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Hyderabad is the 2nd largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the 5th largest city in the country by theWorld Gazetteer Retrieved 22 August 2012. . The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot (Sindhi: نيرُون ڪوٽ). Formerly the capital of Sindh, it serves as the HQ of the district of Hyderabad. The last Battle of Amir Talpor and British took place in this city in 1843. Before the creation of Pakistan, it was known as the Paris of India, for its roads used to be washed with river water.

The political boundaries stage the city as a district and the region has seen major political turmoil. From the battles fought against the British occupation to the civilian unrest in the 1980s, the city has lost its glory of past and much of its cultural and architectural heritage lies in tattered ruins. Hyderabad has been a staging point for literary campaigns particularly oriented towards the Sindhi language and a birthplace of a few influential poets and Sufi dervishes. Rich with culture and tradition, the city is the largest bangle producer in the world and serves as a transit between the rural and the urban Sindh. Stationed close to important architectural digs like the pre-Harappan Amri at 110 km, the region holds extreme importance to archaeologists the world over. 

Hyderabad is a city built on three hillocks cascading over each other. Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro of the Kalhora Dynasty founded the city in 1768 over the ruins of Neroon Kot (Nerun or Nerun Kot) (meaning the place of Neroon), a small fishing village on the banks of River Indus named after its ruler Neroon. A formal concept of the city was laid out by his son, Sarfraz Khan in 1782. When the foundations were laid, the city obtained the nickname Heart of the Mehran as the ruler Mian Ghulam Shah himself was said to have fallen in love with the city. In 1768 he ordered a fort to be built on one of the three hills of Hyderabad to house and defend his people. The fort was built using fire-baked bricks giving it the name Pacco Qillo (Sindhi: پڪو قلعو) meaning the strong fort.

After the death of the last Kalhoro, the Talpur dynasty ruled the region. Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur left his capital Khudabad, the Land of God and made Hyderabad his capital in 1789. He made the Pacco Qillo his residence and also held his courts there. Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur along with his three other brothers were responsible for the affairs that persisted in the city of Hyderabad in the years of their rule. The four were called char yar, Sindhi for the four friends.

The City has a history of Sufism. In the 18th Century Syeds from Multan migrated and settled at Tando Jahania making it a sacred place for Muslims. These Syeds came here from Uch Sharif (Bahawalpur District) via Jahanian (Khanewal District 42 km from Multan). These were the descendants of Jahaniyan Jahangasht a famous sufi saint. The family’s lineage is linked to Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari of Uch Sharif( Punjab, Pakistan). Tando Jahania is a small town in the city known for Sufism and Azadari.

The Baloch Talpur rule lasted almost over 50 years and in 1843, Talpurs faced a greater threat, the invasion of expanding British colonial empire. The British wanted to annex Sindh due to their strategic interests in the Punjab region and Afghanistan. The Talpur Amir signed a peace agreement that gave significant concessions to the British. After signing this peace agreement Amir Talpur demobilized his volunteer army. The British General Napier also started to march his army back towards Bombay. When the General Napier heard that the Talpur Amir had demobilised his Baloch army he turned back his army and again threatened Hyderabad. The peace agreement with Talpur Amir was of no consequence compared to the strategic interests of the British colonial empire. The British came face-to-face with the Talpurs at the Battle of Miani on 17 February 1843. General Napier was firmly determined in conquering Sindh and plundering Hyderabad. The battle ended on 24 March 1843 when the Talpur Amirs lost and the city came into the hands of the British. The Amirs of Hyderabad suffered great loss, their Fort was plundered, thousands were killed and Amirs themselves were exiled to Rangoon, Burma - never to see Sindh again. The British made the city part of the Bombay Presidency of British colonial empire.

At the time of independence of Pakistan in 1947, the Muhajirs began to immigrate to Pakistan and many settled in the city of Hyderabad. These refugee Muslim lost everything in India and were settled in refugee camps. This hostility translated into communal tension in Hyderabad between Muslim refugees and local Hindus; After independence of Pakistan, Hindus abandoned Sindh in large numbers due to communal violence, or simply for economic prospects in India. Hindus had formed the backbone of Sindhi commerce and industry, and their departure was filled by educated Muslim migrants who quickly established themselves in the city. The migration of (Muhajirs)after the independence of Pakistan in 1947 raised the population levels of the city to never seen before numbers. The late 1980s were a dark period in the history of Hyderabad as riots and violence broke out between the political parties of the Muhajirs, and the Sindhi nationalist parties.

