Hyderabad

Hyderabad is a city in the Sindh province of Pakistan, on the east bank of the Indus River northeast of Karachi. Windcatchers called manghs once rose from the roofs of its houses, catching the river breeze and sending it down into the rooms.

Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro founded the city in 1768 on the Ganjo Takar hills and made it the capital of the Kalhora rulers of Sindh. The Talpur Mirs, who followed them, kept their court in the city until it came under British rule in the 1840s. The fort of the Kalhoras, called Pakka Qila, stands on the hill above the old bazaars, with walls of burnt brick. Under the British the railway from Karachi crossed the Indus nearby, and the city grew as a market town for the farms of lower Sindh.

Glass bangles are made in small workshops of Hyderabad and sold in colors and patterns across Pakistan, especially for weddings. Ajrak, the block-printed cloth of Sindh in deep red and indigo, is printed by hand in the city and the towns around it. Cotton and sugar cane from the irrigated fields of the district are processed in the mills along the main roads.

Shahi Bazaar, a long covered market that runs through the old city, sells cloth, jewelry and spices. The Sindh Museum shows the crafts, costumes and history of the province, from the Indus Valley civilization to the Talpur period. Bombay Bakery, opened in the early 20th century, is known across Pakistan for its coffee cake and keeps its old shop on a quiet street. Rani Bagh, a park and zoo laid out in the colonial period, lies near the center of the city.