Saturday, January 12, 2013
LANDMARKS OF PAKISTAN
One of the largest necropolises in the world, with a diameter of approximately 8 kilometers, Makli Hill is supposed to be the burial place of some 125,000 Sufi saints. 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]
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.
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 II (d. 1651), a two-story stone building with majestic cupolas and balconies. In contrast to the syncretic 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. Today, Makli Hill is a United Nations World Heritage Site that is visited by both pilgrims and tourists.
LANDMARKS OF PAKISTAN
Friday, January 11, 2013
LANDMARKS OF PAKISTAN
LANDMARKS OF PAKISTAN
Each
country has symbols, monuments, structures which become its recognition
the world over. Eiffel Tower of France, Statue of Liberty of USA and
the London Bridge for UK. As of Pakistan, Koh Kambaran (Ras Koh Hills),
Minar-e-Pakistan, the Grand Trunk Road, the Badshahi Mosque, Shahi
Qilla, Shalamar Bagh, the River Indus, the K-2 , the Trango Towers, the
KKH, Zamzamma (the Kim's Gun), the Rohtas Fort and the Blind Dolphin of
River Indus are some of the many landmarks that have become synonymous
to Pakistan. Two buildings attributed to Jinnah (Quaid-e-Azam), founder
of Pakistan, one his mausoleum at Karachi and his last resting place at
Ziarat, Balochistan just before his death have assumed significant
importance. The tower like structure of Government College (and
University) at Lahore not only is a symbol of structural might but also
of quality education and torch bearer of enlightenment for future
generations. An exception has been made in this section by adding "Kafir
Kalash - the Wearers of the Black Robe" as one of the landmarks of
Pakistan, for the simple reason that these people are unique in the
entire world and tourists from all over the world come to see them and
try to trace back their ancestry.
image hosted on flickr
image hosted on flickr
Last edited by HOoria; March 22nd, 2010 at 07:33 AM.
image hosted on flickr
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)