OXUS TO INDUS

COL MUHAMMAD KHALIL ZIKRIA

 518 BC
• After Darius-I’s conquest of Gandhara and Sindhu, admiral Skylax (a Greek of
Caryanda), made exploratory voyage down the Kabul and the Indus from
Kaspapyrus or Kasyabapura (Peshawar) to the Sindh coast and thence along the
Arabian coast to the Red Sea and Egypt in 518 BC, completing the journey in
2/1/2 years and returning to Iran in 514 BC.
• The voyage was meant to connect the South Asia with Egypt. Darius-I also
restored Necho-II’s canal connecting the Nile with the Red Sea.
• Thus he made Egypt and not Mesopotamia the main line of communication
between the Indian and the Mediterranean Oceans. Darius built the Royal Road’
connecting various cities of the empire. It ran the distance of 1677 well-
garrisoned miles from Euphesus to Susa.
• A much longer route than this was from Babylon to Ecbatans and from thence to
Kabul, which was already connected with Peshawar. The great voyage of Skylax
connected Peshawar with the Red Sea and Egypt, via the Indus and the Arabian
Sea.
 THE ROUTE OF ALEXANDER
• So its is understood that the route was known to Greek sailors years before alexander set its foot
on (Sindhus) Indus
• IN YEAR 325 The Fleet's Journey began to the Indus delta/Kutch region
• On 15 September 325 BC, following the departure of the bulk of army via the southern land
route, the Greek fleet of 150 ships under Nearchus' command, set out to sea for Carmania and
Babylonia with the remaining army which had dwindled to about 17,000 - 20,000 men.
• Arrian's Chronology of the Greek Fleet Sailing from the Port of Alexander. Written by Arrian in
the Ionian dialect - in the style of historian Herodotos.
• However, September was too early in the season for the journey west as the summer monsoon
winds blow in this region from a southwest direction from May through October. It is possible
that Nearchus received false information from the natives who were anxious to see Alexander's
ships leave.
• Almost immediately after sailing from Patala, the ships encountered adverse winds. It took
almost a week to reach the Erythraean Sea (the Indian Ocean). Subsequently, the fleet headed
west towards Morontobara (present Karachi) through the lagoon between the mouths of rivers
Indus and Hab (the ancient shoreline was different than the present shoreline - see diagram on
change).
 THE ROUTE OF ALEXANDER
• There he built a harbor and explored both arms of the Indus River, which then ran into the Rann
of Kutch. According to Plutarch Alexander also traveled further down to Indus to an offshore
island. He describes such a voyage and the appointment of Nearchus as commander of
Alexander's fleet, as follows:
• "His (Alexander's) voyage down the rivers took up seven months' time, and when he came to
the sea, he sailed to an island which he himself called Scillustis, others Psiltucis, where going
ashore, he sacrificed, and made what observations he could as to the nature of the sea and the
sea-coast. Then having besought the gods that no other man might ever go beyond the bounds
of this expedition, he ordered his fleet, of which he made Nearchus admiral and Onesicritus
pilot, to sail round about, keeping the Indian shore on the right hand, _"
• The island of Scillustis or Psiltucis near the mouth of the Indus River mentioned by Plutarch
must have been a deltaic sand island which no longer exists due to extensive sedimentation and
shoreline changes.
• A portion of Alexander's army continued on land southeast of the Indus River and fought
several squirmishes before regrouping at Patala for the journey back to Carmania, across the
dangerous Gedrosian Desert.
 THE ROUTE OF ALEXANDER
• The above stated chronology of events has been somewhat reconciled with the
ancient records as to the month but not the year. A late September departure is
supported by Arrian's account (see ancient Greek text on the timing of the
fleet's departure from the Port of Alexander at the delta of the Indus river).
Specifically Arrian states that soon as the strong summer (seasonal monsoon)
sea winds (that make sailing impossible) stopped, the Greek fleet set sail. As for
the date and month, he states that the journey begun during the time that "
Kifisodoros" was the ruler of Athens ( on the second year of his rule, following
the 114th Olympic Games held in 326 BC), and more specifically on the 20th of
the month known as "Voidromonas" ( the third month of the Attica calendar -
15 September to 15 October, according to the Athenian calendar, but also
known as "Yperveretaios" according to the Macedonian and Asian calendars.
Arrian further specifies that the year was the 11th of Alexander's reign, which
would make it 326 B.C. .Thus the Greek fleet's journey, according to Arrian,
lasted from September 326 to February 325 B.C
ALEXANDER’S SEA ROUTE 326 BC ON WAY BACK
 INDUS
• Indus River (Urdu: ‫ دریائے سندھ‬,)also called the Sindhū River,
or Abāsīn, is a major south-flowing river in South Asia. The total
length of the river is 3,180 km (1,980 mi) which makes it one of
longest rivers in Asia. It flows through western Tibet, Indian-
controlled Jammu and Kashmir region and across the whole length
of Pakistan. Originating in theTibetan Plateau in the vicinity of Lake
Mansarovar, the river runs a course through the Ladakh region
