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{{for|other places with that name|Mansoura (disambiguation)}}
{{Cleanup|date=November 2018|reason=Two articles were merged into this one. Repeated or conflicting information, if any, should be fixed.}}
{{Infobox ancient site
|name = Mansura
|native_name = {{lang|sd|{{Naskh|برهمڻ آباد}}}} or {{lang|sd|{{Naskh|منصوره}}}}
|native_name_lang = ur, sd
|alternate_name = Brahmanabad
|image = Coins Amirs of sindh.jpg
|alt =
|caption = Coins during the rule of Amirs of Sind, c. 257 -- 421 AH / c. 870 -- 1030 AD
|map_type = Sindh#Pakistan
|map_alt =
|map_size =
|coordinates = {{coord|25|52|52|N|68|46|37|E|display=inline,title}}
|location = [[Sanghar District]], [[Sindh]], [[Pakistan]]
|region =
|type = Settlement/Capital City
|part_of = [[Umayyad Caliphate]] and [[Abbasid Caliphate]] in [[Sindh]]
|length =
|width =
|area =
|height =
|builder =
|material =
|built =
|abandoned =
|epochs = [[Caliphate|Caliphal Period]] 
(Umayyad Period) (Abbasid Period)
|cultures = [[Islamic Golden Age]]
|dependency_of =
|occupants =
|event =
|excavations =
|archaeologists =
|condition =
|ownership =
|management =
|public_access =
|website = 
|notes =
}}

'''Mansura''' ({{lang-ar|المنصورة|al-manṣūra|the triumphant [city]}}; {{Lang-sd|{{Naskh|منصوره}}}}), referred to as '''Brahmanabad''' ({{lang-sd|{{Naskh|برهمڻ آباد}}|barhamaṇabād}}, {{IPA-ur|ˈbəɾɦəmnɑːˈbɑːd̪|pron|}}; ) in later centuries,{{sfn|Wink, Al-Hind, Volume 1|1996|p=185}} was the historic capital of the [[Sind (caliphal province)|caliphal province of Sindh]], during the eighth century under the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] and then [[Abbasid Caliphate]]<ref>[https://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/photos/10336593/ Ruins of Mansura city in Sindh Pakistan], National Geographic, 29 May 2017.</ref><ref>Hussain, Irshad. (1989). Mansurah - The First Capital of Muslims in Sindh. ''Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society'' 37(3): 293-303.</ref> from the year 750 AD to 1006 AD. The city was founded as a central garrison by the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] Forces in Sindh, the city transformed into a very vibrant metropolis during the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid Era]] surpassing the wealth of [[Multan]] in the north and [[Debal]] in the south. Mansura was the first capital established by the Muslims in the [[Indian subcontinent]] after [[Muhammad bin Qasim]] seized the Brahmanabad territory.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1617739/situationer-nine-trenches-into-the-past-of-sindh|title=SITUATIONER: Nine trenches into the past of Sindh}}</ref> Mansura was built on the shores of the [[Indus River]], it was surrounded by fertile farmland, [[Ibn Hauqal]] mentioned the wealthy local merchants who wore ''Baghdad Costume'' and were of [[Sindhi people|Sindhi]]-[[Arab]] origins, houses were made of clay, baked bricks and plaster.

Mansura exported herbs and spices, textiles, ivory, metals and mirrors to [[Baghdad]]. There were some renowned educational institutions in the city, Mansura produced the first translation of the [[Quran]] in the [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]] language, it was used widely throughout the [[Indus]] valley region. The city was the hometown of famous historical figures such as [[Abu Mashar Sindhi]] is described by many historians and chroniclers as a pioneer in the compilation of [[Hadith]]; [[Abu Raja Sindhi]] lived in Baghdad and engaged in scientific and literary pursuits they translated a large number of ancient books of [[South Asia]] on mathematics, astronomy, astrology, medicine, literature and ethics into [[Arabic]].
According to geologists an earthquake struck both [[Debal]] and Mansura in the year 893.AD, the city was later ruled by the [[Soomro]] [[Emir]]s. Mansura was sacked by the forces of [[Mahmud of Ghazni]] because the inhabitants feared his reputation and refused to open the gates. The city never recovered and its Soomro Emirs were deposed.

The city now lies {{Convert|18|km}} south-east of [[Shahdadpur]]{{sfn|Blankinship|1994|p=335}} and {{Convert|75|km}} north-east of [[Hyderabad, Sindh|Hyderabad]].{{sfn|Wink, Al-Hind, Volume 1|1996|p=185}}

==History==
This city was a capital of [[Lohana]] dynasty. There was a powerful king named [[Agham Lohana]] who ruled this city before [[Chach of Aror]] invaded the area and defeated Lohanas and made under his sway.

Erstwhile name of this city was Brahmanabad, which was renamed as Mansura by the Arab Conquerors.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-10-26|title=برهمڻ آباد: تاريخ جي آئيني ۾:محبوب علي چنا|url=https://awamiawaz.pk/450102/|access-date=2020-06-15|website=Awami Awaz|language=ur}}</ref> The Umayyad governor of Sind, Al-Hakam, founded a city called al-Mahfuza later called Brahminabad. Historical sources state that he found there were "no places in Sind where Muslims were safe", which indicates there were unrest and rebellions before his arrival.{{sfn|Blankinship|1994|pp=186–187}} His deputy Al-Thaqafi founded Al-Masura "opposite Al-Mahfuza". Historian Blankship believes that the former was a base for the [[Yemen|Yamani]] troops of the Caliphate and the latter was for the Mudari troops.{{sfn|Blankinship|1994|pp=186–187}} By the time of [[Al-Baladhuri]], the old Brahamanabad was in ruins, and the new city itself was referred to by the name Brahmanabad.{{sfn|Wink, Al-Hind, Volume 1|1996|p=185}}

The city was further developed by [[Khalid ibn Barmak]] (705–782), a member of the [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] [[Barmakids]] family, during the [[Abbasid Caliphate]]. The city holds an important position in Muslim history as the first to be built by Arabs according to the principles of town-planning.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} Seventeen years later, lessons learned in Mansura were applied in [[Baghdad]] where there were once numerous Sindhi inspired buildings and monuments.

