Why Make - The City of Silence is one of the largest funerary sites in the World?
You must have heard about the City of Silence. But today, you can know this unbelievable and World's Largest City of Silence yourself. This is the Brief History of Makli Cemetry in Pakistan that I witnessed on my motorbike tour. Makli comes from Karachi City to Thatta City before Thatta in the Sindh province of Pakistan.
Makli Necropolis (also known as “Makli ka Qabristan” in native language) is one of the largest (graveyard) funerary sites in the world, spread over an area of 15-20 Kilometers near the city of Thatta, in Sindh province of Pakistan.
Makli Qabristan has been declared a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1981. A capital of four successive Dynasties, the site houses approximately 500,000 to 1 million tombs built over in 400 years period. Today, Makli Cemetery has become an amazing tourist attraction for visitors across the globe.
The Government of Pakistan is paying a lot of attention to the care and protection of this beautiful Islamic and artistic heritage and working on its beautification for making it a tourist’s catch from the whole world.
In these millions of graves, people think that one and a half million Sufis / Saints of the past are resting, which are the center of attention and attraction for the visitors.
The most beautiful and impressive tomb is the tomb of Essa Khan.
He was a tyrant ruler. You can see the end of his tyranny. It is said that before his death, he ordered artisans to build his tomb, and before the completion of the tomb, he cut off the hands of a highly skilled craftsman so that no one could imitate or reproduce the beauty of his tomb. His tomb is in Makli Hill Cemetery and is considered one of the finest Artworks that you have ever witnessed.
Makli Hill Cemetery is also important because it has a significant piece of Art. Cemeteries, tombs, and mausoleums are of great historical significance.
The different designs on these monumental tombs illustrate the different aspects of Thatta. The stone used in them is marble and granite. It is also said that they were imported from Rajasthan, India.
This historical heritage is a magnificent reflection of Muslim, Mughal, Hindu, Persian, and Gujarati architecture.
This construction style became known in Sindh as the Chokhandi style, which is named after the Chokhandi tombs near Karachi.
Many large tombs have carvings of animals, warriors, and armaments, but I also noticed that the tomb building also bears religious symbols of Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism. And the signs of the Muslims appear in the form of verses.
This historical heritage is considered to be the largest cemetery in the world. It has a covered area of almost 15 to 20 Kilometers.
And it is the last resting place of millions of Maharajas, Maharanis, Governors, Soldiers, and Sufis / Saints. It is also said that when Alexander the Great traveled to Sindh, he stayed there to rest.
And last but not least, It is said that the Sufi poet Sheikh Jamali built a monastery here. The fourteenth-century ruler Jam Tamachi wanted to be buried near Waliullah. This is how the cemetery began.
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