In 710 AD,
Muhammad bin Qasim conquered the
Sindh and
Balochistan. Later the
Delhi Sultanate and later
Mughal Empire ruled the region. Sindh became predominantly
Muslim due to
missionary Sufi saints whose
dargahs dot the landscape of Sindh. Ratodero is considered about 350 years old. During British rule Ratodero became a Taluka of Larkana District and for a period part of the Bombay Presidency. The population according to the 1891 census of India was 61,268, which rose to 72,312 at the next census in 1901.
The Imperial Gazetteer of India, compiled in the first decade of the twentieth century, described the Taluka of Ratodero as follows: "The tāluka contains one town,
RATO-DERO (population, 4,281), the headquarters; and 80 villages. Excepting Larkana, this is the most thickly populated tāluka in the District, with a density of 222 persons per square mile. The land revenue and cesses in 1903-4 amounted to more than 2-9 lakhs.The great Sukkur Wah (the Canal leading from the Indus) once flown near the Saint Nadar Shah, was a main source of irrigation and trade port. Merchants used to trade with Sukkur and other adjacent towns through the boats via this canal. It contains about 104 square miles (270 km2) of `reserved' forest". Dhaak Talaa was another source of beauty of Ratodero. Which was a main picnic point in the mid of the town. Now it is remained in the name only.
Bashir Khan Qureshi famous
JSQM leader was born in Ratodero and also is buried in the tehsil. ==Geography==