Capital of Sindh

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Karachi the former provincial capital of Sindh from 1936 was made the Federal Capital of Pakistan.

From 1947 to 1955 the city of Hyderabad served as the capital of Sindh province,which was later dissolved and one unit was formed named West Pakistan. Lahore was the capital of West Pakistan. In 1969 Karachi regained the status of capital of newly made province Sindh which included Khayrpur state as well.

Geography and climate

Located at 25.367 °N latitude and 68.367 °E longitude with an elevation of 13 metres (43 ft), Hyderabad is located on the east bank of the Indus River and is roughly 150 kilometres (93 mi) away from Karachi, the provincial capital. Two of Pakistan's largest highways, the Indus Highway and the National Highway join at Hyderabad. Several towns surrounding the city include Kotri at 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi), Jamshoro at 8.1 kilometres (5.0 mi), Hattri at 5.0 kilometres (3.1 mi) and Husri at 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi).

Hyderabad has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh), with warm conditions year-round. The period from mid-April to late June (before the onset of the monsoon) is the hottest of the year, with highs peaking in May at 41.4 °C (106.5 °F). During this time, winds that blow usually bring along clouds of dust, and people prefer staying indoors in the daytime, while the breeze that flows at night is more pleasant. Winters are warm, with highs around 25 °C (77 °F), though lows can often drop below 10 °C (50 °F) at night. The highest temperature of 48.5 °C (119 °F) was recorded on 7 June 1991, while the lowest temperature of 1 °C (34 °F) was recorded on 8 February 2012. 

In recent years Hyderabad has seen great downpours. In February 2003, Hyderabad received 105 millimetres (4.13 in) of rain in 12 hours, leaving many dead. The years of 2006 and 2007 saw close contenders to this record rain with death tolls estimated in the hundreds. The highest single-day rain total of 250.7 millimetres (9.87 in) was recorded on 12 September 1962,  while the wettest month was September 1962, at 286 millimetres (11.26 in).

Economy

  Karachi, the largest and the most populous city of Pakistan presents an interesting and colorful combination ofthe old and new. The narrow twisting lanes and alleys of the old city throb with life along-side the wide metal led roads and elegant modern buildings. Within the city, talented artisans with age-old skills produce handicrafts of exquisite beauty.

Karachi offers a variety of pleasant attractions: wide sunny beaches, deep-sea fishing, yachting, golf and horse racing all-year round. Its restaurants provide a wide choice of Pakistani and Western cuisine. Its markets and bazaar offer and endless variety of exciting shopping including indigenous handicrafts, rugs and carpets of rare design and beauty. Karachi's recorded history goes back to the 18th century when it was a small fishing village known as Karachi-jo-Goth. With the development of its harbor it gradually grew into a large city and an important centre of trade and industry.

Its selection as capital of Pakistan in 1947 added to its importance and tremendously boosted the rate of its growth and development. Although the seat of Government has now been shifted to Islamabad, Karachi still remains the epicenter of commerce and industry.

List of Medical Colleges / Universities in Karachi

- Aga Khan Medical College

- Aga Khan university

- Al-Khair University

- Allama Iqbal Medical College

- Baqai Medical University

- CAA Model School & College

- College of Physicians & Surgeons

- Dow Medical College

- Dow University of Health Sciences

- Fatima Jinnha Dentel College

- Jinnah Medical and Dental College

- Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre

- Karachi Medical and Dental College

- Sind Medical College

- Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation

- Ziauddin Medical University

Chaukundi

Located on the National Highway, 27 kms from Karachi, Chaukundi tombs comprise of innumerable sandstone graves with strangely-carved motifs, date back to 16th-18th centuries in Sindh. The Chaukundi Tombs are archaeologically interesting. The tombs are constructed out of slabs of rocks stacked into elongated pyramids of cubical stones and carved with exquisite designs, the origin of which remains a mystery.

Banbhore 

About 64 kms (40 miles) east of Karachi is Banbhore, an archaeological site which some scholars identify with Debal, the port of city where the Arab General Mohammad Bin Qasim landed in 712 AD. This site is believed to be the port city of Daibul which flourished in 8th century AD. The museum at the site houses a rich collection of painted pottery, coins and beads etc. Banbhore is one of the Pakistan's old and most popular folk- stories Sassi-Pannu.

