ReliefWeb

1 Background Information

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 History

District Tando Allahyar was previously a taluka of district Hyderabad. On the 5th of May 2005, this taluka was separated from Hyderabad and was awarded the status of a district.
Tando Allahyar is one of the oldest cities of Sindh. It has seen many changes under different rulers. The Soomra dynasty ruled this region about 1,000 years ago. The Soomras1 came in this region after the invasion of Muhammad Bin Qasim in 712 A.D. Tando Allahyar came into being as a small village. Later on, this region was ruled by the Kalhoro dynasty, from 1717 to 1783.
Under the Kalhoros’ rule, a tribe named Dals was in charge of this region. The name of the Sardar of Dals was Kundhi. Hence Tando Allahyar was called Kundhi-Jiwasi. Many developments were carried out during this period. First, a military cantonment was established and other developments, especially in trade, were initiated. Many kinds of cloths were woven here, especially silk and cotton and many products made from silk were also introduced. Besides, the industries of cloth printing and leather were well developed2 .
In 1783 A.D, the Kalhoras were defeated by the Talpur dynasty and Sindh was divided, for administrative purposes, into seven parts, by the Talpur Mirs. Kundhi Jiwasi was awarded to Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur (Awal). After his death, his elder son Mir Allahyar Khan was crowned. The city is called Tando Allahyar after his name3 .
In 1843, the British annexed Sindh and built a communication network throughout the province. They built roads, schools, dispensaries and many other civic amenities. After the independence of Pakistan, Tando Allahyar was a taluka of district Hyderabad until 2005.