were the major urban centers of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, as well as Lothal.
The Mohenjo-daro ruins were one of the major centres of this ancient society. At its peak, some archaeologists opine that the Indus Civilization may have had a population of well over five million.
To date, over a thousand cities and settlements have been found, mainly in the Indus River valley in Pakistan and northwestern India.

Architecture and urban infrastructure

Mohenjo-daro is a remarkable construction, considering its antiquity. It has a planned layout based on a grid of streets, which were laid out in perfect patterns. At its height the city probably had around 35,000 residents. The buildings of the city were particularly advanced, with structures constructed of same-sized sun dried bricks of baked mud and burned wood.
The public buildings of these cities also suggest a high degree of social organization. The so-called great granary at Mohenjo-daro as interpreted by Sir Mortimer Wheeler in 1950 is designed with bays to receive carts delivering crops from the countryside, and there are ducts for air to circulate beneath the stored grain to dry it. However, Jonathan Mark Kenoyer has noted though, that no record of grain exists at the "granary." Thus Kenoyer suggests that a more appropriate title would be "Great Hall."
Close to the granary, there is a building similarly civic in nature - a great public bath, with steps down to a brick-lined pool in a colonnaded courtyard. The elaborate bath area was very well built, with a layer of natural tar to keep it from leaking, and in the centre was the pool. Measuring 12m x 7m, with a depth of 2.4m, it may have been used for religious or spiritual ceremonies.
Within the city, individual homes or groups of homes obtained water from wells. Some of the houses included rooms that appear to have been set aside for bathing, waste water was directed to covered drains, which lined the major streets. Houses opened only to inner courtyards and smaller lanes. A variety of buildings were up to two stories high.
Being an agricultural city, it also featured a large well, and central marketplace. It also had a building with an underground furnace (hypocaust), possibly for heated bathing.
Mohenjo-daro was a well fortified city. Lacking actual city walls, it did have towers to the west of the main settlement, and defensive fortifications to the south. Considering these fortifications and the structure of other major Indus valley cities like Harappa, lead to the question of whether Mohenjo-daro was an administrative centre. Both Harappa and Mohenjo-daro share relatively the same architectural layout, and were generally not heavily fortified like other Indus Valley sites. It is obvious from the identical city layouts of all Indus sites, that there was some kind of political or administrative centrality, however the extent and functioning of an administrative centre remains unclear.
Mohenjo-daro was successively destroyed and rebuilt at least seven times. Each time, the new cities were built directly on top of the old ones. Flooding by the Indus is thought to have been the cause of destruction.
The city was divided into two parts, the so-called Citadel and the Lower City. Most of the Lower City is yet to be uncovered, but the Citadel is known to have the public bath, a large residential structure designed to house 5,000 citizens and two large assembly halls.
Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and their civilization, vanished without trace from history until discovered in the 1920s. It was extensively excavated in the 1920s, but no in-depth excavations have been carried out since the 1960s.

Artifacts

The "Dancing girl" found in Mohenjo-daro is an artifact that is some 4500 years old. The 10.8 cm long bronze statue of the dancing girl was found in 1926 from a house in Mohenjo-daro. She was British archaeologist Mortimer Wheeler's favourite statuette, as he said in this quote from a 1973 television program:
"There is her little Baluchi-style face with pouting lips and insolent look in the eyes. She's about fifteen years old I should think, not more, but she stands there with bangles all the way up her arm and nothing else on. A girl perfectly, for the moment, perfectly confident of herself and the world. There's nothing like her, I think, in the world."
John Marshall, one of the excavators at Mohenjo-daro, described her as a vivid impression of the young ... girl, her hand on her hip in a half-impudent posture, and legs slightly forward as she beats time to the music with her legs and feet.

The artistry of this statuette is recognizable today and tells of a strange, but at least fleetingly recognizable past. As the archaeologist Gregory Possehl says, "We may not be certain that she was a dancer, but she was good at what she did and she knew it". The statue could well be of some queen or other important woman of the Indus Valley Civilization judging from the authority the figure commands.
Seated male sculpture, the so-called "Priest King" (even though there is no evidence that either priests or kings ruled the city). This 17.5 cm tall statue is another artifact which has become a symbol for the Indus valley civilization. Archaeologists discovered the sculpture in Lower town at Mohenjo-daro in 1927. It was found in an unusual house with ornamental brickwork and a wall niche and was lying between brick foundation walls which once held up a floor.
This bearded sculpture wears a fillet around the head, an armband, and a cloak decorated with trefoil patterns that were originally filled with red pigment.
The two ends of the fillet fall along the back and though the hair is carefully combed towards the back of the head, no bun is present. The flat back of the head may have held a separately carved bun as is traditional on the other seated figures, or it could have held a more elaborate horn and plumed headdress.
Two holes beneath the highly stylized ears suggest that a necklace or other head ornament was attached to the sculpture. The left shoulder is covered with a cloak decorated with trefoil, double circle and single circle designs that were originally filled with red pigment. Drill holes in the centre of each circle indicate they were made with a specialized drill and then touched up with a chisel. Eyes are deeply incised and may have held inlay. The upper lip is shaved and a short combed beard frames the face. The large crack in the face is the result of weathering or it may be due to original firing of this object.

Histroy

About 4000 BC, when the Mesopotamian civilisation flourished on the Euphrates, Moenjodaro began to develop as one of the great cities of the Indus Valley civilisation. The quality of the architecture and town planning was exceptional.
Moenjodaro (meaning ‘Mound of the Dead’) thrived roughly from 2500–1500 BC with a population believed to have reached at least 50, 000. However, the population declined abruptly for reasons that are still unclear. Long after its demise, Buddhist monks of the Kushan era erected a stupa over 70m high here. That too is now in ruins, but still rises 11m above the surrounding area and was for a long time the only visible monument.
The Indus Valley civilisation extended more than 1500km along the Indus and its tributaries. Its main cities were Harappa and Moenjodaro, but this is the better-preserved site. It appears that secular law was reinforced by the power of a priest caste, although the exact political structures remain a mystery. Figurines found here suggest that the religion incorporated belief in a mother-goddess combined with tree and animal worship, especially of the bull.
Originally Moenjodaro was surrounded by fertile land with a climate far cooler and rainier than the present wasteland suggests. The Indus now flows around 5km to the west, although at the time it was beside the town.
There are three clear levels of occupation, the top two built on top of an earlier, destroyed layer. There are several theories about how Moenjodaro came to an end. One is that it collapsed in an earthquake, another that it was destroyed by a flood. Rising water levels at several times in the city’s history certainly did require much of it to be rebuilt or abandoned. Building standards also declined over the years as one new level was built over another. The city became more crowded as the rising Indus reduced the habitable area. Since the 1990s much archaeological work has gone into preserving the ruins from further water and salt damage.
The discovery of several skeletons of inhabitants who had obviously met a violent end, and had never been properly buried, has led many scholars to claim that Moenjodaro was sacked by unknown invaders. Some archaeologists purport the Indus Valley civilisation was destroyed by Aryan invaders in the mid-2nd millennium BC.

CULTURE OF SINDH


FAMOUS SINDHI AJRAK

FAMOUS SINDHI RILLI

CULTURE OF SINDH

Sindh has a rich heritage of traditional handicraft that has evolved over the centuries. Perhaps the most professed exposition of Sindhi culture is in the handicrafts of Hala, a town some 30 kilometres from Hyderabad. Hala’s artisans are manufacturing high quality and impressively priced wooden handicrafts, textiles, paintings, handmade paper products, blue pottery, etc. Lacquered wood works known as Jandi, painting on wood, tiles, and pottery known as Kashi, hand woven textiles including Khadi, Susi, and Ajrak are synonymous with Sindhi culture preserved in Hala’s handicraft.


