Sukkur is the most important town in upper Sindh. More than 2,000 years ago the town stood at Aror, 9 km east of the present site, but it moved in 962 A.D. when an earthquake diverted the Indus into its present channel.
By the 13th century the twin towns of Sukkur and Rohri were bustling river ports, reaching their zenith in the 17th century.
Today Sukkur is best known for its barrage, which feeds one of the largest irrigation systems in the world, and for the islands and bridges that make this stretch of the Indus one of the most attractive in Sindh.
Places to see
Minaret of Masum Shah
A lighthouse-shaped brick minaret built by Mir Muhammad Masum, appointed Nawab of Sukkur by Emperor Akbar. Slightly tilted, it is 84 ft high and 84 ft round, with 84 steps to the top. Masum Shah is buried with his family in a nearby pavilion.
Sukkur Barrage
Completed in 1932, the barrage across the Indus feeds a network of canals that waters much of Sindh.
Lansdowne Bridge
The great steel railway bridge of 1889 linking Sukkur and Rohri — in its day one of the longest cantilever spans in the world.
Sadhu Bela
A Hindu temple complex on a small island in the Indus, reached by boat, with marble shrines and gardens.
Bukkur island
The rocky island between Sukkur and Rohri, crowned by the remains of an old fort.
Indus river dolphins
The river between the Guddu and Sukkur barrages is a reserve for the rare, almost blind Indus river dolphin.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Sukkur has an airport, and Rohri, just across the river, is one of the main junctions on the Karachi–Lahore railway.
- When to go
- November to February. Summers in upper Sindh are extremely hot.
- Nearby
- Rohri, Aror and the Rohri hills are minutes away across the river, and Moenjodaro is within a day trip by road.
Header photo: Sukkur along the Indus — Nomi887, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons