Sehwan

Sehwan is a historic city located in Jamshoro District of Sindh province in Pakistan, and is situated on the west bank of the Indus, north-west of Hyderabad. The city is renowned for being home of one of Pakistan's most important Sufi shrines, the Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.Due to the popularity of its Sufi shrine, the terms "Sehwan" and "Qalandar" are often used interchangeably in Pakistan. Sehwan is one of Pakistan's most important religious centres, along with other shrines of Pakistan such as the Data Durbar Complex in Lahore, Bari Imam in Noorpur Shehan near Islamabad, and the lustrous tombs of the Suhrawardi sufis in Multan.HistoryIt is possible that the name Sehwan originates from "Siwistan" or "Seevistan", the kingdom of Raja Dahir which extended to the Punjab. It was conquered by Muhammad bin Qasim in 711, and two centuries later by Mahmud of Ghazni. An abortive attempt was made by the Mughal emperor Humayun to capture it on his way to Umarkot but it finally fell to his son Akbar. Before this, it was the capital of the Thatta Kingdom under Juni Bek. The city is known for its Sufi patron saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar who lived there in the 13th century.