Famous Sindhi Ajrak
The artisans of Hala rarely get the justified price of their labour. The middlemen have been exploiting the artisans for decades selling the handicrafts at exorbitant profit margins at tourist hot spots of Karachi Lahore and Islamabad and even abroad.There is a dire need of patronizing the handicraft cluster of Hala, provide the artisans a platform to sell their products in cities and export markets so as to enable them earn handsome amount of their produced goods.The Small and Medium Enterprises Authority (SMEDA) is planning to set up an organization of artisans to empower the community. SMEDA is also publishing a directory of the artisans so that exporters can directly contact them. Hala is the home of a remarkable variety of traditional crafts and traditional handicrafts that carry with them centuries of skill that has woven magic into the motifs and designs used.The diverse Sindhi cultures, lifestyles, traditions as well as geographical conditions have influenced Sindhi art, and for over a century handicrafts have been a source of pride and a livelihood for the people of Hala. Kashi woodwork and other products made by the artisan community of Hala have established a position in the domestic and international markets. Jandi woodwork of Hala gives a glimpse of the richness of Pakistani culture and tradition has been followed through generations.Sindh is known the world over for its various handicrafts and arts. The work of Sindhi artisans was sold in ancient markets of Armenia, Baghdad, Basra, Istanbul, Cairo and Samarkand. Referring to the lacquer work on wood locally known as Jandi, T. Posten an English traveller who visited Sindh in early 19th century said, the articles of Hala could be compared with exquisite specimens of China.Jandi is famous all over the world due to its delicacy, durability and the natural beauty of the wood. Jandi is rendered on lamps, candle stands, flower vases, jewelry boxes, cigarette boxes, ash trays, pots, swings, cots, dressing tables, chairs & tables, bedroom sets, sofa sets, and telephone stands. The Jandi work also has its drawbacks. The persons associated with the business said that lacquer furniture and items have a long life but acid, alcohol, and oil will damage the colour. Moreover, direct sunshine and water can destroy the life of the products. Hala has also preserved the extraordinary traditional ceramic techniques.The village potters known as kumhaar across the Indian sub continent are still producing exquisite earthenware in Hala. In Pakistan the finest examples of Kashi work are in the Sindh province. Kashi work consisted of two kinds: (a) Enamel-faced tiles and bricks of strongly fired red earthenware, or terracotta; (b) Enamel faced tiles and tesserae of lightly fired lime-mortar, or sandstone. Some authorities describe tile-mosaic work as the true Kashi.Hala’s apparel tradition is one of the world’s oldest with handlooms and power looms dating back to the Indus valley civilization. The hand-spun and hand-woven cloth called "Khadi" was being exported to various countries since time immemorial.Since Khadi deals in natural fibres viz. cotton, silk and wool only, spun and woven in natural environment, it can boast of being 100 percent natural, unlike handloom and mills which receive cotton yarn, blended with some regenerated cellulose fibres. Khadi cloth has found its place in haute couture and on the ramps of most eminent fashion devas.Over a period of time cotton was mixed with silk to create Mashru, a double layered material with a thick cotton base and a silken warp woven in satin weave, a purely Indian innovation. It was woven specially for the ladies. In the Susi weave the cotton weft lay against the skin; hence it was permissible to wear it. In the Ain-i-Akbari, it is mentioned that Susi, a reputed silken fabric from Shush, a town in Persia, was originally brought to the Deccan via Alexandria during the 11th century. Susi lost its silken character somewhere along the line and reappeared as a cotton fabric in Lahore in the 1620’s. Susi later became synonymous with Sindh, the primary production centres being Hala and Hyderabad.Technological improvements were gradually introduced such as the spinning wheel [charkha] and treadle [pai-chah] in the weavers’ loom, to increase refinement in designing, dyeing and printing by block. Painting process amounted for a much higher volume of output. The refined, lightweight, colourful, washable fabrics from Hala became a luxury for people used to only woollens and linens of the age.Ajrak has been in Sindh since the birth of its civilization. Blue colour is dominantly used in Ajrak. Also, Sindh was traditionally a large producer of indigo and cotton cloth and both used to be exported to the Middle East. Ajrak is a mark of respect when it is given to an honoured quest, friend or woman. In Sindh, it is most commonly given as a gift at Eid, at weddings, or on other special occasions - like homecoming.Along with Ajrak the Rilli or patchwork sheet, is another Sindhi icon and part of the heritage and culture. Every Sindhi home will have set of Rillis - one for each member of the family and few spare for guests. Rilli is made with different small pieces of different geometrical shapes of cloths sewn together to create intricate designs.


Sindhi Rilli
Rilhi is also given as a gift to friends and visitors. It is used as a bedspread as well as a blanket. A beautifully sewn Rilli can also become part of a bride or grooms gifts. Rural women in Sindh are skilful in producing Sindhi caps.
Sindhi caps are manufactured commercially on a small scale at New Saeedabad and Hala New. These are in demand with visitors from Karachi and other places and these manufacturing units have very limited production due to lack of marketing facilities.

