March 15, 2008

The beautiful Sufi Tombs of Uch Sharif, Pakistan

Location: The Bibi Jawindi's Tomb, Uch Sharif, Pakistan (29° 14′ 0″ N, 71° 4′ 0″ E)
Date: 10 February 2008; 8.42am

Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5
Uch Sharif is a small town, south of Bahawalpur in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated in the Thar Desert and so is very dry and hot. It was believed that this is the town "Alexandria" founded by Alexander the Great but historical records showed that the town existed at least 200 years before him. During the early Muslim period, Uch was a major and important center of Islamic studies.
Uch Sharif is well known for its Sufi shrines, domed tombs that were built for various Sufi (mystic) saints. It is on UNESCO's World Monument Watch as there had been great damages to the various tombs, mainly from elements of nature and neglect. These tombs are now under restoration- the process, as is common in Pakistan, is painfully slow- it has been under restoration for the last few years and may take another few years

Getting to see these tombs take a bit of effort and therefore there are not many foreigners who come by. This is perhaps a blessing as there are no souvenir or snack stalls these around shrines which are right in the middle of the village- they are only ancient village dwellings and a mosque around it. There is no entrance fee either.

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5 comments:

Blogger said...

Wow...I loved the composition of this picture. The blue colour adds to the 'wow' factor. Very pretty indeed.

Anonymous said...

What a fantastic building ... and a great shot of course.

Anonymous said...

this isn't shah rukn-e-alam's tomb.That tomb is in Multan city.This is bibi jawindi's tomb. Thanku

Anonymous said...

I think it is overdone and gaudy looking....like most Muslim structures.

Happypoppeye said...

Dude, Bibi Jawindi ...thats impressive these days. Especially considering most people don't even know it exists.
Great shot,
John