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The travelogues written by the Arab travellers who visited Sindh give an account of the economic prosperity of people. Ibn Hawqal, who visited Sindh in 967AD, mentions that there were 24 populated cities. The existence of such large number of cities shows the advancement of commercial and social activities of people.
The prominent tribes of Sindh were Sodha, Jareja and Meds. The Jats were called in Arabic as Zat and were sent to Iraq as slaves. As Sindh was far away from Baghdad, it became a refuge of political and religious dissidents. The Ismaili missionaries came to Sindh in the 9th century and converted the ruling classes. The Ismaili rule in Sindh was brought to an end by Mahmud of Ghazna.
Debal
It was a famous seaport of Sindh at the time of the Arab invasion. Astakhari, an Arab traveller, observed that Debal was situated on the western side of Sindh. It was a good market for businessmen. However, it was a barren and horror-stricken place with only a few trees. People visited it only for business purpose.
Chach Nama (Fateh Nama)
It is an important source to study the Arab conquest of Sindh. The author is not known, however, the book was translated from Arabic into Persian by Al-Kufi in the 13th century. Besides historical events, many other stories are also described in the book, which have no historical evidence. These were written from the point of view of the conqueror, Muhammad bin Qasim, who is portrayed as a hero while Raja Dahir is contemptuously treated by the author.
Mansurah
It was the capital of the Habbari dynasty and its ruins were found near Sangarh. Al-Muqaddasî, an Arab traveller wrote about Mansurah and mentioned it as the capital city of Sindh. Houses of the city were built by timber but mosque was constructed with stones and bricks. A branch of the River Sindh surrounded it and inhabitants were cultured, hospitable, generous and well-aware of Islamic teachings. Business was profitable there.
