Aror ( Sindhi: اروهڙ) or Alor or Arorkot (Sindhi: اروهڙ ڪوٽ) is the medieval name of the city of Rohri (in

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, modern

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

). Aror once served as the capital of Sindh.

History

As Roruka, capital of the

Sauvira Kingdom Sauvīra was an ancient kingdom of the lower Indus Valley mentioned in the Late Vedic and early Buddhist literature and the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. It is often mentioned alongside the Sindhu Kingdom. Its capital city was Roruka, identified ...

, it is mentioned as an important trading center in early Buddhist literature. Little is known about the city's history prior to the Arab invasion in the 8th century CE. Sauvīra was an ancient kingdom of the lower

Indus Valley The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kash ...

. Aror was the capital of the Arorh Dynasty, which was followed by Rai Dynasty and then the

Brahman Dynasty The Brahmin dynasty of Sindh (), also known as the Chacha dynasty, were the Brahmin Hindu ruling family of the Chacha Empire. The Brahmin dynasty were successors of the Rai dynasty. The dynasty ruled on the Indian subcontinent which originated i ...

that once ruled northern Sindh. Aror is the ancestral town of the Arora Community. In 711, Aror was captured by the army of Muslim general

Muhammad bin Qasim Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim al-Thaqāfī ( ar, محمد بن القاسم الثقفي; –) was an Arab military commander in service of the Umayyad Caliphate who led the Muslim conquest of Sindh (part of modern Pakistan), inaugurating the Uma ...

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

historians recorded the city's name as ''Al-rur'', ''Al-ruhr'' and ''Al Ror''. In 962 it was hit by a massive earthquake that changed the course of the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kash ...

and ruined the town's mud brick building, thereby setting into play the city's decline, and eventual re-settlement at Rohri, along the modern-day shores of the Indus.

Ruins

Most of Aror's ruins have been lost, though some arches of a mosque built shortly after the 8th century Arab invasion remain standing. The Kalka Cave Temple, Hindu temple dedicated to ''Kalkaan Devi'' still exists near the ruins, and are still used. The ''Chattan Shah ji Takri'' shrine is built atop a high rock outside the city, and is traditionally believed to be a companion of Ali, cousin of the Prophet Muhammad.

References

{{reflist, 2 Sukkur District History of Pakistan History of Sindh Chach Nama

History

Ruins

See also

References