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The sprawling graveyard of Talpur rulers of defunct Khairpur state and their families is situated about 22 kilometers south of Rohri town via ancient ruins of Arore. This necropolis is also accessible from Khairpur city via Shaadi Shaheed and is located in Deh Akbarpur, Tapo Kandhra. Men, women, children, soldiers, lieutenants or the generals of the former ruling elite are buried here. Mir Sohrab Khan, the first ruler of the state is also buried in the graveyard, while his successors are buried in Karbala (Iraq). The entire site (except few tajars and chambers containing the marble graves of ruling elite and their families) is without compound wall. Shady trees or the rest room facility for the visitors or the researchers are non existent.

The graveyard was established in 1825 by the founder of Khairpur state Mir Sohrab Khan Talpur. He captured the territory by defeating the last ruler of the Kalhora regime Mian Abdul Nabi in 1783 at the battle ground of Halani. Mir Sohrab Khan sustained a grave sword injury during the war and died in 1830 at the age of 90. Because of his ill health his son Mir Rustam Khan Talpur was formally crowned in 1811, who acted as the defect ruler until the demise of his father. Mir Rustum is also buried in the same graveyard.

This historical necropolis can be classified in three categories such as carved stone, enameled and simple. Most of the stone carved graves bearing Quranic verses are in bad shape due to the negligence. The graveyard is roughly two centuries old which spreads over an area of 35 acres, dotted with hundreds of graves with exquisitely carved tombstones and as many as four dilapidated mosques in and around it.

Apart from the chaukundis, graves decorated with glazed tiles are also found here, which are equally in worst condition like the other clusters. The cluster of graves with mural ceramics, located to the north of the chaukundis do not exist any more now. In the last category are those graves which lack ornamentation and are plastered with limestone. These are mostly situated on the eastern side of the tombs of Golo Shahani and Faqir Qadir Bakhsh Panhwar, which are in a shambles and are associated with ordinary people.

[Source: Sukkur: Nostalgia of things past by Momin Bullo]

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