of Jammu and Kashmir, towards Gilgit-Baltistan and then flows in a
southerly direction along the entire length of Punjab, Pakistan to
merge into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh. It is
the longest river of Pakistan.
• This river was known to the ancient Iranians in Avestan as Hindu, in Sanskrit
as Sindhu, to Assyrians (as early as the 7th century BC) as Sinda, to
the Persians as Ab-e-sind, to the Greeks as Indos, to the Romans as Indus, to
the Pashtuns asAbasind, to the Arabs as Al-Sind, to the Chinese as Sintow, and to
the Javanese as Santri.[citation needed] In Pali, Síndhumeans "river, stream" and refers
to the Indus River in particular.[1]
• The word "Indus" is the romanised form of the ancient Greek word "Indós"
(Ἰνδός), borrowed from the old Persian word "Hinduš" which is in turn borrowed
from the Sanskrit word "Sindhu".
• Megasthenes's book Indica derives its name from the river's Greek name, "Indós"
(Ἰνδός), and describes Nearchus'scontemporaneous account of how Alexander
the Great crossed the river. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians (people of
present-day northwest India and Pakistan) as "Indói" (Ἰνδοί), literally meaning
"the people of the Indus".[2][clarification needed] The country of India and the Pakistani
province of Sindh owe their names to the river.[3][clarification needed]
THE INDUS DELTA
 THE FAN DELTA COURSE OF INDUS
• IN THE ANCIENT TRANSCRIPTS RELATED TO ALEXANDER THE GREAT
THE INDIAN OCEAN IS NAMED AS ERYTHRAEAN SEA AND THE
LOCATION NOW CALLED KARACHI IS DOCUMENTED TO BE
MORONTOBARA. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE ANCIENT SHORE LINE WAS
DIFFERENT THAN THAT OF TODAY.
• BUT AFTER STUDYING THE FAN DELTA OF INDUS AND THE RIVERS
FEEDING THE INDUS IT IS FELT THAT LOT MUCH CHANGE HAS
MATERIALIZED SINCE 325 BC. IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT DEPOSIT OF
SILT FORCES THE RIVER TO CHANGE ITS COURSE. THUS KEEPING IN
VIEW THE PAST HISTORY, IT IS FAIRLY ASSUMED THAT INDUS HAD A
FREE FLOW OF ITS WATERS INTO ITS FANNED DELTA. YES THE FAN OF
DELTA HAS EXPANDED DUE TO SILT THROUGH THESE YEARS.
 INDUS DELTA
• The Indus River Delta ,forms where the Indus River flows into
the Arabian Sea in Pakistan. The delta covers an area of about
41,440 km² (16,000 square miles), and is approximately 210 km
across where it meets the sea. The active part of the delta is
6,000 km² in area. The climate is arid, the region only receives
between 25 and 50 cm of rainfall in a normal year. The delta is home
to the largest arid mangrove forests in the world
• According to some accounts, the Macedonian fleet (of Alexander the
Great) anchored itself for some time in the Indus river delta. It was
damaged by a tsunami generated by an earthquake off the Makran Coast in
325 BC.[5]
• According to Tarikh-i-Hind (also known as the Chach Nama) by 6th century
A.D. there existed a port called Debal in what is now the western part of
the Indus delta.[6] Debal also seemed to be the base of pirates from the
tribe of Nagamara. These pirates' raids against the Umayyads, and the
refusal to redress the issue by the ruling prince, precipitated the Muslim
conquest around 710 AD (by Muhammad bin Qasim). Debal remained a
port, and the last recorded mention of it was in 1223 AD. By the time Ibn
Batuta reached the Indus delta, Debal had been abandoned due to
increased shoaling preventing the then-port from accessing the sea.[7]
• During the Abbasids, the caliphate began to disintegrate, and the
delta came under the control of the increasingly autonomous
province centered at Mansura. The eastern part of the delta was even
more independent and controlled by the Sumra tribe until 1053 AD,
when the region was brought under the control of the Khilji Delhi
Sultanate by Alauddin Khilji. The tribe had several capitals, but none
are populated today. In 1333 AD, the Samma Dynasty ruled all of the
delta, and established their capital first at Samu-i (on the south bank
of Keenjhar Lake) and later at Thatta.[8] It was during this dynasty that
the "golden age of native rule" (1461-1509 AD) happened in the delta
and Sindh, under the rule of Jam Nizamuddin II.[9]
• From 1591-1592, the Mughal empire waged a campaign to bring
lower Sindh under imperial rule, resulting in the delta coming under
the province of Multan and ruled by Mirza Ghazi Beg.[10] In 1739, the
region, along with many others, was ceded to Nadir
Shah.[11] The Kalhora ruled the region till 1783. The power then
transferred to the Talpurs untilBritish invaded in 1843.[12] In 1947, the
Indus delta, along with rest of Sindh became a part of Pakistan.
• FROM THE ACCOUNT OF MAJ GEN M R HAIG IN 1869 IT HAS
TRANSPIRED THAT THE DELTA IS ADVANCING @ OF 6 YARDS PER
YEAR. WHEN HE COMPILED HIS RESEARCH THE DELTA HAD
ADVANCED SEA WARDS 8 MILES SINCE 326 BC-1869 (2195) YEARS
• IF CALCULATED ON THE ADVENT OF MUHAMMAD BIN QASIM IN 712
ALMOST 1304 YEARS FROM NOW, THE DELTA HAS ADVANCED
ANOTHER FOUR AND HALF MILES SEAWARD.
• SO THE ASSUMPTION OF DEBAL AS A PORT AT THE MOUTH OF
GHARO CREEK IS FOUND CORRECT
 CREEKS OF INDUS DELTA
THE INDUS DELTA IS KNOWN AS FAN TYPE DELTA AND IT FANS OUT IN 17 CREEKS WHILE IT FALLS
IN TO INDIAN OCEAN. THE CREEKS ARE TABULATED FROM WEST TO EAST

