Sindh is Pakistan's southeastern coastal province, anchored by the sprawling port megacity of Karachi and stretching north along the Indus River to the ancient ruins of Mohenjo-daro. The province blends a major commercial capital with Sufi shrine culture, desert landscapes in the Tharparkar region, and some of South Asia's most significant archaeological and funerary sites, including the UNESCO-listed Makli Necropolis near Thatta.
Sindh carries one of the longest continuous historical records in South Asia, opening with the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization at Mohenjo-daro around 2500 BCE, one of the world's earliest planned cities. Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh in 711-712 CE, making it one of the first regions of South Asia to come under Muslim rule, and the following centuries saw local Soomra and Samma dynasties build the vast Makli Necropolis at Thatta and rule from forts such as Umerkot, where the Mughal emperor Akbar was born in 1542 after his father Humayun fled there in exile. Mughal governors later beautified Thatta with the Shah Jahan Mosque, while the 18th and early 19th centuries brought Sindh under the Kalhora and then Talpur dynasties, who built Hyderabad's Pacco Qillo and ruled from it until the British annexed Sindh in 1843 following Sir Charles Napier's campaign. British colonial rule reshaped the province with irrigation engineering such as the Sukkur Barrage and the Lansdowne Bridge, and administrative centers in Karachi and Hyderabad. Karachi grew from a small fishing port into Sindh's largest city and, briefly, Pakistan's first capital after the 1947 Partition, a period that also brought major demographic upheaval as Hindu and Sikh populations left for India and Muslim refugees arrived from across the new border, while a substantial Hindu community remains rooted in Tharparkar and Umerkot to this day. Sindh's Sufi shrine culture, centered on saints such as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan Sharif and Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai in Bhit Shah, runs as a continuous thread through the province's religious life across all these political changes.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Sindh.
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1
Mohenjo-daro Flourishes
Mohenjo-daro becomes one of the two principal cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, with a planned grid layout, a citadel mound, granary structures and the Great Bath, a possible ritual bathing structure
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2
Muhammad bin Qasim Conquers Sindh
The Umayyad general Muhammad bin Qasim defeats Raja Dahir near Aror (present-day Rohri) and brings Sindh under Muslim rule, among the earliest such conquests in South Asia
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3
Samma Dynasty and the Makli Necropolis
The Samma dynasty rules Sindh from Thatta, and construction of tombs at the Makli Necropolis expands into one of the largest funerary sites in the world
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4
Akbar Born at Umerkot Fort
The future Mughal emperor Akbar is born at Umerkot Fort after his father Humayun takes refuge there while fleeing Sher Shah Suri
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5
Mughal Annexation of Sindh
The Mughal Empire under Akbar formally annexes Sindh, bringing the province into direct imperial administration
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6
Shah Jahan Mosque Completed at Thatta
Emperor Shah Jahan gifts the tiled, 93-domed Jamia Masjid to Thatta in gratitude for the refuge his family received in Sindh
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7
Hyderabad Founded
Kalhora ruler Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro founds the city of Hyderabad and builds the Pacco Qillo fort as his seat of power
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8
Talpur Dynasty Takes Power
The Baloch Talpur Mirs overthrow the Kalhoras and rule Sindh from Hyderabad and Khairpur until the British conquest six decades later
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9
British Annexation of Sindh
Sir Charles Napier defeats the Talpur Mirs at the Battle of Miani, and the British East India Company annexes Sindh, later reporting the conquest with the famous (possibly apocryphal) one-word dispatch 'Peccavi' (I have sinned)
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10
Sukkur Barrage Completed
The British complete the Sukkur Barrage (originally Lloyd Barrage) across the Indus River, one of the largest irrigation systems in the world at the time, transforming agriculture across Sindh
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11
Partition and Karachi as First Capital
British India is partitioned; Karachi becomes the first capital of independent Pakistan, and Sindh experiences mass migration as Hindu and Sikh residents leave for India and Muslim refugees arrive from across the new border
Historical eras
The chapters of Sindh's past.
Indus Valley Civilization
Mohenjo-daro, near present-day Larkana, was one of the two great cities of the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization, with planned streets, a citadel mound, a Great Bath and standardized brick construction, flourishing at its height around 2500 BCE.
Arab conquest and early Islamic Sindh
The Umayyad general Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh in 711-712 CE, defeating the Hindu ruler Raja Dahir at Aror near present-day Rohri, making Sindh one of the earliest regions of South Asia to come under Muslim rule and a gateway for Islamic administration, trade and scholarship.
Soomra and Samma dynasties
Local Sindhi dynasties, the Soomras and later the Sammas, ruled Sindh with capitals shifting between Thatta and other centers, laying the foundations of the Makli Necropolis at Thatta and establishing Umerkot as a regional fort town.
Mughal era in Sindh
The Mughal Empire absorbed Sindh under Akbar in 1591, and Mughal governors later commissioned major architecture in the province, including the Shah Jahan Mosque at Thatta, gifted by the emperor in gratitude for refuge given to his father Humayun and for his own birth at Umerkot Fort in 1542.
