Matiari District is a district in the Pakistani province of Sindh. Located on the left bank of the Indus River, Matiari became an independent district on 30 May 2004 during the military regime of Pervez Musharraf, when Hyderabad was divided into four districts — Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Tando Mohammad Khan and Hyderabad.

Etymology

The word Matiari is derived from two Sindhi words Mat and yari, which means friendship with earthen water pots. According to culture, the Main Bus Stop at Matiari Main Road was where a lady sat in a hut a long time ago. It is where she kept an earthen pot of water. People of Matiari would tell the bus conductor to stop at "Mat Wari Maai" (old woman's hut where she keeps earthen pot of water). This is apparently why it the district is called Matiari.

History and administration

Matiari district was carved out of Hyderabad district along with Tando Allahyar and Tando Muhammad Khan districts in 2005. Matiari district is part of the Hyderabad division. The district is administratively subdivided into three talukas: There are 30 union councils in the district as tabulated below:

Demography

At the time of the 2017 census, Matiari had a sex ratio of 940 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 42.63%: 54.05% for males and 38.48% for females. 182,669 (23.72%) lived in urban areas. 229,446 (29.80%) were under 10 years of age. In 2023, the district had 158,559 households and a population of 849,383. The majority religion is Islam, with 81.67% of the population. Hinduism (including those from Scheduled Castes) is 18.03% of the population. {{Pie chart }} At the time of the 2023 census, 92.95% of the population spoke Sindhi, 2.66% Urdu, 1.33% Balochi and 1.31% Hindko as their first language.

Notable places

The shrines of Pir Rukun-Din-Shah, Makhdoom Sarwar Nooh, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sakhi Hashim Shah pir Haider shah, Muhammad Faquir Khatian and others are located in Matiari district. Miani forest and the battleground of Sir Charles Napier and Talpur rulers of Sindh and Miani jo Maidan are also situated in Matiari district. Syed Rukun-Din-Shah also fought a battle with the Arguns dynasty with seven bilalis of sindh. At Khuda aabad, one can find the graves and the tombs of Mughal Empires era. There is a Masjid (Praying Place) and a well of water. The Indus River is also there.

Agriculture

Matiari district is one of the most fertile districts of Sindh. The main crops cultivated are cotton, banana, mango, wheat, onions and sugarcane.

Politics

The elected representatives from Matiari district are

List of union councils

The following is a list of Matiari District's union councils, organised by Tehsils: