Haider Abad also spelled HAYDARABAD, city, district, and division, Sind Province, Pakistan. The city, administrative headquarters of the district, lies on the most northerly hill of the Ganjo Takkar ridge, just east of the Indus River. The third largest city in Pakistan, it is a communications centre, connected by rail with Peshawar and Karachi and with Indian railways via the border towns of Khokhropar and Munabao. Founded in 1768 on the site of the ancient town of Nirun-Kot by Ghulam Shah Kalhora, the saintly ruler of Sind, it was named after the prophet Muhammad's son-in-law, 'Ali, also known as Haydar. It remained the capital of Sind under the Talpur rulers, who succeeded the Kalhoras, till 1843 when, after the nearby battles of Miani and Dabo, it surrendered to the British and the capital was transferred to Karachi. Incorporated as a municipality in 1853, it is an important commercial and industrial centre. Economic activities include textile, sugar, cement, and hosiery mills, manufacture of glass, soap, ice, paper, and plastics. There are hide tanneries and sawmills. Ornamented silks, silverwork and goldwork, and lacquerware are also produced. Noteworthy antiquities include the tombs of the Kalhora and Talpur rulers, palaces of the former amirs of Sind, and a fort (built 1782). Newly developed settlements and industrial estates surround the congested old city area. Characteristic of the city are badgirs ("wind-catchers") fixed to housetops to catch sea breezes during the hot season. A hospital, municipal gardens, zoo, sports stadium, and several literary societies are in the city. The Ghulam Muhammad (Kotri) Barrage, including a lock to facilitate river traffic, provides flood control. The University of Sind with 32 affiliated colleges, founded in 1947 in Karachi and moved to Hyderabad in 1951, lies across the Indus. Other education needs are served by numerous government colleges, the Liaqat Medical College, and specialized vocational institutions. Hyderabad district is a vast fertile alluvial plain, excepting the hilly region of Hyderabad city, extending along the east bank of the Indus. Cultivation is dependent upon canal irrigation. Millet, jowar (sorghum), rice, wheat, cotton, oilseeds, and mangoes are the chief crops. Cottage handicrafts include leatherwork, glazed pottery and tiles, lacquerware and susi (striped cotton cloth) from Hala (north of Hyderabad city), khes (cotton blankets), susis and anguchahs (cotton cloth) from Nasirpur (northeast of Hyderabad). Historic sites include Bhit Shah (4 mi [6 km] east of Hala), containing the tomb of Shah 'Abd-ul-Latif (d. 1753), the poet and Sufi saint, and an ancient Buddhist stupa. Hyderabad division (area 34,257 sq mi) comprises Dadu, Hyderabad, Badin, Sanghar, Thar Parkar, and Tatta districts. The division includes the swampy delta of the Indus river on the Arabian Sea (southwest), the fertile alluvial plain of the Indus (north central), and part of the great Thar Desert (east). Pop. (1981 prelim.) city, 795,000; metropolitan area, 1,045,000; district, 2,080,000; division, 7,103,000. Copyright © 1994-2000 Encyclopędia Britannica, Inc.