HYDERABAD

Hyderabad, once the capital of Sindh and now the third largest city of Pakistan, is one of the oldest cities of the sub-continent. Its history dates back to pre-Islamic times, when Ganjo Taken (barren hill), a nearby hilly tract, was used as a place of worship. The city traces its early history to Neroon, a Hindu ruler of the area from whom the city derived its previous name, "Neroon Kot" (Fort of Neroon). The next important phase of its history began when the Indus changed its course from Khudabad. The monuments of the Kalhora and Talpur rulers and the bazaars of the city are worth visiting. Stretching from Hyderabad fort to the Market Tower is Shahi Bazaar, where well-stocked shops are housed on both sides of a winding street, and alongside a maze of tiny lanes that run off it. Good buys are calico, embroidery, bracelets, lacquered wood furniture, hand-loom cloth, "sousi" and "ajrak", "rilli", block printed colorful "chadars" (shawls) bangles, shoes and glazed tiles. Hyderabad is connected with the main cities of the country by road, rail and air links.