PREHISTORIC PERIOD

The Indus valley civilization is the farthest visible outpost of archeology in the abyss of prehistoric times। The areas constituting Pakistan have had a historical individuality of their own and Sindh is the most important among such areas। The prehistoric site of Kot Diji in Sindh has furnished information of high significance for the reconstruction of a connected story which pushes back the history of Pakistan by at least another 300 years, from about 2,500 BC. Evidence of a new element of pre-Harappan culture has been traced here. When the primitive village communities in Baluchistan were still struggling against a difficult highland environment, a highly cultured people were trying to assert themselves at Kot Diji one of the most developed urban civilization of the ancient world that flourished between the year 25,00 BC and 1,500 BC in the Indus valley sites of Moenjodaro and Harappa. The people were endowed with a high standard of art and craftsmanship and well-developed system of quasi-pictographic writing which despite ceaseless efforts still remains un-deciphered. The remarkable ruins of the beautifully planned Moenjodaro and Harappa towns, the brick buildings of the common people, roads, public-baths and the covered drainage system envisage the life of a community living happily in an organized manner.

EARLY HISTORY

The earliest authentic history of Sindh dates from the time when Alexander the Great abandoned his scheme of conquest towards the Ganges, alarmed at the discontent of his soldiers. He embarked a portion of the army in boats, floated them down the Jhelum and the Chenab, and marched the remainder on the banks of the river till he came to the Indus. There he constructed a fleet, which sailed along the coast towards the Persian Gulf with part of his forces, under the command of Nearchus and Ptolemy, whilst Alexander himself marched through Southern Baluchistan and Persia to Seistan or Susa. At that time Sindh was in the possession of the Hindus, the last of whose rulers was Raja Sahasi, whose race, as is reported by native historians, governed the kingdom for over two thousand years. The Persian monarchs were probably alluded to, for in the sixth century BC Sindh was invaded by them, They defeated and slew the monarch in a pitched battle and plundered the province and then left. Eight years after his accession to the Persian throne, Darius I, son of Hystaspes extended his authority as far as the Indus. This was about 513 BC.

The Arab conquest of Sindh by Muhammad Bin Qasim in 712 AD gave the Muslims a firm foothold on the sub-continent. The description of Hiun Tsang, a Chinese historian, leaves no doubt that the social and economic restrictions inherent in the caste differentiations of Hindu society had however, gradually sapped the inner vitality of the social system and Sindh fell without much resistance before the Muslim armies. According to Al-Idreesi, the famous city of Al-Mansura was founded during the reign of Mansur (754-775 AD) the second Khalifa of the Abbasid dynasty. Khalifa Harun-al-Rashid (786-809 AD) was able to extend the frontiers of Sindh on its western side. For nearly two hundred years since its conquest by Muhammad Bin Qasim, Sindh remained an integral part of the Umayyad and the Abbasid caliphates. The provincial governors were appointed directly by the central government. History has preserved a record of some 37 of them.

The Arab rule brought Sindh within the orbit of the Islamic civilization, Sindhi language was developed and written in the naskh script. Education became widely diffused and Sindhi scholars attained fame in the Muslim world. Agriculture and commerce progressed considerably. Ruins of Mansura, the medieval Arab capital of Sindh (11 kms south east of Shahdadpur) testify to the grandeur of the city and the development of urban life during this period.

In the 10th century, native people replaced the Arab rule in Sindh. Samma and Soomra dynasties ruled Sindh for long. These dynasties produced some rulers who obtained fame due to judicious dispensation and good administration.

Sindh was partially independent and the scene of great disorders till late in the sixteenth century when it failed into the hands of Emperor Akbar, and for a hundred and fifty years the chiefs paid tribute, but only as often as they were compelled to do so, to the Emperor at Delhi. Later the Kalhora clan claiming descent from the house of Abbas and long settled in Sindh produced religious leaders of whom Main Adam Shah attained prominence in the 16th century. His descendants continued to gather large following and this enabled them to capture political power in the north western Sindh under the leadership of Mian Nasir Muhammad. This happened in the 2nd half of the 17th century. By the turn of that century, foundations of the Kalhora power were firmly laid in the northern Sindh under the leadership of Mian Yar Mohammad. During the reign of his son, Mian Noor Muhammad, lower Sindh with Thatta as its capital came under the Kalhora administration (1150 A.H).