Haleji Lake

Situated 70 kms (about 52 miles) from Karachi. Haleji Lake is considered to be largest water fall sanctuary in Asia, and is the main reservoir for Karachi. Its 1-1/2 km off the Thatta road from the village of Gujjo. Thousands of birds of over seventy species migrate here in winter from Siberia and stay through January and February. The birds include flamingoes, pelicans, pheasant-tailed jacanas, herons, ducks, partridges and egrets. It is a paradise for those who love birds.

Thatta

Thatta, about 98 kms (61 miles) east of Karachi. At one time Thatta was important as Sind's capital city and as a centre for Islamic arts. From the 14th century four Muslim dynasties ruled Sindh from Thatta, but in 1739 the capital was moved elsewhere and Thatta declined. It was believed that this was the place where Alexander the Great rested his legions after their long march.

The town is dominated by the Great Mosque built by the Moghuls Emperor Shah Jehan which has been carefully restored to its original condition. The mosque's 33 arched domes give it superb acoustics and the tile work, a whole range of shades of blue, is equally fine. Situated on the outskirts of the new town it is surrounded by narrow lanes and multi-story houses made of plaster and wood which are top by badgers, the wind catchers designed to funnel cool breezes down into the interiors of buildings. They are also quite common in Hyderabad.

The bazaars of Thatta are known for hand-printed fabrics, glass bangles and Sindhe embroidery work in laid with tinny mirrors, one of the more world known handicrafts of Pakistan. Thatta is a fascinating town which appears to have scarcely moved out of the 18th century and is only slowly catching up with the modern world.

Hyderabad

Hyderabad, 164 km north of Karachi the second largest city in Sindh and one of the largest in Pakistan. Hyderabad is five km from the eastern bank of the Indus changed its course away from Khudabad, at that time the capital of the region, the new capital was shifted to Hyderabad. In 1766 the Kalhora ruler constructed a fort half a square km in area and it still stands today. In 1843 the British arrived and defeated the Talpurs, completing their conquest of Sindh.

In the old city, buildings are topped by badgers that look like chimneys on roof tops. They catch the cool breezes which blow steadily in a south-west direction for 40 days from late April each year. Hyderabad is hot for most of the year, although in autumn and winter the temperature dips down to around 24 C . In the old sections of the town, cows still roam the streets giving it a distinctly mediaeval atmosphere.

On the northern side of the hill on which Hyderabad is sited there are tombs from the Talpur and Kalhora periods. The tomb of Ghulam Shah Kalhora is one of the finest, although its dome collapsed and has now been replaced by a flat roof.

Also worth a visit is the Institute of Sindhology's museum at the University of Sindh. It has displays on all aspects of Sindhi history, music and culture depicting the lifestyles of the desert tribes. Infrequent GTS buses go to the campus, otherwise take a miniwagon to Jumshero, across the river from Hyderabad, and walk the 1-1/2km to the university.

Kirthar National Park

This park may be visited for recreation education or research but shooting is forbidden. A four hour drive north- east from Karachi, of the Super Highway (for 4 WD vehicles only) takes the visitor deep into the heart of Kirthar National Park, again preserve measuring over 3,000 square kilometers in the Kirthar hills and a good destination for 3 day trip if the bandits are brought under control. October to February is the most comfortable...that is, coolest...time to go but the flowers bloom during the (relatively) wet monsoon in August. 

Five furnished rest house with cooking facilities and running water are situated on the edge of a wide valley in the centre of the park at Karchat. They are book able through the Sindh Wildlife Management Board, which also hires out tents to those wish to camp. Some food is available if ordered well in advance, but it is better to take your own food, drink and bedding.

The rolling valleys and contorted, rugged lines of the Kirthar hills form a natural haven for Urial sheep, ibex and chinkara gazelle. Jungle cats, desert cats and even the occasional leopard or desert wolf also prowl the park, but you would be extreme lucky to see them. Pangolins (scaly anteaters), porcupines and monitor lizards are more in evidence.

