Manghopir

Manghopir

Manghopir

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Location of Manghopir Lake in Karachi

Manghopir Town (Sindhi: منگو پير ٽائون), (Urdu: منگھوپیر ٹاؤن) is a neighbourhood in the Orangi District of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, that previously was a part of Gadap Town until 2011, now it is one of the three towns of Orangi District of Karachi.

Demographics

There are several ethnic groups in Manghopir including Muhajirs, Sindhis, Punjabis, Kashmiris, Seraikis, Pakhtuns, Balochis, Memons, Bohras, Ismailis, etc. The population of the neighborhood is majority Muslim.

Manghopir is a rural area of Karachi, The area has the oldest Sufi shrines in the city named after a Saint Saqib, hot sulphur springs that are believed to have curative powers, and many crocodiles - believed locally to be the sacred disciples of Pir Mangho. Balochs often call this place as ‘Mangi’ or Garm-aab/Sard-aab (due to the presence of the hot & cold springs).

Manghopir Lake

Crocodile near the sulphur hot spring

The Manghopir Lake is situated near the shrine of Sufi Pir Mangho and there over one hundred Mugger crocodiles in the lake which are fed by the pilgrims.

Sheedis and Festivals

Manghopir is mostly inhabited by one of Pakistan's smallest ethnic communities, the Sheedi, also known as Makrani. Sheedi are said to be the descendants of Afro-Arabs from Zanzibar and maintain their distinct Afro-Arab and Omani identity in the midst of the dominating South Asian cultures.

Presently, these African-Pakistanis live in various parts of Karachi. Most are found in Lyari, but they are also found in Malir, Moaach Goth, Manghopir, and further in southern at Sindh and Balochistan. Due to Lyari's dominant Sheedi people population, it is often called 'Little Africa'. Some Afro-Arab style festivals and dances like Gowati, Lewa, Dhamaal, beating Omani style shindo, jabwah, and jasser drums are still popular in Manghopirs Lyari locale. Many forms of folk beliefs and medicines are also still practiced. A prominent Urdu poet and Lyari citizen, Noon Meem Danish, proudly claims to be the great-great-grandchild of an African from Zanzibar. "Now after centuries of cultural assimilation, Sheedis proudly call themselves Sindhis and Baloch.

See also

• Pir Mangho
• Manghopir Hills
• Gallery of the shrines and spring in Manghopir

External links

• Karachi Website.