Mansura's history began under the Umayyad Caliphs, when Muslim Arabs attempted to conquer the frontier kingdoms of [[India]], [[Kabul Province|Kabul]], [[Zabul Province|Zabul]], and Sindh. In the early 8th Century, with the Kingdom of Sindh convulsed by internal strife, the Arabs seized their chance and renewed their attacks. Thereafter it was captured by [[Muhammad ibn Qasim]], nephew of [[al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf]], the governor of [[Iraq]] and [[Greater Khorasan|Khurasan]] with the army. Qasim's successors attempted to expand from Sindh into the [[Punjab region|Punjab]] and other regions. [[Al-Masudi]] ascribed the foundation of the city to Governor Mansur ibn Jamhur, the last Umayyad [[List of caliphal governors of Sind|governor of Sindh]]. Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, who belonged to the Banu Habar tribe, the clan of Banu Asad, was the first governor of al-Mansura. Under the Caliphate of [[al-Mansur]], Khalid was appointed governor of Fars and, after helping obtain Prince [[Isa ibn Musa]]'s renunciation of his succession to the caliphate in 765, became governor of [[Tabaristan]]. Around the same time, his son [[Yahya ibn Khalid]], was appointed governor of [[Adharbayjan]].

According to historians{{Clarify|post-text=Who?|date=July 2011}}, Mansura was a beautiful town with vast orchards of mangoes and groves of date palms. Today the ruins of Mansura are spread over an area {{Convert|4|mi}} in circumference near the modern city of [[Shahdadpur]]. The most significant ruin found in Mansura is the large courtyard of a [[Jamia Masjid]] (mosque).

==Modern ruins==
The city lies upon the open sandy plain amongst rolling heaps of brick debris, crisscrossed with the depressions of its original streets and surrounded by the ruins of its once massive walls and bastions. Shaped like a boot with the sole facing north-west and the leg stretching south-east, the whole area has a circumference of {{Convert|5.75|miles}}. Apart from a considerable area towards the south-east end, the whole space is covered with billowing mounds of brick ruins. Nothing now stands above the surface, except in one place, where an unrecognizable tower-like core of brick masonry remains. There is a total absence of stone masonry of any kind, but lumps of charred wood dotted here and there indicate the former presence of woodwork. The cement used in the brickwork appears to have been mud which forms the greater mass of the present mounds.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

As per historian Rahimdad Khan Molai Shedai,"Brahmanabad town was located within 4 miles area, where in the temple named Nu Wihar there was an idol of Buddha. In various history books on Sindh said temple was also written as Nu Bahar which is varied form of Nu Wihar. As Byblion temple priests were astrologers or fortune tellers like priests of Brahmanabad were also great astrologers. The staunch [[Brahmin|Brahaman]] king like [[Chach of Aror|Chach]] had to kneel before them and constrained to renovate the temple. The number of the priests in the town was around 1000'.<ref>Rahimdad Khan Molai Shedai; Janat ul Sindh, 3rd edition, 1993, page 63;Sindhi Adbi Board, Jamshoro</ref>

In the initial excavation of the urban complex of Brahmanabad-Mansurah-Mahfuzah, A. P. Bellasis uncovered a seal bearing the Arabic inscription "Imam al-Baqir"<ref>A. F. Bellasis, "An Account of the Ancient and Ruined City of Brahminabad, in Sind," JBBRAS 5 (1856) :421.

As cited in: Derryl N. Maclean," '''Religion and Society in Arab Sind'''", p. 127, BRILL, (1989) {{ISBN|90-04-08551-3}}.</ref> which appear to belong to the fifth Shi'ite Imam [[Muhammad al-Baqir]] (677–733 AD).

==See also==
{{col div|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Jam Nawaz Ali]]
* [[Chach Nama]]
* [[Agham Lohana]]
* [[Lohana]]
* [[Samma Dynasty]]
* [[Khafif]]
* [[Debal]]
* [[Multan]]
* [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid Era]]
* [[Abu Mashar Sindhi]]
* [[Abu Raja Sindhi]]
* [[Ibn Hauqal]]
* [[Soomro Dynasty]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{The End of the Jihad State}}
* {{citation |last=Wink |first=André |title=Al-Hind: The Making of the Indo-Islamic World, Vol 1: Early Medieval India and the Expansion of Islam |publisher=Brill |year=1996 |edition=Third |origyear=first published 1990 |isbn=0391041738 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCVyhH5VDjAC&pg=PA185 |ref={{sfnref|Wink, Al-Hind, Volume 1|1996}}}}

==Further reading==
* Avari, B. (2012). ''Islamic civilization in South Asia: A history of Muslim power and presence in the Indian subcontinent.'' London: Routledge.
* Rashid, N. (1998). Al-Mansurah-The Lost City. ''Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society'' 46(4).
* [https://www.panoramio.com/photo/8484321 Mansura Archaeological Site Photo]
* [http://panhwar.com/Article154.htm Sindh Archaeology]

[[Category:Former populated places in Pakistan]]
[[Category:History of Pakistan]]
[[Category:History of Sindh]]
[[Category:Chach Nama]]
[[Category:Abbasid Caliphate]]
[[Category:8th-century establishments in the Umayyad Caliphate]]

Mansura, Sindh - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article