Interior Sindh

Interior Sindh is a wide, dry, baking hot, open land defined by its villages and farms. Even the scattering of cities in
this region are inextricably linked to their surrounding agricultural communities; they exist as trading hubs, service centres, and irrigation points.

While Urdu-speaking Karachi is the pro- vincial capital, Hyderabad is the true Sindhi metropolis – the largest Sindhi speaking city, and a centre for Sindhi culture. Hyderabad was briefly the capital of Sindh from 1739 to 1742, and there is a smattering of historic tombs there. Moreover, the city is a logical jumping-off point for other places in Sindh such as Bhit Shah and Ranikot Fort. Further to the north lies Mohenjodaro, the best-preserved example of the Indus Valley Civilisation, one of the world’s first known urban civilisations.

Throughout Interior Sindh lie some of Pakistan’s most traditional regions, places where life has barely changed since partition in 1947, if not Mughal times. Landlords, feudal families, workers and their ‘owners’, caste and indigenous beliefs aren’t just realities in this area, they
are the basis on which society operates. Islam blends with traditional beliefs and superstition in places like Sehwan Sharif, where Sufi devotion sometimes even resembles certain Hindu practices. Be prepared to witness mind-bending displays of religious conviction at shrines, dramatic mountains, desertscapes and desolate fortresses, a tapestry of religions including significant numbers of Hindus and Jains, and a guarded hospitality in a society often completely unfamiliar with foreign tourists.

Many foreigners who come to Pakistan are apprehensive about engaging in a culture vastly different from their own; many urban Pakistanis feel similarly about visiting Interior Sindh.

Predictably, travelling in an area so untouched by tourism development comes with its challenges, and this is one of the toughest areas of Pakistan to visit. Not a lot of English is spoken, however those who dare, and who persevere with Interior Sindh, leave with vivid memories to last a lifetime.