Bhambore
Encyclopedia
Debal
-Introduction:Debal was an ancient port located near modern Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. In Arabic, it was usually called Daybul it is adjacent to the nearby Manora Island and was administered by Mansura, and later Thatta....
from the 7th century, located near modern Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, at the base of the Indus River
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
. The ruins are located approximately 60 km between Dhabeji
Dhabeji
Dhabeji , is a town and union council of Mirpur Bathoro tehsil, Thatta District, Sindh, Pakistan.It is near the suburbs of Karachi around 15 km away from the Pakistan Steel Mills. As well being declared an industrial zone by the Government there is also water treatment plant for the water...
and Gharo
Gharo
Gharo is a city in Thatta District, Sindh, Pakistan. The Gharo Wind Power Plant is being built in Gharo.It has large bazar for shopping of local commnunities...
on the N-5 National Highway
N-5 National Highway
The National Highway 05 or the N-5 is Pakistan's longest highway running from the port city of Karachi to the border crossing at Torkham...
. Its population was mainly Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
with a Buddhist minority. It is largely known for the ruins of a castle destroyed by Muhammad bin Qasim
Muhammad bin Qasim
Muhammad bin Qasim Al-Thaqafi was a Umayyad general who, at the age of 17, began the conquest of the Sindh and Punjab regions along the Indus River for the Umayyad Caliphate. He was born in the city of Taif...
during the invasion of Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
and—on a different note—the legendary love story of Sassi Punnun
Sassi Punnun
Sassi Punnun ; is one of the seven popular tragic romances from Sindh and Baluchistan. The other six are Umar Marui, Sohni Mehar, Lila Chanesar, Noori Jam Tamachi, Momal Rano and Dhaj, Ror Kumar commonly known as Seven Queens of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai...
. Bhambore is famously known as Bhambra among Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar
Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar
The Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar is a Kshatriya Hindu cultural group of India, historically associated with the city of Khudabad as well as city of Hyderabad of Sindh region of modern Pakistan prior to the Partition of India...
Community.
Bhambore signifies the trading links between Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
and South Asian nations of its times. The new city of Bhambore came into being because pirates had kidnapped a ship. A plea was filed with the Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
rulers in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
(then a major economic and military power) to rescue the people from the kidnapped ship. When diplomacy failed to release those people, an expedition was sent to the area under the command of Muhammad bin Qasim
Muhammad bin Qasim
Muhammad bin Qasim Al-Thaqafi was a Umayyad general who, at the age of 17, began the conquest of the Sindh and Punjab regions along the Indus River for the Umayyad Caliphate. He was born in the city of Taif...
. With superior military might and planning he was able to make an amphibious landing and establish his presence here. One of the reasons cited for the success of this expedition is the unhappiness of the Buddhist population; it is believed they may have helped the coming invaders.
Bhambore was later abandoned due to a change in the river's course. Evidence of earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s and regional invaders is also cited as an explanation for the population's movement away from the area and the crumbling of the castle. The former river delta
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
is now a creek
Creek (tidal)
A tidal creek, tidal channel, or estuary is the portion of a stream that is affected by ebb and flow of ocean tides, in the case that the subject stream discharges to an ocean, sea or strait. Thus this portion of the stream has variable salinity and electrical conductivity over the tidal cycle...
.
See also
- Kulachi (Karachi)
- Kulachi (tribe)Kulachi (tribe)Kolachi, Kulachi or Kulache is a Baloch tribe that originated from Kulanch, Makran, Balochistan, Pakistan. Kolachi is considered to be a clan of Muhammad Hasni tribe and is settled in the provinces of Sindh in Ghotki District and Larkana District), the Punjab and Balochistan...
- KrokolaKrokolaKrokola was an ancient port located in what is now the modern city of Karachi, in the Sindh province of Pakistan. According to legends, it was a port developed when an old fisherwoman by the name of Mai Kolachi settled near the delta of the Indus River to start a community.This area was known to...
- KarachiKarachiKarachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
- Mai KolachiMai KolachiMai Kolachi was an old fisher woman who settled near the delta of the Indus River to start a community. This port was named after her as Kolachi and this community was later developed into modern Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan....
- Kolachi (port)
- DebalDebal-Introduction:Debal was an ancient port located near modern Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. In Arabic, it was usually called Daybul it is adjacent to the nearby Manora Island and was administered by Mansura, and later Thatta....