Other attractions in the park are 18th century Chaukundi style tombs at Taung and pre-historic archaeological remains at Koh Tarash. The enormous Rani Kot Fort is also within the park, two hours by jeep from Karchat. Rani Kot is about four hours from Karachi via the Super Highway and Indus Highway.

Moenjodaro

At Moenjodaro (Mound of dead) in the west bank of the Indus in Sindh have been found the remains of one of the earliest and a most developed urban civilizations of the ancient world. Discovered in 1922 Moenjodaro once metropolis of great importance forming part of the Indus Valley Civilization. Moenjodaro 4,000 years old brick ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization city of Moenjodaro.

The Indus Valley Civilization flourished from 3,000 to 15,00 BC, making it contemporary with the ancient civilization of Egypt and Mesopotamia. At its height, it comprised at least 400 cities and towns along the Indus and its tributaries, covering most of the present-day Pakistan and stretching north-west as far as modern Kabul and east as far as modern Delhi. The water ways were the main highways connecting the empire, and flat bottomed barges almost identical to those still use today plied the rivers from city to city. Few of the cities have been excavated.

The most imposing remains are those of the great bath which consisted of an open quadrangle with verandahs on four sides, galleries and rooms at the back, a group of halls on the north and a large bathing pool. It was probably used for religious or ceremonial bathing. Nearby are the remains of the great granary, possible public treasury where taxes were paid in kind. Testifying to the high developed and artistic sensibility of the Moenjodaro people is discovery of necklaces pendants of beads ear rings and anklets of ivory and mother-of-pearl, vessels of silver, copper and browns and polished stones weights and measures which suggest the existence of strangest civic regulations.

From coins and poetries discovered, archaeologists believe trade and cultural links existed between Moenjodaro and the contemporary civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Various objects d'art found at Moenjodaro include burnt clay male and female figurines, and models of the bird, steatite bust of a noble man or a priest- king, wearing a loose robe on which the trefoil pattern is engraved and small dancing girls in the browns with slim figures and flat Negroid features. Figural art is best illustrated by steatite seals bearing life like representations of animals and mythological creates such as is the unicorn. The ruins of this Indus Valley Civilization face eminent danger from the rising water tables and salinity. Government of Pakistan in cooperation with UNESCO is making all possible efforts to avert this danger and save Moenjodaro.

Kot Diji

Kot Diji site is 25 kms (15 miles) south of Khairpur town in the Khairpur District of Sindh. Archaeologists say that the discovery of this pre-historic site has furnished information of high significance since it pushed back the pre-history of Pakistan by at least an other 300 years from about 2,500 BC to 2,800 BC. Evidence of new cultural element of pre-Harappan and pre-Moenjodaro date has been found at Kot Diji. The excavations there have proved that the Indus Valley Civilizations people borrowed or developed some of the basic cultural elements of the Kot Dijians. The site consists of two parts: one comprising the citadel area on the high ground where the ruling elite lived and outer area inhabited by the common man. The Kot Diji culture is marked by well- furnished well-made pottery and houses built of mud-bricks on stone foundations. In fact, the Kot Dijian ceramics through different in form and technique are no way less artistic then the sophisticated back-on-red pottery of Harappans.

The Harappans borrowed some of the basic cultural elements from Kot Diji. The Harappan decorated designs such as the "fish scale " intersecting circles and the pipal leaf pattern were evolved from the Kot Dijian decorated elements like the horizontal and wavy lines, loops and simple triangular patterns. There is a no proof yet of the place or the regions from where the Kot Dijians arrived in the Indus Valley. Kot Diji situated between Ranipur and Khairpur on the highway from Hyderabad, on the east bank of the Indus close to Rohri. Worth site trip.

Sukkur

North of Larkana the landscape becomes luxuriant, and in Sukkur the railway line and the highway split up, with a road and rail tracks leading north-west to Quetta via Sibi and Jacobabad, while another highway and railway line go via Rahimyar Khan and Sadiqabad straight to Multan. Sukkur is a sprawling town, with beautiful mosques, gardens, shrines and madrazhis (Muslim religious schools). A desert oasis town, similar to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, it also boasts many havelis, however, unlike those of Jaisalmer, the Sukkur variety are decorated with geometric, floral designs and painted in a variety of bright, contrasting colors. Just across the Indus is Rohri, also fairly prosperous and an important rail and road junction.