Under the banner of Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur, the Balochis defeated the last Kalhora ruler Mian Abdul Nabi in the battle of Halani in 1782 AD. Talpur Amirs regained the parts of Sindh (Karachi, Khairpur, Sabzal Kot and Umar Kot) which the last Kalhora chief had conceded to the neighboring rulers. By eliminating the foreign interference, which had plagued the Kalhora rule, and by their essentially democratic way of governance, the Talpurs were able to take the people into confidence and thus achieved

Great many things within a short period of 60 years. They built up an excellent system of forts and outposts guarding the frontiers, extended the irrigation system, encouraged scholarly pursuits and educational institutions, and promoted trade and commerce internally as well as with the neighboring countries.

The British who came to Sindh also as traders became so powerful in rest of the sub-continent that in 1843 Sindh lost its independence falling prey to the British imperialistic policy. The Talpurs were defeated on the battlefields of Miani, Dubba and Kunhera and taken prisoners. The conquerors behaved inhumanly with the vanquished as they did with the Muslim rulers in India. Charles Napier who commanded the troops subsequently became the first Governor of the province of Sindh.

The British had conquered Sindh from their bases in Bombay and Kutch and their supporters were Hindus. Therefore, Sindh was annexed to the Bombay Presidency in 1843 and a constant policy to subdue the Muslim majority and to lionize the Hindu minority in Sindh was followed. Trade and commerce, Services and education became monopolies in the hands of the minority whom with the support of the rulers wrought havoc on Muslims. Within a few years forty percent of the Muslim land holdings passed on to the Hindu creditors. It was after a long struggle that the cause of Sindh was supported by the Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah when he brought in his famous 14-points the demand of Sindh's separation from Bombay Presidency. H.H. Sir Agh Khan, G.M. Syed, Sir Abdul Qayyum Khan (NWFP) and many other Indian Muslim leaders also played their pivotal rule that was why the Muslims of Sindh succeeded in getting Sindh separated from the Bombay Presidency in 1936

LOCATION AND AREA OF SINDH



Pakistan consists of four provinces. Its second largest province is known as Sindh with its capital in Karachi, which is not only the most populous metropolis of the country, but also, a commercial hub.
The province of Sindh has two gigantic seaports and both are located in Karachi. The biggest international airport of Pakistan is also situated in Karachi and is widely known as Qaid-e-Azam International airport.
The Province of Sindh forms the lower Indus basin and lies between 23 to 35 Degree and 28-30, north latitude and 66-42 and 71-1-degree east longitude. It is about 579 kms in length from north to south and nearly 442 kms in its extreme breadth (281 kms average). It covers 1,40,915 square kms and is about as large as England.
Sindh is also proud of having acquired fame as Bab-ul-Islam (Gateway to Islam in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent). At the time of the independence from the British occupation in August 1947, the population of Sindh was estimated at 5.5 million. Today, after the passage of fifty years the population of the province stands around 40 million souls, a half of whom now live in the urban centres like Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Tando Adam, Nawabshah, Larkana, Shikarpur, Khairpur, Badin and other smaller towns. It is basically an agrarian province. The Indus is by far the most important river of the province. The classical name of the river was Sindhu (Sanskrit for an ocean) and Sindh province was created and sustained by the river, without which it would have been a desert. Its length is about 2,880 kilometers and nearly a third of that (about 944 Kms) traverses the province. The striking resemblance of Sindh to Egypt was noticed long before the existence in it of a comparable great prehistoric civilization was even suspected; the idiosyncrasy of its people when compared with Indians, is very marked. There is an ancient saying "Just as Egypt is the gift of Nile, Sindh is the gift of the Indus".
Owing to its prevalent aridity and the absence of the monsoons, the climate of Sindh ranks among the hottest and is most variable. The average temperature of the summer months is 35 degrees centigrade and those of inter months 16. But the thermometer frequently rises in summer to 45 and occasionally to 50.In the northern part of Sindh the extremes of temperature are strongly marked. Jacobabad boasts of the highest temperature yet recorded at a Pakistani meteorological station i.e.52 degrees centigrade in June 1919. Sehwan is another hot place while Hyderabad is on the average pleasant due to cool breeze.
Cotton, rice, wheat and sugarcane are the main crops produced in Sindh. Rice is by far the most important crop cultivated here. It is the only crop that can be grown in the annually inundated lands within the delta of the Indus and a larger quantity and much finer quality is produced in the Larkana district. In Jacobabad, Sukkur, Badin, Thatta and Dadu, also, a great quantity of rice is cultivated. Cotton is produced mainly in Sanghar, Nawabshah, and Hyderabad, Sugarcane is another important crop which is chiefly grown in the Ghulam Mohammad Barrage zone in South. Sindh is proud of its bananas and mangoes also.
The waters around Karachi are rich with seafood and are considered to be some of the best fishing spots in the world. Surmai, pomphret, lobsters, shrimps, sharks, dolphins, crocodiles and other aquatic life especially Pallas exists in plenty in the sea as well as in the sweet waters of the Indus, Manchar, Keenjhar, Haleji and other lakes.
Within the last 45 years, three irrigation barrages have been constructed across the Indus in the province. The command areas of the three barrages are: Sukkur barrage 3.12 million hectares, Kotri barrage 1.12 million hectares, and Guddu barrage 1.172 million hectares.
The province of Sindh had traditionally been rich in wildlife heritage. Its Kirthar National Park, about 70 k.m. of North West of Karachi, is enlisted on World Heritage. Other side at Haleji Lake and Thar area are also of paramount importance.
Though chiefly an agricultural and pastoral province, Sindh has a reputation for textiles, pottery, leatherwork, carpets etc. The craftsmanship of the people of Sindh began during the period of Moenjodaro civilization. Their polished ornaments and articles of apparel made out of muslin and wooden lacquer work have won the praise in and outside the country

