Khairpur

Khairpur, city, Sindh province, south-central Pakistan. The city lies along the Khairpur East Canal, 11 miles (18 km) south of the Indus River. It was founded in 1783 by Mīr (chief) Sohrāb Khān, who established the Khairpur branch of the Tālpur family. The settlement was selected as the seat of the mīrs of northern Sindh. A communications centre, it is connected by rail with Peshāwar and Karāchi and by road with Sukkur and Karāchi. After the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, the city developed industrially, with textile, silk, leather, and carpet manufactures and sugar and flour mills. Amenities include several parks, the mīr’s palace, hospitals, a library, and a stadium. Shah Abdul Latif University was founded as a campus of the University of Sindh in 1975; university status was granted in 1987.

The former princely state of Khairpur was recognized in 1832 by the British, who allowed it to retain its political existence after the British annexation of Sindh in 1843. In October 1955 the Khairpur state acceded to Pakistan.

Kot Diji, 15 miles (25 km) south of Khairpur, is an archaeological and historical site that reveals primary occupation levels dating from and prior to the Indus valley civilization (c. 3000 bce). Excavations indicate well-settled communities with structured societies familiar with stone tools and pottery. The inhabitants’ linguistic affinities are unknown. On a ridge near the prehistoric site is Tālpur, an early 19th-century brick fort. Pop. (1998 prelim.) 102,188.