Hyderabad is the 2nd largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the 5th largest city in the country by theWorld Gazetteer Retrieved 22 August 2012. . The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot (Sindhi: نيرُون ڪوٽ). Formerly the capital of Sindh, it serves as the HQ of the district of Hyderabad. The last Battle of Amir Talpor and British took place in this city in 1843. Before the creation of Pakistan, it was known as the Paris of India, for its roads used to be washed with river water.

The political boundaries stage the city as a district and the region has seen major political turmoil. From the battles fought against the British occupation to the civilian unrest in the 1980s, the city has lost its glory of past and much of its cultural and architectural heritage lies in tattered ruins. Hyderabad has been a staging point for literary campaigns particularly oriented towards the Sindhi language and a birthplace of a few influential poets and Sufi dervishes. Rich with culture and tradition, the city is the largest bangle producer in the world and serves as a transit between the rural and the urban Sindh. Stationed close to important architectural digs like the pre-Harappan Amri at 110 km, the region holds extreme importance to archaeologists the world over. 

Hyderabad is a city built on three hillocks cascading over each other. Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro of the Kalhora Dynasty founded the city in 1768 over the ruins of Neroon Kot (Nerun or Nerun Kot) (meaning the place of Neroon), a small fishing village on the banks of River Indus named after its ruler Neroon. A formal concept of the city was laid out by his son, Sarfraz Khan in 1782. When the foundations were laid, the city obtained the nickname Heart of the Mehran as the ruler Mian Ghulam Shah himself was said to have fallen in love with the city. In 1768 he ordered a fort to be built on one of the three hills of Hyderabad to house and defend his people. The fort was built using fire-baked bricks giving it the name Pacco Qillo (Sindhi: پڪو قلعو) meaning the strong fort.

After the death of the last Kalhoro, the Talpur dynasty ruled the region. Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur left his capital Khudabad, the Land of God and made Hyderabad his capital in 1789. He made the Pacco Qillo his residence and also held his courts there. Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur along with his three other brothers were responsible for the affairs that persisted in the city of Hyderabad in the years of their rule. The four were called char yar, Sindhi for the four friends.

The City has a history of Sufism. In the 18th Century Syeds from Multan migrated and settled at Tando Jahania making it a sacred place for Muslims. These Syeds came here from Uch Sharif (Bahawalpur District) via Jahanian (Khanewal District 42 km from Multan). These were the descendants of Jahaniyan Jahangasht a famous sufi saint. The family’s lineage is linked to Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari of Uch Sharif( Punjab, Pakistan). Tando Jahania is a small town in the city known for Sufism and Azadari.

The Baloch Talpur rule lasted almost over 50 years and in 1843, Talpurs faced a greater threat, the invasion of expanding British colonial empire. The British wanted to annex Sindh due to their strategic interests in the Punjab region and Afghanistan. The Talpur Amir signed a peace agreement that gave significant concessions to the British. After signing this peace agreement Amir Talpur demobilized his volunteer army. The British General Napier also started to march his army back towards Bombay. When the General Napier heard that the Talpur Amir had demobilised his Baloch army he turned back his army and again threatened Hyderabad. The peace agreement with Talpur Amir was of no consequence compared to the strategic interests of the British colonial empire. The British came face-to-face with the Talpurs at the Battle of Miani on 17 February 1843. General Napier was firmly determined in conquering Sindh and plundering Hyderabad. The battle ended on 24 March 1843 when the Talpur Amirs lost and the city came into the hands of the British. The Amirs of Hyderabad suffered great loss, their Fort was plundered, thousands were killed and Amirs themselves were exiled to Rangoon, Burma - never to see Sindh again. The British made the city part of the Bombay Presidency of British colonial empire.

At the time of independence of Pakistan in 1947, the Muhajirs began to immigrate to Pakistan and many settled in the city of Hyderabad. These refugee Muslim lost everything in India and were settled in refugee camps. This hostility translated into communal tension in Hyderabad between Muslim refugees and local Hindus; After independence of Pakistan, Hindus abandoned Sindh in large numbers due to communal violence, or simply for economic prospects in India. Hindus had formed the backbone of Sindhi commerce and industry, and their departure was filled by educated Muslim migrants who quickly established themselves in the city. The migration of (Muhajirs)after the independence of Pakistan in 1947 raised the population levels of the city to never seen before numbers. The late 1980s were a dark period in the history of Hyderabad as riots and violence broke out between the political parties of the Muhajirs, and the Sindhi nationalist parties.

Capital of Sindh

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Karachi the former provincial capital of Sindh from 1936 was made the Federal Capital of Pakistan.

From 1947 to 1955 the city of Hyderabad served as the capital of Sindh province,which was later dissolved and one unit was formed named West Pakistan. Lahore was the capital of West Pakistan. In 1969 Karachi regained the status of capital of newly made province Sindh which included Khayrpur state as well.

Geography and climate

Located at 25.367 °N latitude and 68.367 °E longitude with an elevation of 13 metres (43 ft), Hyderabad is located on the east bank of the Indus River and is roughly 150 kilometres (93 mi) away from Karachi, the provincial capital. Two of Pakistan's largest highways, the Indus Highway and the National Highway join at Hyderabad. Several towns surrounding the city include Kotri at 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi), Jamshoro at 8.1 kilometres (5.0 mi), Hattri at 5.0 kilometres (3.1 mi) and Husri at 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi).

Hyderabad has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh), with warm conditions year-round. The period from mid-April to late June (before the onset of the monsoon) is the hottest of the year, with highs peaking in May at 41.4 °C (106.5 °F). During this time, winds that blow usually bring along clouds of dust, and people prefer staying indoors in the daytime, while the breeze that flows at night is more pleasant. Winters are warm, with highs around 25 °C (77 °F), though lows can often drop below 10 °C (50 °F) at night. The highest temperature of 48.5 °C (119 °F) was recorded on 7 June 1991, while the lowest temperature of 1 °C (34 °F) was recorded on 8 February 2012. 

In recent years Hyderabad has seen great downpours. In February 2003, Hyderabad received 105 millimetres (4.13 in) of rain in 12 hours, leaving many dead. The years of 2006 and 2007 saw close contenders to this record rain with death tolls estimated in the hundreds. The highest single-day rain total of 250.7 millimetres (9.87 in) was recorded on 12 September 1962,  while the wettest month was September 1962, at 286 millimetres (11.26 in).

Economy

  Karachi, the largest and the most populous city of Pakistan presents an interesting and colorful combination ofthe old and new. The narrow twisting lanes and alleys of the old city throb with life along-side the wide metal led roads and elegant modern buildings. Within the city, talented artisans with age-old skills produce handicrafts of exquisite beauty.

Karachi offers a variety of pleasant attractions: wide sunny beaches, deep-sea fishing, yachting, golf and horse racing all-year round. Its restaurants provide a wide choice of Pakistani and Western cuisine. Its markets and bazaar offer and endless variety of exciting shopping including indigenous handicrafts, rugs and carpets of rare design and beauty. Karachi's recorded history goes back to the 18th century when it was a small fishing village known as Karachi-jo-Goth. With the development of its harbor it gradually grew into a large city and an important centre of trade and industry.

Its selection as capital of Pakistan in 1947 added to its importance and tremendously boosted the rate of its growth and development. Although the seat of Government has now been shifted to Islamabad, Karachi still remains the epicenter of commerce and industry.

List of Medical Colleges / Universities in Karachi

- Aga Khan Medical College

- Aga Khan university

- Al-Khair University

- Allama Iqbal Medical College

- Baqai Medical University

- CAA Model School & College

- College of Physicians & Surgeons

- Dow Medical College

- Dow University of Health Sciences

- Fatima Jinnha Dentel College

- Jinnah Medical and Dental College

- Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre

- Karachi Medical and Dental College

- Sind Medical College

- Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation

- Ziauddin Medical University

Chaukundi

Located on the National Highway, 27 kms from Karachi, Chaukundi tombs comprise of innumerable sandstone graves with strangely-carved motifs, date back to 16th-18th centuries in Sindh. The Chaukundi Tombs are archaeologically interesting. The tombs are constructed out of slabs of rocks stacked into elongated pyramids of cubical stones and carved with exquisite designs, the origin of which remains a mystery.

Banbhore 

About 64 kms (40 miles) east of Karachi is Banbhore, an archaeological site which some scholars identify with Debal, the port of city where the Arab General Mohammad Bin Qasim landed in 712 AD. This site is believed to be the port city of Daibul which flourished in 8th century AD. The museum at the site houses a rich collection of painted pottery, coins and beads etc. Banbhore is one of the Pakistan's old and most popular folk- stories Sassi-Pannu.

