Tharparkar (Dhatki/ٿرپارڪر; , t̪həɾpɑːɾkəɾ), also known as Thar, is a district in Sindh province in Pakistan headquartered at Mithi. Before Indian independence it was known as the Thar and Parkar (1901- till) or Eastern Sindh Frontier District (1882-1901).
The district is the largest in Sindh, and has the largest Hindu population in Pakistan. It has the lowest Human Development Index rating of all the districts in Sindh. Currently the Sindh government is planning to divide the Tharparkar district into Tharparkar and Chhachro district.
The name Tharparkar originates from a portmanteau of the words Thar (referring to the Thar Desert), and parkar (meaning "to cross over"). The Thar region was historically fertile, although it was mostly desertified between 2000 BCE and 1500 BCE. Before its desertification, a tributary of the Indus River was said to flow through the region; it is speculated by some historians that this river could be the ancient Sarasvati River mentioned in the Hindu Rigveda. The Thar region is also mentioned in the Ramayana, where it is called "Lavanasagara" (meaning "salt ocean").
Sindh was ruled by various dynasties after the fall of the Indus Valley civilisation. These dynasties included the Soomras, the Sammas, the Arghuns, the Kalhoras, and the Talpurs. These rulers mainly focused on the central and western parts of Sindh while the eastern areas, including Tharparkar were largely disregarded. In 1843, as a part of the British conquest of large parts of the Indian subcontinent, Charles James Napier, the Commander-in-Chief of the Presidency Armies, defeated the Talpur dynasty and conquered Sindh. The conquered areas, including Tharparkar, were incorporated into the Cutch Agency and Hyderabad Collectorate. The government of British India divided Sindh into Collectorates, or districts, administered by British-appointed Zamindars.
Sindh was later made part of the Bombay Presidency of British India.