Culture of Sindh

The Culture of Sindh (Sindhi: سنڌ جي ثقافت) has its roots in the Indus Valley Civilization. Sindh has been shaped by the largely desert region, the natural resources it has available, and continuous foreign influence. The Indus or Sindhu River, which passes through the land, and the Arabian Sea (Which defines its borders) also supported the seafaring traditions among the local people. The local climate also reflects why the Sindhis have a language, folklore, traditions, customs, and lifestyle that are so different from the neighbouring regions. The Sindhi culture is also practised by the Sindhi diaspora.

The roots of Sindhi culture go back to the distant past. Archaeological research during the 19th and 20th centuries showed the roots of social life, religion, and culture of the people of the Sindh: their agricultural practises, traditional arts and crafts, customs and traditions, and other parts of social life, going back to a mature Indus Valley Civilization of the third millennium BC. Recent research has traced the Indus Valley civilization to even earlier ancestry.

The excavations of Mohen-Jo-Daro have unfolded the city life of a civilization of people with values, a distinct identity, and a distinct culture. Therefore, the first definition of the Sindhi culture emanates from that of the 7000-year-old Indus Valley Civilization. This is the pre-Aryan period, about 3,000 years BC, when the urban civilization in Sindh was at its peak.

In Sir Mortimer Wheeler's book, Civilization of the Indus Valley and Beyond, it is said that; "Civilization, in a minimum sense of the term, is the art of living in towns, with all that the condition implies in respect of social skills and disciplines." When people speak of Sindhi civilization, they have to concern themselves mainly with the material and concrete side of human habitation, of which Sindhi culture is the only essence called the superstructure.^{[original research?]} The present-day Sindh, along with the Northern part of the Indus Valley Civilization (around 3000 to 2500 BC), is located in its urban civilization.

Ranikot Fort is also a landmark of the Indus Valley Civilization. It is the world's largest fort, with walls extending to 20 km. It has been called "The great Wall of Sindh", and attracts many visitors.

Sindhi language is ancient and rich in literature. Its writers have contributed extensively to various forms of literature in both poetry and prose. Sindhi literature is very rich and is one of the world's oldest literatures. The earliest reference to Sindhi literature is contained in the writings of Arab historians. It is established that Sindhi was the first eastern language into which the Quran was translated in the 8th or 9th century. There is evidence of Sindhi poets reciting their verses before the Muslim Caliphs in Baghdad. It is also recorded that treatises were written in Sindhi on astronomy, medicine, and history during the 8th and 9th centuries.

Prominent in Sindhi culture, Sindhi poetry (Sindhi: سنڌي شاعري) continues an oral tradition dating back a thousand years. The verbal verses were based on folk tales. Sindhi is one of the major oldest languages of the Indus Valley, having a peculiar literary colour both in poetry and prose. Sindhi poetry is very rich in thought and contain a variety of genres, like other developed languages. Old Sindhi poetry impacts upon contemporary languages and also accepts the healthy influence of some languages like Hindi. Sindhi poetry contains two main original forms of verse, such as bait and Waei. Bait slightly resembles the forms of Dohas and Sorthas and is also influenced by Persian forms like Ghazal, Mathnavi, Rubai, and Kaafi. Since the 1940s, Sindhi poetry has incorporated broader influences, including the sonnet and blank verse. Soon after the independence of Pakistan in 1947, these forms were reinforced by Triolet, Haiku, Renga, and Tanka etc. At present, these forms continue to coexist, albeit to varying degrees, with Azad Nazm having an edge over them all. The poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and Sachal Sarmast is very famous throughout Sindh.

Sindhi music has its own unique quality. It is performed in many different ways. Sufi music is performed at shrines, and other simple music is performed at studios and gatherings.