Mansura, Sindh

Bellas and Richardson first excavated these archeological sites in 1854, then Henry Cousins carried them forward. After the formation of Pakistan, excavations were carried out by the National Ministry of Archeology in 1962. The initial report was published but the comprehensive report has not been published till date. In this report, Dr. F. A. Khan stated that these are the relics of Mansura city and the relics of the mosque have been found here while the pre-Islamic relics are not available. Dr Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Weisser, of the Department of Archeology at Shah Abdul Latif University, said the report did not address the level of buildings or periods.

A group of 20 teachers and students led by Dr. Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Weiss, Head of the Department of Archeology, Shah Abdul Latif University, has been conducting research on the archeological site of Brahmanabad in recent days. The phase will be expanded. Dr. Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Weisser says, "We want to see if the assumption that this population was formed when Muhammad bin Qasim came is correct or not. The pots are being found and what century and periods they reflect. It may be recalled that Muhammad bin Qasim had invaded Sindh in 712 AH on the orders of Hajjaj bin Yusuf, the ruler of Baghdad. At that time, Raja Dahir was ruling here.

Dr. Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Weisser says that earlier research mentions a mosque, so he has dug four pits in the mosque area, which have gone down 15 feet, which shows that the current city Even before that there was a population. According to him, there is a difference in the surface of the buildings that are being found here or the pottery that is being found here and there are signs of the Islamic era and also include the pre-Islamic periods. "The pottery found here bears a resemblance to the third century AD and dates back to the Sassanid period (the last kingdom of Iran before Islam). Similar pottery has been found in the Bhanbur archeology," he said. "On this basis, it can be said that this city was inhabited from the third century. If we look at its spread, we say that when Muhammad bin Qasim came here, he conquered it, but the people were already settled here."

Research on Mansura (Brahmanabad) also suggests that the city may have been a hub of economic activity. An earlier study found coins and other artifacts that had been moved to the British Museum and Bombay before the establishment of Pakistan. Dr. Weiss says that recent research has found pottery, as well as precious stones, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds, as well as polishing tools and molds. "Which, of course, made the video an overnight sensation. In addition, ivory ornaments, shells and coins have been found and after cleaning the coins, it will be known what time they are.

Like Mohan Jo Daro and Bhambhur, drinking water wells have been found in Mansura (Brahmanabad) but they are unique. Dr. Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din explains that like the pottery, a line of colored pipe made in the furnace is going down to less than fifteen feet. This line was made by mixing these colors together. This line is running vertically to get groundwater, it is a unique technology of its kind, in previous research this line was called drainage line.

Mansura (Brahmanabad) contains historical material in various languages, including Arabic and Persian, which show the existence of this city. Mirza Kalich Baig, a Sindhi language historian and playwright, writes in Ancient Sindh that Brahmanabad was one of the seven great fortified cities during the reign of the Hindu kings. In the reign of Brahman Raja Chach, Agham Lohana was the ruler of this place, Lakha, Sama and Sahta were under his influence. His order extended to the sea, that is, to the port of Debal. Chach fought and defeated Agham and took control of the city and married Agham's widow. He further writes that when Raja Dahar, the son of Chach, became the ruler, he appointed his brother Dahar Sien as the ruler of this place and after his death his son was given the rule. Molawi Shedai writes in Janat-ul-Sindh that there was a large Buddhist shrine there and astrologers were present there. Despite being a strict Brahmin, Chach maintained a Buddhist shrine. Dr. Weisser says that in the first study it was said that there is a Buddhist stupa here but the relevant material of its features or symbols is not available because the Buddha stupa has different features, no statue or statue of such a Buddha is found. ۔

In 'Janat-ul-Sindh', Molawi Shaidai writes that after the assassination of Raja Dahir, his son Jaseen had 15, including Muhammad Alafi (Muhammad Alafi had revolted against the Caliph in Oman and Raja Dahir had given him refuge over his failure). There was an army of a thousand. The two were advised by the Minister of Politics to go to Mansura (Brahmanabad), where many treasures were buried. The four gates of the fort of Brahmanabad were Jir Bedi (boat) Sahtia, Manhro and Salbah. According to him, this was the last battle of the Sindhis against Muhammad bin Qasim.In the month of Rajab, the Arab army reached near Mansura (Brahmanabad), trenches were dug on the orders of Muhammad bin Qasim, Jaisin started a guerrilla war and devastated the whole area so that the Islamic army could not get supplies and animals. After a month's siege, defeat ensued and the citizens opened the gates of the fort. Muhammad bin Qasim appointed Jizyah on them. This victory took place in Muharram in the year 94 AH.

