| Bukkur Fort بكر جو قلعو | |
|---|---|
 Bhakkar Fort | |
| Site history | |
| Built | 944-45 A.D. (disputed) [1] |
Bukkur, Bakhar or Bhakkar is a historical city and an Island fort situated between Rohri and Sukkur in the Sindh province of Pakistan. [2] [3] Bhakkar is also known as "Old Sukkur". [4]
The island is a limestone rock, oval in shape, 800 yards (730 m) long by 300 yards (270 m) wide, and about 25 feet (7.6 m) in height. [2]
The entirety of the island lies within the fort, as the fortification wall encircles the outer perimeter, bordering the Indus River on all sides. Portions of the fortification wall still stand at various points. Several bastions, some of semi-circular and elliptical design, are evident, along with gates of varying sizes, though many of these are now obstructed with rubble stones. The presence of a railway line divides the island into two sections. Throughout its history, the island and fort have exchanged hands numerous times. [5]
The origins of the name "Bakhar" remain uncertain. Historical texts such as the Tuhfat al-Kiram suggest that the town did not exist during the Dahir's era nor is its name mentioned in the early Muslim period. However, references to a place called "Baghrur Fort" are found in the Chach Nama, where it is noted that Muhammad bin Qasim encountered this fort during his strategic campaigns. This fort, situated on the opposite side of the Indus River and belonging to Raja Dahir, was administered from the capital city of Aror. [6]
Dr. Nabi Bakhsh suggests that the ancient name "Baghrur Fort" evolved into "Bakhar Fort," located on a mid-river island. Just as the capital city of Aror was named "City on the Rud" during the Sassanid Persia's political dominance, the town founded on the river was named "Baghrur," signifying a gift of the god "Bagh." It appears that during this period, the northern Deltaic Apex was situated northeast of Rohri-Sukkur, with a smaller channel passing through Aror and the main trunk-river flowing between Bakhar island and the hilly formation north of Sukkur city. The main course of the Indus separated the twin cities of Arur and Baghrur, hindering Muhammad bin Qasim's conquest of the Baghrur Fort. [1]
According to historical accounts, the origins of Bakhar fort are traced back to the Arab period. The Tarikh-e-Lubb-e-Sindh suggests that its construction date can be inferred from 'Bala Hisar,' indicating a construction period around 944-45 A.D. Some sources mention that during the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid, the fort underwent reconstruction and was renamed "Farishtah". However, Mirza Qaleech Baig claims that Farishtah was founded by Shaikh Abu Turab around 787 A.D. None of these claims are supported by contemporary historical evidence. [1]
According to the Tuhfat al Kiram, the place was named "Bakhar" instead of Farishtah by Sayyid Muhammad Al-Makki, who arrived in Sindh from Yemen around 1246-47 A.D. Legend has it that Sayyid Muhammad Makki, upon arriving at the place, exclaimed, "God has dawned our day in a blessed place," leading to the name Bakra or Baqar, which eventually evolved into Bakhar. [1]
In the 13th century, the historical reference Chach Nama was translated into Persian from Arabic by Ali al-Kufi at Bhakkar. [7]
In the 15th century, the Samma Jam Tughlaq Juna II quelled a Baloch rebellion in the vicinity of Bhakkar, punished its leaders, and appointed his brothers as Governors of Sehwan and Bhakkar to fortify the northern borders of his realm. [8]
The Samma Jam Nizamuddin II swiftly implemented measures upon ascending to the throne to counter the frequent invasions by Baloch tribes into Sindh. These tribes, known for their raids in northern Sindh, had been displacing Sindhi peasants from their lands. Jam Nizamuddin personally resided in Bhakkar for over a year, where he undertook punitive actions against the Baloch tribes. He bolstered the fortifications of Bhakkar, stocked it with provisions, and appointed his slave, Dilshad, to oversee the fort's defense, thereby securing the northern borders of his realm. [9]
After the fall of Samma Dynasty, the Arghun dynasty occupied Bhakkar. Shah Shuja Beg designated Sultan Mahmud Kokaltash, who was fifteen years old at the time, to serve as the administrator of Bhakkar. [10]
After the Arghun dynasty, the Mughal Empire occupied it. [6]
In the 17th century, Bhakkar was popular for its cotton manufacturing industry. [11]
In the 18th century, Mian Noor Mohammad Kalhoro of the Kalhora Dynasty took charge of Bhakkar. [12]
After the end of Kalhora rule, the Talpur dynasty took charge. Later, the British Raj acquired control of the island from the Talpurs through the treaty signed on 24th December, 1838 A.D, renaming it Victoria. However, this new designation failed to gain widespread acceptance, and the island continues to be recognized by its native name. [6]
Sindh is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province by population after Punjab. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan to the west and north-west and Punjab to the north. It shares an International border with the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan to the east; it is also bounded by the Arabian Sea to the south. Sindh's landscape consists mostly of alluvial plains flanking the Indus River, the Thar Desert in the eastern portion of the province along the international border with India, and the Kirthar Mountains in the western portion of the province.
Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim al-Thaqafī was an Arab military commander in service of the Umayyad Caliphate who led the Muslim conquest of Sindh, inaugurating the Umayyad campaigns in India. His military exploits led to the establishment of the Islamic province of Sindh, and the takeover of the region from the Sindhi Brahman dynasty and its ruler, Raja Dahir, who was subsequently decapitated with his head sent to al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf in Basra. With the capture of the then-capital of Aror by Arab forces, Muhammad ibn al-Qasim became the first Muslim to have successfully captured Indian land, which marked the beginning of Muslim rule in South Asia.
