The famous Sufi Saint from the Sindh region “Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai” is well known for his romantic tales. These romantic folk tales are magnificently described by Bhittai and are significant in the classical literature of the Indian Sub Continent.  The legend of “Noori Jam Tamachi” ends with the joy of meeting the couple together and doesn’t have any tragic end like other six romantic stories.

The Mausoleum of Noori in the middle of the Lake ( By J Jamali )

Noori is the heroine of this romantic legend who belonged to a fisherman family. Noori was an adorable and charming girl and she was caught sight by Jam Tamachi who is the hero of this tale during a hunting adventure. Jam Tamachi was actually a king of the Samma dynasty who ruled over the Sindh region in the fifteenth century. In his reign, Thatta was the capital of Sindh. Jam Tamachi was so musch fascinated with the amazing beauty of Noori that he made her queen regardless of the huge class difference.

Noori Jam Tamachi's Mausoleum, Kalri/Keenjhar Lake ( Image by Fawad Ikram )

Noori led a very happy life with Jam Tamachi and the King liked her for her innocence and wisdom.  Although the other queens and court members became resentful as Noor got more attention of Jam Tamachi.  Jam Tamachi preferred Noori for her simplicity, modesty and humbleness.  According to another myth, one of the queens of Tamachi poisoned Noori to death.  The locals believe that Noori was buried in the middle of Kalri Lake. Her shrine attracts many tourists daily which is located in the middle of this lake. The Legend of Noori Jam Tamachi is summarized poetically in Shah Jo Risalo of of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. The essence narrated by Bhittai through this poetry is “Humbleness” and its benefits in human life.

Most of the people around the world don’t have knowledge about the largest necropolis of the world which is the identical emblem of the historic city of Sindh, Thatta. Located in the outskirts of Thatta, Makli is a huge burial complex spread over an area 10 Sq. KM consisting of shrines , tombs and graves of hundreds of sovereigns and regal personals , thousands of soldiers and  scholars and countless others. Furthermore, according to an estimate over 125,000 saints are also believed to be buried here as well.

The historic Thatta remained the capital of three successive dynasties, Samma, Argun and Tarkhan from 1592 to 1739 and it was also a center of numerous educational institutes where pupils from all over the world used to come for learning religious teachings, philosophy, politics and many other disciplines. So a large number of such students are also buried in Makli Necropolis.

Ruins of Makli, image © Flames of Aries (flickr)

The Makli Necropolis is situated on a raised ground so it is also known as Makli Hill. According to some locals Makli is associated with the meaning of Little Mecca and many others link its name with a pious lady Mai Makli who prayed for Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq to conquer Thatta. She is also buried in Makli. The fantastic designs of the tombs and the artisan work engraved on the graves are worth seen. This place is so awesome to see incredible Islamic calligraphic art, circular designs, amazing domes, arches, and towers.

Artwork at Makli, image © Amoo (flickr)

For understanding Makli Necropolis, we can divide it into three sections pertaining to its time period. The first era of the great Makli is related the Mughal period (16th to 18th centuries) including the tombs of Jan  Beg, Ghazali Beg, Tughril Beg, Jan Baba, and others. The second section belongs to Tarkhan and Arghun period (16th century), includes the tombs of Isa Khan Tarkhan, Baqi Beg Tarkhan and Ahinsa Bai etc. The last section is linked with Summa hegemony (14th to 16th centuries) and consists of the tombs of Jam Nizamuddin, Mubarak Khan, and Malik Rajpal etc.

Although Makli has number of impressive monuments but the tomb of the Samma King, Jam Nizam al-Din is a splendid square structure which was constructed with sandstones and decorated with beautiful floral and ornamental designs. The tomb of Isa Khan Tarkhan who died in 1644 is another marvelous monument which is the largest in this whole burial complex. It is actually a double story stone building of glorious towers and balconies .The blue doomed shrine of Jan Beg Tarkhan is an octagonal brick structure which is decorated with aquamarine tiles. Similarly many other tombs possess exquisite carving and influential patterns.

Makli Graves, image © fezaizm (flickr)

Makli Hill is a world heritage site declared by UNESCO. But this wondrous site of the world is under ultimate state of disarray due to improper conservation and hazardous environmental effects. The delicate monuments continuously deteriorating due to salty air impact caused by the monsoon.