A BesT PoeM DeDicaTed To My MotheR Land SINDH


In the ruins in Sindh, here, there, all over the land, From Moenjodaro, Ranikot, Amri, Thatta, Amerkot, Bhambore, Nagar Parker, Is heard a melody, always in the silvery moon, In the soft silence of the silvery sands, In the ever so gentle teasing breeze, Rises that melody, like, The long single tinkle of a far-off silver bell, A melody it is, not a shriek, not a lament, Not a cry, not a moan, no, not a groan, but a melody, A whisper of hope, a promise of joy, A kiss of love, a touch of faith, A whisper? From me, your mother? I am your Sindh. Here in the ruins, but no ruin I, Witness to the glories gone by, But I am here, in you, "My sons, my daughters, in you I dwell", With you around "With your love for me, With your faith in me", With you hope in me and mine wholly in you, My sons and daughters, "How can I, Sindh, a ruin be, My children?", I am Sindh, I am Marvi, I am Saussi, and Sohni me, Round the globe you take my name, my children, You sing my songs, my name, my children, You sing my songs, my name my fame, "Mother Sindh" you say, as you cry for me, In your heart I am the song, in your ears I am the music, How can I then a ruin be? I am alive in you, I am the sparkle in your children's eyes, smile on their lips am I, In the ever so softly melting, melting, melting nights, A whisper ever so sweetly urging, urging, urging, Awake now, awake and arise and see my face in, The light, in the golden glory of the rising Sun. ..........

From "The Ruins in Sindh" by Prof. G.M. Mekri

What is Sindh?