Kalhora and Talpur dynasties
The Kalhora dynasty ruled Sindh from the early 18th century, founding Hyderabad and its Pacco Qillo fort in 1768 under Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro, before the Baloch Talpur dynasty took power in 1783 and ruled from Hyderabad and Khairpur until the British conquest.
British colonial Sindh
British forces under Sir Charles Napier defeated the Talpur Mirs at the Battle of Miani in 1843 and annexed Sindh, developing Karachi as a major port, building the Sukkur Barrage and Lansdowne Bridge, and administering the province initially as part of the Bombay Presidency before it became a separate province in 1936.
Partition and modern Sindh
The 1947 Partition of British India made Karachi Pakistan's first capital and brought mass migration, as Hindu and Sikh residents left for India and Muslim refugees (Muhajirs) arrived from across the new border, while Sindh's interior, including Tharparkar and Umerkot, retained one of Pakistan's largest Hindu communities.
Historical sites
Places where Sindh's past comes alive.
Mohenjo-daro Archaeological Site and Museum
Where: Larkana District
Admission: Adult: PKR 3,000 for foreign nationals (approx $10.79); PKR 50 for Pakistani nationals | Child: Reduced rate for Pakistani school-age children
Makli Necropolis
Where: Thatta
Admission: Adult: PKR 3,000 for foreign nationals (approx $10.79); PKR 50 for Pakistani nationals | Child: Reduced rate for Pakistani school-age children
Shah Jahan Mosque (Jamia Masjid Thatta)
Where: Thatta
Admission: Adult: Free entry; donations welcome | Child: Free entry
Umerkot Fort
Where: Umerkot
Admission: Adult: Modest nominal fee, typically under PKR 50 (approx $0.18) | Child: Reduced or free for young children
Pacco Qillo (Hyderabad Fort)
Where: Hyderabad
Admission: Adult: Free to walk the fort grounds; the adjoining Sindh Museum charges a nominal fee, typically under PKR 50 (approx $0.18) | Child: Free; reduced museum rate for children
Tombs of the Talpur Mirs
Where: Hyderabad
Admission: Adult: Free entry | Child: Free entry
Ranikot Fort
Where: Near Sann, Jamshoro District
Admission: Adult: Nominal entry fee collected at the Kirthar National Park checkpoint, typically under PKR 100 (approx $0.36) plus a small per-vehicle charge | Child: Reduced or free for young children
Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
Where: Sehwan Sharif
Admission: Adult: Free entry | Child: Free entry
Shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
Where: Bhit Shah
Admission: Adult: Free entry | Child: Free entry
Sukkur Barrage and Lansdowne Bridge
Where: Sukkur
Admission: Adult: Free to view from the road and riverbank | Child: Free
Chaukhandi Tombs
Where: Near Karachi
Admission: Adult: Free entry | Child: Free entry
Wazir Mansion (Quaid-e-Azam Birthplace Museum)
Where: Karachi
Admission: Adult: Modest nominal fee, typically under PKR 50 (approx $0.18) | Child: Reduced or free for young children
Quaid-e-Azam's Mazar (Jinnah Mausoleum)
Where: Karachi
Admission: Adult: Free entry | Child: Free entry
Museums
Curated collections that tell Sindh's story.
Mohenjo-daro Site Museum
Hours: Daily, approx 9:00AM-5:00PM
Admission: Adult: Included with the Mohenjo-daro site ticket (PKR 3,000 foreign nationals, approx $10.79; PKR 50 Pakistani nationals) | Child: Reduced rate for Pakistani school-age children
Sindh Museum, Hyderabad
Hours: Daily except Wednesday, approx 9:00AM-4:00PM
Admission: Adult: Modest nominal fee, typically under PKR 50 (approx $0.18) | Child: Reduced or free for young children
Umerkot Fort Museum
Hours: Daily, approx 9:00AM-5:00PM
Admission: Adult: Included with fort entry, typically under PKR 50 (approx $0.18) | Child: Reduced or free for young children
Historical tours
Guided experiences that bring history to life.
Indus Valley Heritage Trail
A trip from Sukkur or Larkana to the Mohenjo-daro archaeological site and its on-site museum, tracing the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization
Thatta and Makli Day Trip
A day trip from Karachi along the N-5 highway to the Makli Necropolis and the adjoining Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta
Sindh Sufi Shrine Circuit
A route linking the Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan Sharif with the Shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai in Bhit Shah, both major centers of Sindhi Sufi devotion
Talpur and Kalhora Hyderabad Walk
A walking route through old Hyderabad covering Pacco Qillo, the Sindh Museum and the nearby Tombs of the Talpur Mirs
Jinnah's Karachi
A half-day route covering Wazir Mansion in Kharadar, where Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born, and his mausoleum at Mazar-e-Quaid in central Karachi