This old town lies on the other side of the Indus, opposite Sukkur. The ancient city of Aror is a few miles to the east, its ruins on the edge of a low limestone range; little of its historic past remains.
Rohri’s houses climb a limestone ridge above the river, and the town is linked to Sukkur by the Lansdowne Bridge and the island of Bukkur. The flint of the Rohri hills was worked for tools from the Stone Age to the time of the Indus civilization.
Places to see
War Mubarak (1545)
Built by Mir Muhammad Kalhora, the shrine holds a relic of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H.) in a gold and jewel-encrusted casket, displayed to the faithful once a year.
Sath Bahin Astan
The tomb of the seven sisters who, legend says, vowed never to show themselves to any man — and were swallowed by the ground when a Nawab demanded they be brought to him.
Jamia (Akbari) Mosque (1584)
Built by an officer of Emperor Akbar. Frequently damaged and repaired, little of its original tile work remains.
Aror
The ruins of the old capital of Sindh, taken by Muhammad bin Qasim in the 8th century and abandoned when the Indus changed course.
The Rohri hills
Limestone hills scattered with ancient flint workings, among the oldest traces of people in the Indus valley.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Rohri is one of the main junctions on the Karachi–Lahore railway; Sukkur’s airport is just across the river.
- When to go
- November to February. Summers are extremely hot.
- Combine with
- Sukkur, the river islands of Bukkur and Sadhu Bela, and Moenjodaro.
Header photo: Rohri from Bukkur island — Ayaz Ali Laghari, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons