Sukkur Travel Guide and Tourist Attractions

Sukkur is a holy place, full of mausoleums of saints. There are two on the island in the Indus, with rather exceptional blue tile work using non-traditional patterns. The town has several historical sites. The pencil shaped minaret built by Mir Masum Shah, a 16th century Governor of Sindh. Its lantern top affords an excellent panorama like the tower at Pisa, it leans on one side. The tower is 84 ft high. It has 84 steps and its circumference at the base is 84 ft.

Sukkur, or Sakharu, formerly Aror (Sanskrit), is the third largest city of Sindh province, situated on the west bank of Indus River in Pakistan in Sukkur District. One conjecture is that when Arabs invaded Sukkur (Sindh) in the 8th century, they found an extreme climate (hot and cold), and called it Saqar, which means intense.[citation needed] However, the word Sakharu in Sindhi means “superior”, which the spelling of the city’s name in Sindhi suggests is the origin of the name. Sukkur is nicknamed Darya Dino meaning the gift of river), as without the Indus the city would be a desert.people of sukkur are sindhis(70%),urdu (17.5%),punjabi(8%),pushto (1.5%),baloch(1%),and others 2%

Tourist attractions

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. Construction of the bridge was started in 1923 and completed in January 1932. The 5,000 feet (1,500 m) 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 revitalize 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.

The Minaret of Masum Shah
During the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, Masum Shah was appointed as his Nawab, or Governor of Sukkur. In 1614 he built the pencil shaped minaret. The tower is 84 foot high, circumference at the base is 84 foot and there are 84 steps leading to the lantern at the top. The spiral staircase is very narrow in places but there are fine views from the top. At the base of the minaret is the Faiz Mahal, an octagonal building with a glazed brick dome, that was built by Masum Shah as a pavilion. Masum Shah is buried in a adjacent tomb.

Mausoleum of Shah Khairuddin Jilani
To the east of the town, this is a tomb of a religious scholar and wandering founder of a spiritual dynasty who settled in a nearby cave until his death in 1609 at the age of 116. The shrine was built in 1760, although the blue enameled dome and tiled façade were restored by Sinshi craftsmen only 40 years ago.

Sadhubella
One of the most intriguing places of interest in Sukkur is the active Hindu complex on the ijsland of Sadhubella. The symbolism of an outpost of Hinduism in predominantly Muslim Pakistan is not lost on the devotees attending the temples on this rocky ijsland of Indus.
Sukkur travel guide offers the following tours:

Sightseeing & Excursions

1. Half day sightseeing tour of Sukkur, visit the Minaret of Masum Shah and also see the local bazaar.
2. Walking tour along Sukkur Barrage.
3. Half day excursion for Sadhubella.
4. Full day excursion for Mohenjodaro Museum & sites.