• KORANGI CREEK
• KHOBAR CREEK
• PHITTI CREEK
• GHAGHIAR CREEK
• KHUDDI CREEK
• KHAR CREEK
• KHAI CREEK
• WARI CREEK
• PAITIANI CREEK
• KHAJAR CREEK
• DABBO CREEK
• SIR CREEK
• CHHAN CREEK
• KORI CREEK
• HAJAMBRO CREEK
• NIRANI CREEK
• TURSHIAN CREEK
 TIDAL CREEKS & THEIR LENGTH
• Khand Creek (0km)
• Sukro Creek (4.7km)
• Phitti Creek (5km)
• Kainri Creek (5.7km)
• Chhan Waddo Creek (6.1km)
• Chhan Nandi Creek (6.3km)
• Suckhanāno Creek (7.6km)
• Saplaro Creek (7.8km)
• Jhaktān Creek (8.2km)
 TIDAL CREEKS & THEIR LENGTH
• Kāyun Creek (8.5km)
• Waddi Khuddi Creek (9.7km)
• Chara Creek (11.2km)
• Barchhan Creek (11.2km)
• Khāgro Creek (11.5km)
• Jhari Creek (13.2km)
• Rakhāl Creek (13.8km)
• Jhari Creek (13.9km)
• Gharo Creek (17.8km)
 TIDAL CREEKS & THEIR LENGTH
• Bhatānro Creek (20km)
• Korangi Creek (20.6km)
• Ghizri Creek (21km)
• Rāhu Creek (21.7km)
• Kadīro Creek (23km)
• Chār Creek (23.9km)
• Khāi Creek (24.7km)
• Tumi Creek (25.6km)
• Khāi Creek (27.2km)
• Bāboriān Creek (27.9km)
 TIDAL CREEKS & THEIR LENGTH
• Nānuwāro Creek (29.2km)
• Īsaro Creek (29.2km)
 VILLAGES AROUND CREEKS
• Korangi (20.6km)
• Goth Ibrāhīm Haidari (21.9km)
• Wāgoder (25km)
• Goth Chakra (25.9km)
• Goth Rehri Miān (26.4km)
• Gulistān Colony (26.7km)
• Landhi Colony (27.4km)
• Goth Sabro (30.1km)
• Goth Bachal Khān (30.1km)
• Goth Abdul Qādir (30.2km)
• Goth Kamāl Khān (30.3km)
• Ghizri (30.3km)
 KHAI CREEK
PATIANI CREEK
DABBO CREEK
CHHAN CREEK
HAJAMBRO CREEK
KUTCH NIRANI CREEK KORI CREEK

