5/5 Nisar Balhro S. 6 years ago on Google
Bukkur
Island
Fort,
Sukkur
!
Bukkur
is
one
of
the
oldest
forts
of
Sindh.
Located
on
an
Island,
it
was
regarded
important
for
its
strategic
location.
In
1912,
the
area
covering
Bukkur
island
was
255,292
sq.
yards,
or
forty-nine
acres.
This
island
is
a
limestone
rock,
oval
in
shape,
800
yards
long
by
300
yards
(270
m)
wide,
and
about
25
feet
(7.6
m)
in
height
The
fort
was
known
to
be
one
of
the
best
forts
of
its
times.
It
was
an
Army
garrison
with
a
hospital,
Mosque,
and
other
important
facilities.
It
was
also
used
for
protection
when
ever
any
Foreign
Army
would
Invade
Sindh.
Currently
the
Fort
is
decaying
very
fast
and
only
a
few
walls
remain.
Nowadays
Bukkur
island
is
occupied
by
a
school
(Army
public
School)
and
a
tomb.
The
tomb
belongs
to
Sayyid
Sadruddin.
Not
much
research
has
been
done
on
this
fort,
but
is
said
to
be
around
2,000
years
old.
It
was
there
during
Buddhist
rule
and
Hindu
Rule.
Even
the
Arabs,
Soomros,
Sammas,
Moghuls,
Kalhoros
and
Talpurs
utilized
this
fort.
Under
the
Samma
Rule,
the
fort
incharge
was
Vazir
Dilshad,
who
was
actually
a
slave
of
Jam
NizamUddin.
When
Arghuns
attacked
Sindh
Dilshad
wanted
to
fight
and
defend
but
he
was
stopped
by
the
Qazi
and
a
famous
poet
of
that
time,
known
as
Qazi
Qazan
who
surrendered
the
fort
to
the
Arghuns
without
any
fight
or
Bloodshed.
Bukkur
must
have
been
fortified
and
garrisoned
at
a
very
early
date,
because
Sheikh
Abu
Taurab,
the
Arab
whose
tomb
is
now
near
Gajo
in
taluka
Mirpur
Sakro
bears
the
date
787
A.D
is
reported
to
have
distinguished
himself
by
taking
it.
Later
it
fell
to
Abdul
Razak,
the
Wazir
of
Sultan
Ghazni,
when
he
invaded
Sindh
in
AD
1026.
In
1327
the
Dehli
King
Muhammad
Tughlaq
sent
only
trustworthy
Governors
to
command
the
Bukkur.
One
of
the
most
noted
governors
of
Bukkur
was
Sultan
Mahmood
Kokaltash,
who
was
appointed
by
Shah
Beg
Arghun
in
1522
A.D.
The
fortification
were
rebuilt
by
Shah
Beg
Argun
using
the
material
from
Alor
five
miles
away.
Bricks
from
the
ancient
fort
of
Alore,
the
old
capital
of
Sindh
(see
below),
and
materials
from
buildings
of
Samma
Dynasty
(AD
1333-1522)
period
were
utilized
in
repairing
the
fort
walls
when
Shah
Beg
Arghun
decided
to
make
Bukkur
his
capital
in
1522
A.D.
At
the
time
of
the
arrival
of
Emperor
Humayun
in
AD
1541
and
Sultan
Mahmood
Khan
added
an
outer
wall
to
the
fort,
increasing
its
circuit
to
1,875
yards,
adding
four
gates
opposite
those
of
the
inner
wall.
There
were
then
two
gardens
called
the
‘Nizurgah’
and
the
‘Goozargah’.
The
fortifications
were
rebuilt
and
restored
for
the
last
time
by
Governor
Ghulam
Sadik
Khan
between
1780-90,
during
the
reign
of
Taimur
Shah.
The
fort
has
figured
prominently
in
the
history
of
Sindh.
It
has
been
held
by
Mughal
emperors,
Kaihoras,
Afghans,
and
Talpurs;
in
1839,
the
Amirs
of
Khairpur
handed
it
over
to
the
British.
The
once
flourishing
city
of
Bukkur
now
contains
only
a
few
houses,
and
exhibits
a
deplorable
picture
of
desolation.
The
British
converted
the
governor’s
palace
on
the
east
wall
into
a
powder
magazine,
and
the
entire
area
is
covered
with
mounds,
fifteen
to
twenty
feet
high,
of
bricks,
debris
from
buildings,
and
rubbish
that
has
accumulated
over
the
ages.
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