Where is Sindh? These are some of the reactions one gets when he starts talking about Sindh, for rightly so, not many people know about this beautiful land of beautiful people, that once was an Empire and a cradle of all civilisations...click that existed about 6000 to 7000 years ago. This civilization - the Indus Valley Civilization - the authenticity and evidence of which is found at Moenjadaro...click (the Mound of the Dead), about 350 kilometres North of Karachi, near Larkana, birth place of another son of Sindh: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto...click, open the long and chequered history of mankind. Here civilised people lived in spacious houses with extraordinary drainage system, at a time when the rest of the world was in darkness and people still lived in the bush or on trees.
I am proud to be a son of that mother of civilisations - Sindh - and glad and honoured to be here to tell the story, in due humility, of this old, feeble, forlorn mother, victim of natural disasters, raped by the marauding, barbaric, uncivilised, and uncouth people of far and near, and abandoned by her very own children - the children that she loved, reared and raised, and protected in the warmth of her bosom. This mother gave to her children the most efficacious river, the Sindhu or the Mehran, on the banks of which flourished some of the most beautiful and richest cities and ports in the world, from where Sindhi merchants traded goods to and from other ancient civilsations - the Inca, Messopotamia, Sumeria, and the Great Chinese civilizations. It is here that international trade and maritime enterprise first originated and developed.
This mother Sindh, also gave her children the most irrigable alluvial soil on Earth, where all kinds of grain grew, providing abundant food for her children and rest of the world. Under the shade and protection of the warm bosom of mother Sindh, lived its energetic, resourceful, kind, humble and hospitable children, in peace, progress and harmony.
As I write this piece in the cosy comfort of my house in peaceful island-city of Singapore, I hear Naru Bhagat sing on my tape recorder : "Ka'at-u qariban-i jay aggian katium-i keenaki, cha'a budhaya'an?" (I weaved not the web before the Loved One, what am I to say?)
The mother Sindh provided everything in abundance - even love. So much love was oozing from her soul that having showered the torrents of love and adulation on her children, she still had a tremendous capacity and quantity of love left, which she progressively and regularly showered upon the children of other lands, other places, other worlds, and other cultures. They came to trouble her, torture her, and torment her. They trespassed into the peaceful lives of her children. They teased, tempted, trivialised and trode mercillesly over her children. Yet, this epitome of motherhood, this ocean of love, this graceful mother of mothers, this prologue of the history of civilizations, this land of mine - my mother land, my fatherland, Sindh - opened her warm heart and soul to all who came.
They came from everywhere - east, west, north, south, everywhere! From North came the Aryans, Alexander, Mongols, and Moghuls. From South came the British, the Portuguese, and the Arabs in boats, dhows and ships. From West came the Persians, the Greeks, Arghuns, and Targhuns. From East came the Mohajirs, the Biharis, the Delhiwalas, the beetlenut-chewing individuals of Hindustan - shirtless, shinless and shelterless. They ravaged, they plundered, they raped the grand old lady and tore her children...click apart from the warmth of her bosom. They manipulated, brainwashed and obscenely seduced her children - through beetlenut, Urdu (the language of the harems of Sultans, Rajas and Maharajas), and through the sari-clad belles - with naked stomach and belly, showing a pulsating midriff, a quivering belly-button, and an inviting gait with an open lascivious smile, and lustful twinkling of the eyes. They threw the grand old lady, the mother who mothered them just like she mothered her own children, who loved and opened her heart, mind and soul to them, just as she did for her own children. Yes, they threw her - knocked senseless, dazed and bewildered - in a dark bottomless dungeon of despair, drudgery and death. The love is stunned, the beauty is gone, warm bosom is warm no more, the mother is dead! Long live treachery, ingratitude, lust and infidelity!
During one of my regular visits to Sindh to see my folks, in December 1994, whilst driving down the Superhighway, from Karachi to Hyderabad, to visit my nephew and to attend the Parents' Day function at my old Alma Mater, the Cadet College, Petaro, I saw a body - wrapped in dust and smoke, generated by countless 'super' vehicles driven by the 'super' people - on the side of the Superhighway. I asked my brother, who was driving, to stop for a while. In scorching heat the body lay - no sound, no movement. An elederly lady, with dishevelled grey hair, eyes - a bottomless pit - deep, sunk, half-open. I can see years of toil, sacrifices, and love burried deep in there. Her bosom - open, cold, empty, and pathetic vaccum. She was in tatters. Her face - muddy, wrinkled, and yet, calm and serene. I can read countless questions and queries on that troubled, yet, beautiful face. Beside her, scattered all over was a crumpled heap of her only possesions - few old clothes, perhaps, the legacy of the past, and a murky, shrivelled photograph. There, beside her, was her 'kisto' (a begging-bowl) - empty, teasing and tormenting my vary soul! I looked at the photograph and saw a very beautiful lady - a typical Sindhi lady, dressed in Sindhi costume with a 'rao' (sindhi head covering) made of 'ajrak', white shirt with Sindhi 'burth' (designs and patterns) and the shalwar made of 'sussi' (the Sindhi home-spun cloth). Four handsome children - three boys and a pretty girl - fresh, smiling, innocent faces, oblivious of tomorrow, living only for that moment with their beloved parents. And a man - tall, robust, and handsome with proud moustache, a 'patko' (turban) wrapped around his head, and an 'ajrak' (a type of Sindhi shawl) hanging around his broad shoulders, and a Sindhi moccasin-like shoes in his feet - her husband.
A man from the adjacent road-side restaurant - there are countless such thatched restaurants, or hotels (as they call them) along the highway - came towards us, and started blurting out in half-Urdu (the national language of the country) and half-Pashtu (the language of the far, far away land of Pashtunistan), "Sahib," he used a filthy abusive word, "she is a Sindhi beggar woman. She is not yet dead. How can she die when I give her food to eat?" he said, giggling and slapping his chest. "Her husband is in Saudi Arabia and never comes back, her daughter is a 'rundi' (a prostitute) and a mistress of a Sindhi Vadera ( he told us his name as well), one of her sons is a pimp for his sister, another one was very pretty, so pretty that he was liked and fancied by a lorry driver and he took him along with him in his truck to Peshawar (the capital of that far, far away land of Pushtoonistan). He has not been seen since. The other son is a thief, robber, beggar and addict. He lives in some 'makan' with 'mawalees.' They have beaten her, took all her possesions and left her at my hotel to die. I have taken pity on this woman and provided her with some food. During daytime she sleeps by the roadside, begging from the passing-by cars of the rich Sindhi Vaderas, but none stops, and at night.....," he paused and took out a tiny receptacle, from the folds of his murky shalwar (loose baggy trousers). Looking at the mirror on the lid of the receptacle, he, scratched his moustache with his dirty long-nailed fingers, opened the lid and pinched out something that looked greenish, pale, pasty stuff and thrust his huge fingers into his mouth, planting the stuff somewhere between his filthy brownish-yellow teeth. My brother later told me that the stuff is known as 'naswar' - a drug, which is used by people from that far away land, for 'kicks', thrill and stimulation, keeping them 'high' under the euphoric effect caused by the drug. He continued with a sheepish grin, arrogant show of body gestures, and that obscene mock in his eyes, "At night, she entertains and comforts my brother truck and lorry drivers, you know what I mean." At this instance, somebody shouted for him from the hotel and he abruptly turned and started to walk back to his hotel.
Yes, I knew precisely what he meant. It is for that reason, that he gives her the crumbs and the left overs of the steady stream of the truck and lorry drivers from the far, far away lands of Pushtoonistan and Punjab - his brothers. Yes, he gives her food! How can she die?
As I stood there transfixed another noisy lorry trudged by, one of the hundreds that kept on zooming past with 'high' drivers from the far, far away lands, and young 'pretty' Sindhi boys as their 'kleanders' (as they call them), leaving behind a suffocating pall of dust and smoke, which was so unceremoniously and ignominiously enveloping the body lying in front of me.
Lying motionless in front of me was not just a frail, aged, sickly lady, but a mother. And that mother, looked like my own mother, like any other mother that I had ever known. As I stood there - mesmerised, frozen, paralysed, with a huge lump in my throat and tears in my eyes which refused to fall, I heard the deep resonant voice of Fakir Abdul Ghafoor's on my brother's car radio singing:
"Moonkh-e Doongar-u Dorind-a aayo, Kechi Kech wancgan." (Kechis leave for Kech, I am left alone to wander in the rocks).
Suddenly, that mother was transformed into mother Sindh. The love is stunned, the beauty is gone, warm bosom is warm no more, the mother is dead! Long live treachery, ingratitude and infidelity! Yes, long live treachery, ingratitude and infidelity!
I took out my wallet, touched a hundred rupee note (no, too little), then a five hundred note (no, too little), finally took out a thousand rupee note, and holding it in my shaking hands, I approached the body, put the money in her frail hand, and said, "Ammar-i, du'a kajain-i" (mother, wish me well and pray for me). As I bent, she opened her eyes, looked at me, and said, "Abba, Allah waddee umir-i ddiyya-ee" (My child, may Allah give you long life). There was love in her eyes and sincerity in her voice. The same love and sincerity that I used to find in my own mother. And I gave her only a thousand rupee note for that love and sincerity! As I started to walk back to my brother's car, I heard Shah Bhittai...click whispering in my ears, "Heff-u tanheen khey hoi, watun-u janheen wisariyo" (Shame on those, who forget and foresake their motherland!).