Haleji Lake

Situated 70 kms (about 52 miles) from Karachi. Haleji Lake is considered to be largest water fall sanctuary in Asia, and is the main reservoir for Karachi. Its 1-1/2 km off the Thatta road from the village of Gujjo. Thousands of birds of over seventy species migrate here in winter from Siberia and stay through January and February. The birds include flamingoes, pelicans, pheasant-tailed jacanas, herons, ducks, partridges and egrets. It is a paradise for those who love birds.

Thatta

Thatta, about 98 kms (61 miles) east of Karachi. At one time Thatta was important as Sind's capital city and as a centre for Islamic arts. From the 14th century four Muslim dynasties ruled Sindh from Thatta, but in 1739 the capital was moved elsewhere and Thatta declined. It was believed that this was the place where Alexander the Great rested his legions after their long march.

The town is dominated by the Great Mosque built by the Moghuls Emperor Shah Jehan which has been carefully restored to its original condition. The mosque's 33 arched domes give it superb acoustics and the tile work, a whole range of shades of blue, is equally fine. Situated on the outskirts of the new town it is surrounded by narrow lanes and multi-story houses made of plaster and wood which are top by badgers, the wind catchers designed to funnel cool breezes down into the interiors of buildings. They are also quite common in Hyderabad.

The bazaars of Thatta are known for hand-printed fabrics, glass bangles and Sindhe embroidery work in laid with tinny mirrors, one of the more world known handicrafts of Pakistan. Thatta is a fascinating town which appears to have scarcely moved out of the 18th century and is only slowly catching up with the modern world.

Hyderabad

Hyderabad, 164 km north of Karachi the second largest city in Sindh and one of the largest in Pakistan. Hyderabad is five km from the eastern bank of the Indus changed its course away from Khudabad, at that time the capital of the region, the new capital was shifted to Hyderabad. In 1766 the Kalhora ruler constructed a fort half a square km in area and it still stands today. In 1843 the British arrived and defeated the Talpurs, completing their conquest of Sindh.

In the old city, buildings are topped by badgers that look like chimneys on roof tops. They catch the cool breezes which blow steadily in a south-west direction for 40 days from late April each year. Hyderabad is hot for most of the year, although in autumn and winter the temperature dips down to around 24 C . In the old sections of the town, cows still roam the streets giving it a distinctly mediaeval atmosphere.

On the northern side of the hill on which Hyderabad is sited there are tombs from the Talpur and Kalhora periods. The tomb of Ghulam Shah Kalhora is one of the finest, although its dome collapsed and has now been replaced by a flat roof.

Also worth a visit is the Institute of Sindhology's museum at the University of Sindh. It has displays on all aspects of Sindhi history, music and culture depicting the lifestyles of the desert tribes. Infrequent GTS buses go to the campus, otherwise take a miniwagon to Jumshero, across the river from Hyderabad, and walk the 1-1/2km to the university.

Kirthar National Park

This park may be visited for recreation education or research but shooting is forbidden. A four hour drive north- east from Karachi, of the Super Highway (for 4 WD vehicles only) takes the visitor deep into the heart of Kirthar National Park, again preserve measuring over 3,000 square kilometers in the Kirthar hills and a good destination for 3 day trip if the bandits are brought under control. October to February is the most comfortable...that is, coolest...time to go but the flowers bloom during the (relatively) wet monsoon in August. 

Five furnished rest house with cooking facilities and running water are situated on the edge of a wide valley in the centre of the park at Karchat. They are book able through the Sindh Wildlife Management Board, which also hires out tents to those wish to camp. Some food is available if ordered well in advance, but it is better to take your own food, drink and bedding.

The rolling valleys and contorted, rugged lines of the Kirthar hills form a natural haven for Urial sheep, ibex and chinkara gazelle. Jungle cats, desert cats and even the occasional leopard or desert wolf also prowl the park, but you would be extreme lucky to see them. Pangolins (scaly anteaters), porcupines and monitor lizards are more in evidence.