Some scholars believe that Mansura (Brahmanabad) was settled by the Iranian king. Ghulam Ali Allana, a scholar and historian from Sindh, writes in his article 'Ismaili rule over Mansura' in Mehran magazine that the ruler of the Sassanid dynasty Handed over the government of the Indus Valley to his grandson Bahman, known in the history of Iran as 'Human Ardeshir Darad Dast' Bhaman settled a city in Sindh called Bhamano which later became known as Brahmabad. Some Arab tourists described Brahmabad and Mansura as one city. Al-Mansura is another name for Brahmanabad, he writes, quoting Yaqut Lahumi, Hamza. According to the Arab tourist Al-Biruni, the name of Brahmanabad is Bhamanwa. Before the rule of Muslims, this city was called Brahmanabad. Sindh researcher and historian Dr. Nabi Bakhsh Baloch also supports Dr. Allana's opinion. He says that Brahmanabad was built on the orders of Bahman Ardeshir and probably after a long time when the influence of Brahmans in Sindh increased, the name of Brahmanabad came to be called Brahmanabad. This change was due to the domination of the Brahmins or the local payment of the Sindhi language.

Researchers believe that due to military and political needs, the Arabs had to settle their cities in Sindh, of which Mahfouzah, Beida and Mansura became famous. Elliott quotes Blazeri as saying that Brahmabad was far from Mansura, with the view that a large part of Brahmabad was included in Mansura and Mahfouzah was settled next to it. Sindh historian MH Panhwar writes that historical evidence shows that Brahmanabad and Mansura are two names of the same city. In the time of Yazid al-Qalbi, the capital of Sindh was shifted from Alwar to Mansura. Bashari al-Maqdisi, who visited Sindh in 961 AD, wrote in his book Ihsan al-Taksim Ma'arif al-Kalim that Mansura is a city one kilometer long and two kilometers wide with a river on all four sides and four gates. According to him, Mansura is equal to Damascus in its territory. The houses are made of mud and wood but the Jama Masjid is made of stones and bricks and is a nice big building in the middle of the city.

Mansura (Brahmanabad) was also attacked by Mahmud Ghaznavi. M. H. Panhwar writes that after the attack on the Somnath temple, Mahmud Ghaznavi attacked Mansura. There was a government of Khafif Soomro who fled before the attack. has been. Panhoor writes that Farkhi, the court poet of Mahmud Ghaznavi, in his ten-line poem, mentions people fleeing in the palm groves of Khafif, digging in the river to save lives and massacre. Citing Henry Keynes, Panhoor writes that the way coins were found in the streets suggests that looting had taken place. Some historians believe that Mahmud Ghaznavi came to Mansura on his return after the attack on Somnath in present-day Indian Gujarat and attacked Multan after the attack here. However, MH Panhwar disagrees. Dr. Ghulam Ali Allana writes that the pioneer preacher of the Shiite movement, Al-Ashtar, first arrived in Mansura and at that time was the time of the caliphate of Abu Ja'far Mansur Abbasi and the Mansura of Umar bin Hafs He was a supporter of Sadat and invited him, who summoned influential people of the city and decided to take the oath of allegiance on a Thursday, but the news reached Baghdad and al-Ashtar had to flee.

Bellas and Richardson, who had previously excavated here, believe the quake devastated the city. Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din, head of the archeology department at Shah Abdul Latif University, rejects the theory of earthquakes because "the walls are intact and not bent anywhere." He also disagrees that the city was attacked and set on fire. According to him, "no traces of fire or burnt wood have been found." M.H Panhwar believes that the historical record shows that the Hakra River dried up and the Indus River also changed its course, these changes took place in the region in the 10th century AD. Dr. Weiss also thinks that the Indus may have changed its course, affecting its communications and facilities. According to him, the later found building structure is not as good as that of those who came before him who built houses later.