MAKLI NECROPOLIS IN PAKISTAN

The Mackley Cemetery has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981 and the Mackley Cemetery is located in Teda, Pakistan. It is one of the largest tomb sites in the world. Its area is about 10 square kilometers (3.86 square miles). Any place between 500,000 and 1 million graves is a cemetery. According to estimates, buried in cemeteries, about 150,000 people belong to Muslim religions. This tomb was built during the 14th to 18th centuries in the Sindhi civilization, which lasted for four hundred years. This area is a historical landmark of the Sufi Belief and is also known as Islamic mysticism or “Intrinsic dimension of Islam”.

To get there, you will need about 6 kilometers (3.73 miles). On a large plateau outside Teda, there is a huge cemetery. The cemetery extends from the city of Papato on the southern border of the Marquis Mountains and extends northwards on the plateau, resembling a diamond. In the east, its border also extends to Mount Maclean.

The Tomb of Isa Khan Hussain

One legend states that after Sufi Sage Sheikh Hamad Jamari was informed of the story of the "pilgrim" (or on the way to Mecca), they had a deep spiritual experience on the site. Pilgrims He still pays deep homage to his spiritual experience, because this place is like his own wheat plus ("Mecca"). Of course, the Muslim religion of Mecca is not only the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, but it is also said to be the site of the Gabriel Angel visit to Muhammad. In the Koran, this incident is said to be the first spiritual revelation. Therefore, the Mackley graveyard is a place for spiritual awakening for those who finally rest.

However, another story says that it was a holy woman “Maimakali” who was answered by God in response to her prayers and prevented Turkmenistan's Sultan Firuz Sha Turak from conquering Teda. According to locals, she was buried on the scene and there was no tombstone or any kind of marking. The locals believe she was buried near a wall in the tomb of Sultan Jam Nizamuddin II, Sultan Jam Nizamuddin II was the ruler of Sindh between the 1461s and 1508s.

Inside one of the graves

Both of these legends are very interesting stories. No matter which two stories you believe, there is no doubt that this area is one of the most sacred landmarks of Sufism and the whole of Pakistan.

For another Sophie saint, St. Cody Mary, he was considered to be the first person buried on the scene in the 14th century. After the plateau became a place for Sophie, the saints decided to bury him there. After hearing the news of the saints' burial, Jam Talmaki, the ruler of the Sindhi civilization, decided to worship the saints and arrange their own burial site near the graveyard of the saints. Sophie and many believers in Islamic faith decided not to consider burial at the site. During the Sam dynasty, the area reached its peak as a burial ground. This is because the Sama Dynasty made the capital very close to the city of Tada. However, the most prominent architectural cemetery on site was from the Mughal era, from 1570 to 1640 AD. The tombs dating back to the Sam dynasty can be found in the northern part of the cemetery, and more architectural graves can be found on the southern border of the site.

The Grave of Jam Nizamuddin

The building in the area itself is in ultra-Khadi style. Its name comes from the ultra-Khaldi mausoleum outside Karachi, Pakistan. The style blends Muslim, Hindu, Persian, Mughal and Gujarati style designs. These structures have led to some of the most spectacular, beautiful and intricate masonry designs. Ultra Kehadi's style is characterized by a very skilled stone masonry decorated with fantastic motif motifs on large sandstone panels. The first graves on the site were stacked on three to six solid sandstone slabs. Once stacked, the slate will have a pyramidal shape. Entering the buildings of the fifteenth century, we saw the appearance of decorative garlands and cake designs. We also saw the exquisite Arabic scriptures written in the biographies of tombstones. Some mausoleums even have large rooms and corridors, and some of the tombs are inspired by cosmology. Some mix-and-match Jain designs, blue tiles, royal tombs, warrior statues and minaret-embellished cemeteries make this area a beautiful collage of sandstone collages of Middle Eastern and Far Eastern cultures.

Despite its rich history and vast landscape, some parts of the site are still in decline. Due to recent floods, damage, rubbish, and destruction of the mausoleum's structural integrity, the site is in urgent need of repairs and protection.

Calligraphy in carved sandstone

There is so much history in the Mackley Cemetery. Numerous Sudanese, chiefs, saints, and devout Muslims are buried in this place. The majesty of many beautifully decorated sandstone mausoleums and great mausoleums in the area left an awe-inspiring state of eternity. People can spend hours or even days exploring the vastness and wonder of this site. Although the area needs constant restoration and protection in recent years, it is still one of the most important landmarks in the Sufi Belief and Pakistani culture. Any person in Pakistan, especially in Sindh, will certainly spend time to visit this man-made miracle.

Intricate sandstone works