Sukkur is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh along the western bank of the Indus River, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the third largest city in Sindh after Karachi and Hyderabad, and 14th largest city of Pakistan by population. The city was originally founded by the Rai dynasty of Sindh. The modern city was built in the 1840s. New Sukkur was established during the British era alongside the village of Sukkur. Sukkur's hill, along with the hill on the river island of Bukkur, form what is sometimes considered the "Gate of Sindh".
The Kalhora or Kalhora Abbasi is a Sindhi Sammat clan in Sindh, Pakistan.
The Samma dynasty was a medieval Sindhi dynasty which ruled the Sindh Sultanate from 1351 before being replaced by the Arghun dynasty in 1524.
The Arghun dynasty ruled over the area adjoining Southern Afghanistan and then the Sindh Sultanate from the late 15th century to the early 16th century. Arghun rule can be divided into two branches: the Arghun branch of Dhu'l-Nun Beg Arghun that ruled until 1554, and the Tarkhan branch of Muhammad Isa Tarkhan that ruled until 1593.
Raja Dahir was the last Hindu ruler of Sindh. A Brahmin ruler, his kingdom was invaded in 711 CE by the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, led by Muhammad bin Qasim, where Dahir died while defending his kingdom. According to the Chachnama, the Umayyad campaign against Dahir was due to a pirate raid off the coast of the Sindhi coast that resulted in gifts to the Umayyad caliph from the king of Serendib being stolen.
Rohri is a city of Sukkur District, Sindh province, Pakistan. It is located on the east bank of the Indus River, located directly across from Sukkur, the third largest city in Sindh. Rohri town is the administrative headquarters of Rohri Taluka, and tehsil of Sukkur District with which it forms a metropolitan area. Its capture marked the beginning of Muslim rule in South Asia under Muhammad ibn al-Qasim in 711 CE, when it was named Aror.
The history of Sindh refers to the history of the modern-day Pakistani province of Sindh, as well as neighboring regions that periodically came under its sway.
Bhurgari is a Sindhi-Baloch tribe which lives in various provinces of Pakistan.
Sindhi literature is the collection of oral and written literature in the Sindhi language in prose and poetry. The Sindhi language of the province of Sindh in Pakistan is considered one of the oldest languages of ancient India, and influenced the language of Indus Valley inhabitants. Sindhi literature has developed over a thousand years.
Hyderābād City (Haidarābād), headquarters of the district of Sindh province of Pakistan traces its early history to Neroon, a Sindhi ruler of the area from whom the city derived its previous name, Neroon Kot. Its history dates back to medieval times, when Ganjo Takker, a nearby hilly tract, was used as a place of worship. Lying on the most northern hill of the Ganjo Takker ridge, just east of the river Indus, it is the third largest city in the province and the eighth largest in the country with an expanse over three hillocks part of the most northerly hills of the Ganjo Takker range, 32 miles east of the Indus with which it is connected by various routes leading to Gidu Bandar.
Nasir al-Din Abu al-Fatah Firuz Shah II, commonly known as Jam Feroz (1508–1524/5), was the last ruler of the Samma dynasty of Sindh. Jam Feroz proved himself a weak ruler and lost his kingdom to Arghuns, thus Sindh came under foreign rulers.
Aror is the medieval name of the city of Rohri in Sindh, modern Pakistan. Aror once served as the capital of Sindh.
The Battle of Halani was fought in 1783 between the Baloch tribe of Talpurs and the Kalhoro Dyansty near Halani village for the control of the Sindh region, in modern-day Pakistan. The Talpurs, led by Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur, won the battle over Mian Abdul Nabi Kalhoro of the Kalhora dynasty, and established the Talpur dynasty.
Shah Inayatullah, popularly known as Sufi Shah Inayat Shaheed, Shah Shaheed or Shah Inayat of Jhok, was a 17th-century Sindhi Sufi saint and revolutionary from Jhok. He was the first socialist and agricultural reformist of Sindh.
The Brahmin dynasty, also known as the Chacha dynasty or Silaij dynasty, was a Hindu dynasty that ruled the Sindh region, succeeding the Rai dynasty. Most of the information about its existence comes from the Chach Nama, a historical account of the Chach-Brahmin dynasty.
Kakrala was a historical region in southern Sindh, in the coastal parts of the Indus Delta. Descriptions of its precise extent vary, but it lay in the middle part of the delta, comprising the present-day taluqas of Shahbandar and Jati in Sujawal and Thatta districts. It has been described as the region from Jati to Kharo Chan, or the region between the mouths of the Wanyani and Pitti rivers. This area later formed part of the pargana of Ghorabari.
The Sindhis of Balochistan are an indigenous Sindhi population living in Balochistan, Pakistan.
In 1574, Akbar captured the island fortress of Bhakkar as part of his efforts to extend his control over the southern region of Sind near the Indus River's mouth. This strategic move aimed to solidify his dominance in northwestern India and establish a base for launching an offensive against Kandahar, which was then under the rule of Shah Abbas of Persia.
27°41′43″N68°53′15″E / 27.69528°N 68.88750°E
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