Hyderabad is the former capital of Sindh. According to the census of 2017, it has a population of about 1,732,693 people, making it the second largest city of Sindh and the eighth largest city of Pakistan. The literal translation of the word “Hyderabad” is “Lion City.” The name honours the legacy of the fourth caliph of Muslims, Hazrat Ali (RA).
In the early 1950s, migrants from India formed the majority of the population of Hyderabad, but now it is home to people belonging to different ethnicities, cultures, and religions, making it a genuinely cosmopolitan city. It is famous for its beautiful, intricately designed ‘Ajrak’ – a traditional shawl made of rich crimson and deep indigo colour with black and white coloured patchwork all over. The ‘Ajrak’ is considered a symbol of Sindhi culture and is worn with great pride, especially by Sindhi men, on every festive occasion. It is also given as a souvenir to people who visit Hyderabad for the first time. The bangles of Hyderabad are also quite famous. It produces almost all of Pakistan’s ornamental bangles, which are liked and loved by women all over the world.
With a lot of developmental projects taking place in Hyderabad, the city, unlike its reputation in the past, is no longer considered a small town. A large number of industries like soap, textile, pottery, cement, and mirror manufacturing etc. have set up here, making it an essential industrial centre of the country. People from rural areas migrate to the city to raise their living standards and have better job opportunities. With the ever-increasing population, the demand for residential and commercial properties has also increased due to which Hyderabad’s real estate sector is thriving.
As Hyderabad’s population continues to increase, that too rapidly so does the need for more residential communities. Due to the soaring prices of houses and plots, apartment complexes are becoming popular as they are more economical and secure. Apartments for sale in Hyderabad come in a variety of sizes, ranging from a compact 1-bedroom flat to a large and spacious 5-bedroom apartment with attached baths and separate drawing and dining areas. Some of the top localities to consider while investing in Hyderabad are Thandi Sarak, Qasimabad, Latifabad, and Cantt etc. These areas have a vast range of ideally constructed high-rise apartments with great potential to yield high profits. Engulfed by schools, restaurants, shopping malls, parks etc. with high-end security systems, flats in these areas are becoming the first choice of every buyer as they are built with great finesse, having fully tiled floors and provisioned with basic utilities such as electricity, gas, water and sewerage system.
Of all the metropolises in Pakistan, Hyderabad is one of the most affordable and reasonable places to live in. The prices of flats vary, considerably, with the type of materials used in construction, amenities provided in a unit, its location and connectivity to nearby areas. The purchasing cost of a well-built 2-bed apartment starts at PKR 12 lakh and can go up to PKR 65 lakh based on the location and other available facilities. Among all, Qasimabad is considered as one of the prime locations of Hyderabad. The starting price of a 3-bedroom flat in Qasimabad is PKR 30 lakh. However, the number can reach PKR 90 lakh, depending on the area of a unit as well as its bedroom count. Similarly, the sale price trend of other top localities like Latifabad, Cantt etc. is directly proportional to the size of the apartment and facilities provided by the project builders.
The local government has made several efforts to improve the state of education in Hyderabad and rural Sindh over the past couple of years. In order to achieve this goal, many public sector schools for boys and girls have been established in the city such as Govt. Allama Iqbal High School, Govt. Boys Primary School Nawab Muzaffar, Latifabad, Govt. Girls Primary School A.M.I Qazi Shafi Brohi, Qasimabad etc. In addition, private schools such as Beaconhouse, The Smart School, and The Educators among others, are also doing their part to impart the benefits of quality education. The city is also home to some of the most well-known educational institutes for higher education. For example, Isra University, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences provide advanced learning opportunities not only to Hyderabad’s citizens but also to students from the rural areas of the province. The city also provides quality healthcare facilities to its citizens and people from nearby areas. A large number of government and private hospitals are present in Hyderabad such as Civil Hospital, Agha Khan Hospital, CMH, etc., providing primary and tertiary care to the patients at affordable rates.
Hyderabad is believed to be Sindh’s architectural crowning jewel. The city has a number of historical structures like the Tombs of Talpur Mirs, Badshahi Bungalow, Tomb of the Mian Ghulam Nabi Kalhoro, etc., all of which attract tourists from across the country. Public parks are also present in the city where one can spend quality time with kids. One of the popular spots of the city is the great Rani Bagh, which was named after the Queen Victoria of England. It houses a zoo, playground, running track and an Eidgah, which is an open-air mosque for Eid prayers.
Although Hyderabad has witnessed ethnic violence in the past, the present situation with regards to security is much better. After repeated efforts by the government to establish religious and ethnic harmony in the city, Hyderabad has become a peaceful city to live in. Law enforcement agencies are also taking necessary measures in order to maintain the peace of the city.
The city has an extensive range of shopping locations and is home to Asia’s longest market, the ‘Shahi Bazaar,’ which has a wide range of retail shops of jewellery, handicrafts, souvenir, kitchen utensils and everything belonging to everyday needs. The city is famous for its delicious ‘Rabri’, a dairy dessert and the ‘Palla Fish’ that is only found in the Indus River. It has a wide range of other eateries, like Lal Qila, Royal Taj Restaurant, Salateen Restaurant etc., which provide delicious traditional as well as continental cuisines.
The real estate market in Hyderabad has been doing quite well over the past few years. The city has remarkably transformed into a modern metropolis and has all the facilities such as hospitals, markets, malls, and restaurants, among others, which make it a suitable city for buying residential property. It is also well connected to the rest of the country via rail and road. Its infrastructural advancements can be seen clearly from the wider network of roads like Thandi Sarak, Wadhu Wah Road and Auto Bhan Road, while 7-8 flyovers are being built in the city to cater to the ever-increasing traffic in the city. With such fast-paced development rate and interconnectedness with other cities, properties in Hyderabad will most likely prove to be a valuable asset in the near future.