Sheikh (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

and ur, شيخ), is an Arabic word meaning elder of a tribe, lord, revered old man, or

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

. The Shaikh of

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 ...

are one of the larger communities of the Sindhi Muslims ethnic group. They speak the various dialects of Sindhi, depending on their place of residence. The Shaikh are largely an urban community, residing in the towns and cities of Sindh. Shaikhs have different community in them, namely baghdadi, sanjogi, nangani, deewan and chatani.Gazetteer of West Pakistan, the Former Province of Sind Including Khairpur State. Gazetteer Cell, Board of Revenue, Lahore 1968 by H. T Sorely

Origin

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

, it is used as an ethnic title generally attributed to Muslim trading families.

Notable people

* Khan Bahadur Shaikh Sir Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah KCSI, Pakistani politician from Sindh, first Chief Minister of Sindh (1937–1938), fifth Chief Minister of Sindh (1942–1947), first muslim Governor of Sindh (1947–1948) *

Shaikh Ayaz Shaikh Ayaz SI ( ur, , ) born Mubarak Ali Shaikh ( ur, , ) (March 1923 – 28 December 1997) was Sindhi language poet, prose writer and former Vice Chancellor of University of Sindh. He is counted as one of the prominent and great Sindhi p ...

, Sindhi poet of Pakistan * Marium Mukhtiar (1992–2015), first lady pilot of Pakistan, died while on duty *

Najmuddin Shaikh Najmuddin Shaikh ( ur, نجم الدین شیخ) (born 4 September 1939) served as the Pakistani ambassador to United States (1990–1991) and later served as Foreign Secretary of Pakistan (1994 - 1997). Education and family He received his b ...

, former Foreign Secretary, Pakistan * Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh, MPA Shikarpur Pakistan people's party PS 11

References

Sindhi tribes Social groups of Sindh Shaikh clans Surnames Social groups of Pakistan {{surname-stub