Makli, Thatta
The Historical Monuments of Makli, Thatta reflect the city's importance as Sind's capital and as a centre for Islamic arts.
From the 14th century four Muslim dynasties ruled Sind from Thatta, but in 1739 the capital was moved elsewhere and Thatta declined.
The site covers Makli Hill, one of the largest necropolises in the world. Among the notable monuments are:
- tomb of Jam Nizamuddin
- tomb of Isa Khan Tarkhan the Younger
- tomb of Jan Baba
- tomb of Diwan Shurfa Khan
Map of Makli, Thatta
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Michael Novins
In December 2017, I made a day trip from Karachi to Makli necropolis, about 60 miles to its east, which might be the world’s largest funerary site -- the ten square kilometer burial ground contains approximately one million tombs, mostly built between 1570 and 1640. Almost as interesting as the abundant tombs, were two elderly snake charmers who set up shop along the dirt path leading from the entrance to the tombs. The snake charmers seek visitors to fund a musical performance on the pungi, the wind instrument whose rhythmic sound and movements appear to hypnotize a de-fanged Indian cobra. Their second act is to entice visitors to purchase a serpent to battle an Indian mongoose to the death, although the mammal’s acrobatic agility, coarse coat and resistance to snake venom ensure its victory. For less than a dollar, I bought a common water snake to challenge the mongoose, but in order to maintain their inventory, my bout was interrupted by a snake wrangler who separated the two combatants. While on the way to and from Makli, I visited three locations on Pakistan's list of tentative World Heritage Sites: Chaukhandi Tombs, an early Islamic cemetery; Shah Jahan Mosque, a 17th-century mosque known for its geometric tile and brickwork; and the Port of Banbhore, an ancient city dating to the 1st century BCE. I made my arrangements with Travel & Culture Services (https://travel-culture.com).
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Site Info
- Full Name
- Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta
- Unesco ID
- 143
- Country
- Pakistan
- Inscribed
- 1981
- Type
- Cultural
- Criteria
-
3
- Categories
- Archaeological site - South (East) Asian
- Link
- By ID
Site History
2009 Name change
From "Historical Monuments of Thatta" to "Historical Monuments at Makli, Thatta"
1981 Inscribed
1980 Deferred
Site Links
Unesco Website
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The site has 19 connections
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