Shikarpur District
Shikarpur district (Sindhi:شڪارپور) : (Urdu: ضِلع شِكارپُور), is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The city of Shikarpur is the District, there are four (04) Sub-Divisions, locally called (Taluka) Lakhi Ghulam Shah, Garhi Yasin, Khanpur and Shikarpur itself. It is spread over an area of 2,512[2] km2 According to census 2017 total population of District Shikarpur is 1231481. In Total population males are 634985, female are 596477 and Shemale / Transgender are 19. Average annual growth rate is 1.78 from 1998 to 2017.[3] The East India Company occupied Sindh in 1843; They formed three districts in Sindh administratively; 1.Hyderabad 2. Karachi 3.Shikarpur.
Shikarpur District
ضلعو شڪارپور | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates: 28°00′N 68°40′E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Sindh |
| Headquarters | Shikarpur |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,640 km2 (1,020 sq mi) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Total | 1,231,481 |
| • Density | 470/km2 (1,200/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Website | Shikarpur Sindh www.shikarpur.tk |
Then the Shikarpur city was the District Headquarters till 1901 until the British Government Shifted District Headquarters to Sukkur. At that time Shikarpur had 14 talukas which covered the area of all North Sindh except Khairpur. Those days Shikarpur District had its boundaries from Kashmore to Dadu district nowadays.
Administrative divisions
The district of Shikarpur is sub-divided into four talukas these are:[4]
- Garhi Yasin
- Khanpur
- Lakhi
- Shikarpur
Demographics
As per the 1998 census of the country, Shikarpur had a population of 880,000 out of which (24%) was urban.[5] The most common religion is Islam (98.03%) with small a population of Hindus (1.73%), which is larger in the urban areas – 4.36%.[6] There are approximately 250 Sikhs in Shikarpur district.[7] The predominant first language is Sindhi accounting for 96% of the population, followed by Urdu (1.8%) and Balochi (1%).[8]
History
Shikarpur was an important place as commanding the trade route through the Bolan Pass, and its merchants have dealings with many towns in central Asia. Shikarpur was a city closed within a fort, that fort had seven gates like Hathi Gate, Lakhi Gate, Hazari gate, Khanpur Gate, Suvi Gate, Wagana Gate, Karan Gate & Noshero Gate.
Geography
Shikarpur district borders Larkana, Jacobabad, Khairpur and Sukkur. Two National Highways (N-65 & N-55) intersect the city of Shikarpur making it the junction points of 4 provinces.
Places
The Shahi Bagh garden had a zoo with a number of lions, cheetahs, bears, and wild boars. These animals were later shifted to Karachi Zoo. The garden has a wooden pavilion that was designed by Perston Phel and constructed by Sir W. Merewether in September 1871. Many other public and private gardens and open spaces of Shikarpur have vanished.
The Covered Bazaar, contemporary cities of that time – Bukhara, Samarkand, and Istanbul – had bazaars with covered streets. Shikarpur's main bazaar too was covered. The long, narrow bazaar lined with shops on both sides almost pass through the centre of the old city.
Traditional foods of Shikarpur
The traditional foods of Shikarpur are Achar(Pickle) and Kulfi Falooda. The pickle is sold by locals of Shikarpur city, The best pickle you'll find in Shikarpur is sold by locals living in Shah Hussain Mohala Shikarpur; Siddiqis are the locals who have the best pickle in Shikarpur city, the average quality pickle can be found on shops in Bazars(Markets), but for the best quality you must try Siddiqi's pickle. The Deevan Hotel sells the best Kulfi Falooda of Shikarpur, located at Lakhi Dar Shikarpur.
References
- "DISTRICT WISE CENSUS RESULTS CENSUS 2017" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-29.
- "District at a glance Shikarpur | Pakistan Bureau of Statistics" (PDF). www.pbs.gov.pk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-05. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
- DISTRICT GOVERNMENT Shikarpur
- PCO 1999, pp. 25, 27.
- PCO 1999, p. 27.
- Hafeez tunio (1 June 2020). "Shikarpur's Sikhs serve humanity beyond religion". Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- PCO 1999, p. 29.
Bibliography
- 1998 District census report of Shikarpur. Census publication. 13. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 1999.