Other attractions in the park are 18th century Chaukundi style tombs at Taung and pre-historic archaeological remains at Koh Tarash. The enormous Rani Kot Fort is also within the park, two hours by jeep from Karchat. Rani Kot is about four hours from Karachi via the Super Highway and Indus Highway.

Moenjodaro

At Moenjodaro (Mound of dead) in the west bank of the Indus in Sindh have been found the remains of one of the earliest and a most developed urban civilizations of the ancient world. Discovered in 1922 Moenjodaro once metropolis of great importance forming part of the Indus Valley Civilization. Moenjodaro 4,000 years old brick ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization city of Moenjodaro.

The Indus Valley Civilization flourished from 3,000 to 15,00 BC, making it contemporary with the ancient civilization of Egypt and Mesopotamia. At its height, it comprised at least 400 cities and towns along the Indus and its tributaries, covering most of the present-day Pakistan and stretching north-west as far as modern Kabul and east as far as modern Delhi. The water ways were the main highways connecting the empire, and flat bottomed barges almost identical to those still use today plied the rivers from city to city. Few of the cities have been excavated.

The most imposing remains are those of the great bath which consisted of an open quadrangle with verandahs on four sides, galleries and rooms at the back, a group of halls on the north and a large bathing pool. It was probably used for religious or ceremonial bathing. Nearby are the remains of the great granary, possible public treasury where taxes were paid in kind. Testifying to the high developed and artistic sensibility of the Moenjodaro people is discovery of necklaces pendants of beads ear rings and anklets of ivory and mother-of-pearl, vessels of silver, copper and browns and polished stones weights and measures which suggest the existence of strangest civic regulations.

From coins and poetries discovered, archaeologists believe trade and cultural links existed between Moenjodaro and the contemporary civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Various objects d'art found at Moenjodaro include burnt clay male and female figurines, and models of the bird, steatite bust of a noble man or a priest- king, wearing a loose robe on which the trefoil pattern is engraved and small dancing girls in the browns with slim figures and flat Negroid features. Figural art is best illustrated by steatite seals bearing life like representations of animals and mythological creates such as is the unicorn. The ruins of this Indus Valley Civilization face eminent danger from the rising water tables and salinity. Government of Pakistan in cooperation with UNESCO is making all possible efforts to avert this danger and save Moenjodaro.

Kot Diji

Kot Diji site is 25 kms (15 miles) south of Khairpur town in the Khairpur District of Sindh. Archaeologists say that the discovery of this pre-historic site has furnished information of high significance since it pushed back the pre-history of Pakistan by at least an other 300 years from about 2,500 BC to 2,800 BC. Evidence of new cultural element of pre-Harappan and pre-Moenjodaro date has been found at Kot Diji. The excavations there have proved that the Indus Valley Civilizations people borrowed or developed some of the basic cultural elements of the Kot Dijians. The site consists of two parts: one comprising the citadel area on the high ground where the ruling elite lived and outer area inhabited by the common man. The Kot Diji culture is marked by well- furnished well-made pottery and houses built of mud-bricks on stone foundations. In fact, the Kot Dijian ceramics through different in form and technique are no way less artistic then the sophisticated back-on-red pottery of Harappans.

The Harappans borrowed some of the basic cultural elements from Kot Diji. The Harappan decorated designs such as the "fish scale " intersecting circles and the pipal leaf pattern were evolved from the Kot Dijian decorated elements like the horizontal and wavy lines, loops and simple triangular patterns. There is a no proof yet of the place or the regions from where the Kot Dijians arrived in the Indus Valley. Kot Diji situated between Ranipur and Khairpur on the highway from Hyderabad, on the east bank of the Indus close to Rohri. Worth site trip.

Sukkur

North of Larkana the landscape becomes luxuriant, and in Sukkur the railway line and the highway split up, with a road and rail tracks leading north-west to Quetta via Sibi and Jacobabad, while another highway and railway line go via Rahimyar Khan and Sadiqabad straight to Multan. Sukkur is a sprawling town, with beautiful mosques, gardens, shrines and madrazhis (Muslim religious schools). A desert oasis town, similar to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, it also boasts many havelis, however, unlike those of Jaisalmer, the Sukkur variety are decorated with geometric, floral designs and painted in a variety of bright, contrasting colors. Just across the Indus is Rohri, also fairly prosperous and an important rail and road junction.

Faiz Mahal

Faiz Mahal