Makli Graveyard

    

Makli Graveyard (Thatta, Sindh)

Makli Graveyard is one of the largest necropolises in the world near situated in between Thatta and Karachi, with a diameter of approximately 8 kilometers and Makli Hill is supposed to be the burial place of some 125,000 Sufi saints. It is located on the outskirts of Thatta. The city of Thatta on the bank of the Indus was the capital of Lower Sindh from the 14th century.
Thatta's monuments include the Jama Mosque, built by Shah Jahan in 1647-49 and lined with glazed tiles. There are also the tombs of Jam Nizamuddin (1461-1509), several Tarkhan rulers and Mughal officials. A vast old necropolis with thousands of graves may be found at the nearby Makli Hills. The tombs and gravestones spread over the cemetery are material documents marking the social and political history of Sindh.

Imperial mausoleums are divided into two major groups, those from the Samma (1352–1520) and Tarkhan (1556–1592) periods. The tomb of the Samma king, Jam Nizam al-Din (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, a two-story stone building with balconies. The 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 a typical octagonal brick structure whose dome is covered in blue and turquoise glazed tiles. Today, 

Makli Hill is a United Nations World Heritage Site that is visited by both pilgrims and tourists.