Makli Hill
 Tomb of Prince Sultan Ibrahim bin Mirza Muhammad Isa Tarkhan, Makli Hill |
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 Location of Makli Hill, Pakistan
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| Details | |
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| Location | Thatta |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Type | Sufi |
| Number of graves | 125,000 |
| Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta * | |
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| Country | Pakistan (Ancient India) |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii |
| Reference | 143 |
| Region ** | Asia-Pacific |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1981 (5th Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO |
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One of the largest necropolises in the world, with a diameter of approximately 8km. Makli Hill is supposed to be the burial place of some 125,000 local rulers, Sufi saints and others. It is located on the outskirts of Thatta, the capital of lower Sind until the seventeenth century, in what is the southeastern province of present-day Pakistan.[1] It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981[2] under the name, Historical Monuments of Thatta.
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[edit] History
Legends abound about its inception, but it is generally believed that the cemetery grew around the shrine of the fourteenth-century Sufi, Hamad Jamali. The tombs and gravestones spread over the cemetery are material documents marking the social and political history of Sind.
The impressive imperial mausoleums are divided into two major groups, those from the Samma (1352–1520) and Tarkhan (1556–1592) period. In total four historical periods are represented architecturally, namely the Sama period, the Arghun, the Tarkhan and the Mughals. The tomb of the Samma King, Jam Nizamuddin II (reigned 1461–1509), is an impressive square structure built of sandstone and decorated with floral and geometric medallions. Similar to this is the mausoleum of Isa Khan Tarkhan II (d. 1651), a two-story stone building with majestic cupolas and balconies. In contrast to the synthetic architecture of these two monuments, which integrate Hindu and Islamic motifs, are mausoleums that clearly show the Central Asian roots of the later dynasty. An example is the tomb of Jan Beg Tarkhan (d. 1600), a typical octagonal brick structure whose dome is covered in blue and turquoise glazed tiles. Pavilion or canopy tombs are another typical architectural feature, as well as enclosure tombs. Today, Makli Hill is a United Nations World Heritage Site that is visited by both pilgrims and tourists, but in strong need of conservation and maintenance. The 2010 flooding's added to the deterioration of the site.[3]
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Sketch plan of the necropolis as stated by information point
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Tombs at Makli hill
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The Quranic artwork at a decorated grave of one of the Sufi Saints in the necropolis.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ www.bookrags.com
- ^ Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 10 February 2011
- ^ Damage Assessment Mission to the Necropolis of Makli, Heritage Foundation, supported by the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development, Karachi (2011).
[edit] External links
- Illustration of Sind Tiles
- Ayaz Asif's photo collection of the Makli Hills and the Shah Jahan Mosque.
- Archnet.org Digital Library (Photographs)
- Two Monuments on Makli Hill
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