The region around Sukkur had been inhabited for millennia. The ruins of
Lakhan-jo-daro, located near an industrial park on the outskirts of Sukkur, date from the
Mature Harappan period of the
Indus Valley Civilization, between 2600 BCE and 1900 BCE. It covers more than 300 hectares of area and is touted to be second largest city of the
Indus Valley Civilization, just 75 kilometers away from another ancient major city of the civilization,
Mohenjo Daro. shrine. "Old Sukkur" was initially a small village prior to the establishment of a military garrison in 1839. Sukkur was built on a low limestone ridge on the banks of the
Indus River. The city was once surrounded by groves of
date palms that were traditionally believed to have grown from the discarded date-pits from Arab invaders in the 8th century. The Sukkur Municipality was constituted in 1862. Completed in 1889, Sukkur's
Lansdowne Bridge connects the Sukkur to
Rohri across the Indus, and was one of the first bridges to cross the river. The bridge made the journey between
Karachi and
Multan easier. The bridge was built with two large pylons rather than a series of pillars extending across the river – a cutting-edge design for such an expansive span. The bridge was also made of metal, and features an unusual design.
Sukkur Barrage (formerly called Lloyd Barrage), built under the
British Raj on the
Indus River, controls one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. It was designed by Sir Arnold Musto KCIE, and constructed under the overall direction of
Sir Charlton Harrison between 1923 and 1932. The long barrage is made of yellow stone and steel and can water nearly 10 million acres (40,000 km2) of farmland through its seven large canals. On the eve of the
Partition of British India in 1947, Sukkur's old town was home to about 10,000 residents, while New Sukkur was home to 80,000. According to the
1941 census, about 70% of the population of Sukkur was Hindu, this number decreased to 2% by the
1951 census as a result of the partition. However, less than 500 Hindus were killed in all of Sindh between 1947 and 1948 as Sindhi Muslims largely resisted calls to turn against their Hindu neighbours. Hindus did not flee Sukkur
en masse until riots erupted in Karachi on 6 January 1948, which sowed fear in Sindh's Hindus despite the fact that the riots were local and related to Sikh refugees from Punjab seeking refuge in Karachi. Muslim refugees from India settled in Sukkur. The Sindh Industrial Trading Estate in Sukkur was established in 1950. The
Ayub Bridge was built in 1962, and spans the Indus River alongside the British era
Landsdowne Bridge. The city suffered major flooding during the
2010 Pakistan floods which inundated large parts of the city. ==Geography==