Makli Necropolis

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Makli Hill Necropolis
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View of Makli by Usman Ghani (cropped).jpg
Makli Necropolis features several clusters of elaborate funerary monuments dating
between the 14th and 18th centuries.
Makli Necropolis is located in Pakistan Makli Necropolis Location of Makli Hill,
Pakistan
Details
Location Thatta
Country Pakistan
Coordinates 24.753589N 67.899783E
Type Sufi
No. of graves 500,000 - 1,000,000+
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta
Type Cultural
Criteria iii
Designated 1981 (5th session)
Reference no. 143
State Party Pakistan
Region Asia-Pacific
Makli Necropolis (Urdu ???? ?? ???? ???????; Sindhi ????? ?? ?????) is one of the
largest funerary sites in the world, spread over an area of 10 square kilometres
near the city of Thatta, in the Pakistani province of Sindh. The site houses
approximately 500,000 to 1 million[1] tombs built over the course of a 400 year
period.[2] Makli Necropolis features several large funerary monuments belonging to
royalty, various Sufi saints, and esteemed scholars. The site was inscribed as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 as an outstanding testament to Sindhi
civilization between the 14th and 18th centuries.[3]

Contents [hide]
1 Location
2 Etymology
3 History
4 Layout
5 Architectural evolution
6 Royal mausolea
6.1 Samma cluster
6.2 Arghun, Trakhan, and Mughal cluster
7 Conservation
8 Gallery
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Location[edit]

The site is located on the outskirts of Thatta.

Makli Necropolis is located on a plateau located approximately 6 kilometres from
the city of Thatta,[1] the capital of lower Sindh until the 17th century.[4] It
lies approximately 98 km east of Karachi, near the apex of the Indus River Delta in
southeastern Sindh.

Etymology[edit]
The site, and nearby hills, are said to derive their name from a legend in which a
Hajj pilgrim stopped at the site and erupted into spiritual ecstasy, declaring the
site to be Makkah for him. The Sufi saint Sheikh Hamad Jamali is then said to have
named the site Makli, or Little Makkah, after hearing the story of the pilgrim.[5]

History[edit]
The Sufi saint, poet and scholar Shaikh Jamali established a khanqah, or Sufi
gathering site, at Makli and was eventually buried there.[5] The 14th century
Trakhan ruler, Jam Tamachi, venerated the saint and wished to be interred near the
saint, beginning the tradition of using Makli as a funerary site.

The site rose to prominence as a major funerary site during under the rule of the
Samma dynasty, who had made their capital near Thatta.[5]

The most architecturally significant tombs at the site date from around the time of
the Mughal era, between 1570 and 1640 CE.[4]

Layout[edit]
Makli Necropolis occupies 10 square kilometres, housing at least 500,000 tombs.[2]
It stretches from Pir Patho at the southern end of the Makli Hills, northward in a
roughly diamond shape.[6] Its eastern edge is formed by the Makli Hills ridge. The
largest monuments are generally found at the southern edge of the site, though the
Samma tombs are found in the north.

Architectural evolution[edit]

Many of the tombs feature carved decorative motifs.

The funerary architecture of the largest monuments synthesizes Muslim, Hindu,
Persian, Mughal, and Gujarati influences,[2] in the style of Lower Sindh that
became known as the Chaukhandi style, named after the Chaukhandi tombs near
Karachi.[7] The Chaukhandi style came to incorporate slabs of sandstone that were
carefully carved by stonemasons into intricate and elaborate designs.[7]

The earliest tombs displayed three to six slabs of stone stacked on top of one
another into the shape of a small pyramid.[7] Evolving funerary architecture then
incorporated small plinths.[7]

Some monuments feature corridors with roofs supported by intricately carved

sandstone.
By the 15th century, decorated rosettes and circular patters began to be
incorporated into the tombs.[7] More complex patterns and Arabic calligraphy with
biographical information of the interred body then emerged.[7] Larger monuments
dating from later periods included corridors and some designs inspired by
cosmology.[7]

Many cenotaphs are intricately carved.

Pyramidal structures from the 16th century feature the use of minarets topped with
floral motifs in a style unique to tombs dating from the Turkic Trakhan dynasty.[7]
Structures from the 17th century at the Leilo Sheikh part of the cemetery feature
large tombs that resemble Jain temples from afar,[7] with prominent influence from
the nearby region of Gujarat.

Several of the larger tombs feature carvings of animals, warriors, and weaponry - a
practice uncommon to Muslim funerary monuments.[7] Later tombs at the site are
sometimes made entirely of brick, with only a sandstone slab.[1]

The largest structures in the most archaetypal Chaukhandi style feature domed
yellow sandstone canopies that were plastered white with wooden doorways,[7] in a
style that reflects Central Asian and Persian influences.[7] The size of the dome
denoted the prominence of the buried individual,[7] with undersides embellished
with carved floral patterns.[7] The underside of some canopies feature lotus
flowers, a symbol commonly associated with Hinduism.[5]

Some tombs came to feature extensive blue tile-work typical of Sindh.[7] The use of
funerary pavilions eventually expanded beyond lower Sindh, and influenced funerary
architecture in neighbouring Gujarat.[8]

Royal mausolea[edit]