SIR CREEK

KHAJAR CREEK
WARI CREEK
KHAR CREEK

GAGHIAR CREEK

INDUS DELTA KHOBAR CREEK

TURSHIAN CREEK

HAJAMBRO CREEK

CHHAN CREEK
DABBO CREEK
PAITIANI CREEK
KHAI CREEK

KHUDDI CREEK
BANBHORE

• Banbhore - Sindh. The city was located just on the eastern bank of might
Indus River att he present-day Gharo Creek, where the Indus meets the
Arabian Sea.
• Ruins of ancient port city which was founded in the 1st century BC.
Abandoned in the 13th century. Ruins contain well preserved installations
of ancient and medieval port, remnants of one of the oldest mosques in
South Asia (727 AD). Fortification walls have been partly preserved. The
ruins are located 64 kilometres from Karachi, just two kilometres on the
right side of the main Thatta-bound National Highway and around 46
kilometres away from the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi.
•
 BHANBORE FORT
• The exaction work at the site was started in 1958. After Archeologists and experts
found that it was a well-planned city with houses of bricks, a main bazaar and
quarters for artisans and labourers.
• A brick-made well, pavements and separate colonies for the people of different
classes were also discovered.
Archaeologists also found painted pottery, coins, armours, swords, vessels and a
manjnik (catapult), which was brought by the Arabs to fight with the Hindu king
of the city, Raja Dahir. They also found jewellery, earthen pots, toys and other
pieces of art.
• Ruins of an industrial zone, a school, temple and a mosque were also discovered.
It is believed that this mosque was the first in Asia built by the conquering Arabs.
•
BHANBHORE FORT
BHANBHORE FORT
BHANBORE FORT
RATO GARH FORT
RATO GARH FORT
RATO GARH FORT
RATO GARH FORT
JAKI FORT
JAKI FORT
THE NAME LESS FORT
2004
2011
2016
SINDHREE FORT
KARACHI
• The earliest account of the area where Karachi is located can be found in
the record books of one of Alexander-the-Great's admirals, who sailed back
home from the Greek expedition to India, from a harbor by the Indus delta,
known as Krokola. According to widely held belief though, the city of
Karachi started its life as a small fishing settlement by the Indus Delta
known as Kolachi-jo-Kun (the ditch of Kolachi), named after an old
fisherwoman, Mai Kolachee who took up settlement here.
In time, the settlement grew into a small fishing village and came to be
known as Kolachi-jo-Goth or, the village of Kolachee. This small fishing
village gradually started trading activities by sea with Muscat and Bahrain.
• On February 1st, 1839, a British ship, the Wellesley, anchored off the island
of Manora. By 3rd February, the fort at Kolachi had surrendered without
firing a single shot and this small fishing village crossed a turning point in
its life. Three years later in 1843, upon the annexation of Sindh into the
British empire, the regional capital was transferred from Hyderabad to
Karachi by Charles Napier, the first governor of Sindh. The British made the
town an Army Headquarters and military cantonments were established
outside the town limits. A municipal committee was formed to provide
basic facilities and municipal limits were expanded to 74 square miles to
allow for expansion, even though the town occupied only 4 square miles.
Napier also started a water supply to the town from the Malir river and
established a basic police and judicial system.
The old fort at the Karachi harbor, the Karachi
Fort (Charles Masson, 1830)
SAILING ROUTE TO MULTAN
• The British recognized the importance of this natural harbor by the
Indus and started developing the fishing village as a principal port for
the Indus River basin. In 1843, a river steamer service was introduced
linking Karachi with the city of Multan, 500 miles upstream on the
Indus. The population of the city started rising rapidly and by the
1850's, Karachi had become an established city with a population of
about 14,000 and prosperous overseas trade.
LOCATION OF LIGHT HOUSES IN CREEKS AREA