My one day journey

riz_sat · June 9, 2010

Hello everyone here I would like to share my one day journey.
The places I visited that day are
Bhambore(60km from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1:place>Karachi</st1:place></st1:City>)
Thatta(170km from <st1:City><st1:place>Karachi</st1:place></st1:City>)
Makli(160 km from <st1:City><st1:place>Karachi</st1:place></st1:City>)
<st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Keenjhar</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>Lake</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>(190km from <st1:City><st1:place>Karachi</st1:place></st1:City>)
There is one more place, Chaukundi(29km from <st1:City><st1:place>Karachi</st1:place></st1:City>)which I had to visit that day but I couldn’t but I went there a week after this journey I will post its pictures at last.
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These pictures I took in Bhambore.
This was once a large commercial city which even existed in the first century B.C. Bhambhore existed till 13<SUP>th</SUP> century but no one really knows how the city was destroyed. It was excavated in 1958.
Artifact discovered from Bhambore show that Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam had once been the major religion of this city.

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took these pictures of <st1:Street><st1:address>National Highway to Thatta</st1:address></st1:Street>

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at some places the highway is flanked by beautiful countryside
I stopped at a sunflower field.

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riz_sat · June 9, 2010

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next place I visited that day was the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place><st1:PlaceName>Keenjhar</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType>Lake</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.
There is a small island quite far from the shore
There are actually two graves on that island.first one is of a muslim saint, Hundro shah and second one is the grave of Nuri Jam Tamachi.
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It is said that Nuri Jam Tamachi was a beautiful fishermaid.who later on caught some skin disease which made her quite ugly. She started visiting the grave of this saint and slowly she was cured. She would go there routinely.
That time Sindh was ruled by Jam Tamachi who belonged to the Sama dynasty.The rulers of Sama dynasty had adopted the title of Jam to show they were desendents of old Persian king Jamshed.Once he was on hunting trip in Keenjhar Lake he came across Nuri when she was going to the grave of Hundro Shah. Their eyes met and Jam Tamachi fell in love with her. Next day Jam Tamachi instructed one of his attendants to find the whereabouts of that girl. He was told that the name of that girl is Nuri and she belongs to a low caste and she goes to that island daily.
After that he started going to the island by himself .afterwards they would often meet in the palace on the bank of the lake.Days passed and Jam Tamachi kept on postponing his departure. Jam Tamachi wanted to marry her but how could the nobles accept a fishermaid as there queen. One day someone picked up courage to ask the king about his affair whether it is true or not the king said openly and without any fear he loves Nuri and he wants to marry her the nobles and chiefs tried to persuade him not to marry her but the king would pay no heed to them. Some of them also conspired against him by deserting the capital with their troops and gaining support from outsiders they took the field.
Jam Tamachi got ear of this one night when the rebels were camping not far from the capital (the capital that time was Thatta),he launched a surprise attack with his faithful troops and killed or captured all the rebels.
From that day on no one dared to oppose Jam Tamachi’s desire to marry Nuri.
At last Jam Tamachi married Nuri but this marriage made other women of the palace jealous of her. It is said that Nuri was poisoned by one of his wives and was buried by the side of Hundro shah in accord to her will.
There is also one more story of him with Nuri.
One day Jam Tamachi sent message to all his wives and other ladies to put on best dress they have and the best dressed one would accompany him on his journey.
At appointed time king came to look at the ladies dressed in their best. He saw all of them but Nuri was missing that really surprised him. Then he went to her quarters and saw her dressed in dirty garb of a fishermaid sitting in the corner of her room. The king asked her why she was wearing this dress? For that Nuri replied, ’My lord I was a poor fishermaid, but you gave me all this honour, that I never deserved. You loved me for which I never thought myself worthy. But you are a king and I am poor; I have no personal possession except your love and your love is the best garment I have.’ After that Nuri burst in tears and from that day onwards Jam Tamachi was so much moved by her love that he never did anything that was likely to hurt her feelings.
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boy selling fish in bottle

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In this picture the island where Nuri Jam Tamachi was buried is visible

its written Lady Nuri in Sindhi language

Hundro Shah written in Sindhi language

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riz_sat · June 9, 2010

Next I place I visited was the Badshahi Masjid in Thatta.
First let me share the background of Thatta.
The name Thatta appears for the first time in famous explorer Ibne Batuta’s works
It reached its zenith during the days of Sama dynasty during which it became a flourishing city.
In 1699 A.D., Captain Alexander Hamilton spent 3 months in Thatta and he writes,’…The large and rich city boasted of a citadel,capable of lodging 5000 men and horses with a palace built in it for the Governor of the place.Three years before my visit to Thatta, 80000 weavers and manufacturers of cotton and silk had died on account of a severe plague caused by the rain not having fallen. There were four hundred colleges at Thatta training the young men of the place in theology,philology and politics. Cloth made of silk, cotton and wool was the special manufacture of the place.’’
‘Beautiful coverlets for beds and fine cabinets , some of them with inlaid ivory, were also made at Thatta. Great quantities of butter were exported in jars of all sizes. Though the religion established by law was Islam, yet general religious tolerance was observed towards the Hindus,who formed the majority of the people. The Hindus were allowed to observe their fast and feast unmolested. There was no SUTTEE system amongst the Hindus of Sind’
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The reign of Mughal king Shah Jehan is considered to be the golden period for Thatta,it was also the capital of Sindh that time.
One European traveler, Walter Payton who visited Thatta those days writes, ‘…Of all the places that gave Sind a proud position among the nations of the world and wealth that tempted the cupidity of the West the chief was Thatta- the eye of Sind and the Emporium of the East. The city, one of the most commodious in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region><st1:place>India</st1:place></st1:country-region> and as large as <st1:City><st1:place>London</st1:place></st1:City>, was embellished with public buildings, beautiful gardens and aqueducts, that brought health and gave recreation to the citizens. Articles of trade and merchandise from all over the East were brought and landed at the very door of the merchants by means of a canal cut from the river four miles away. ….Forty thousand vessels plied for hire at Thatta, bringing men and merchandise from all quarters of the world! And it was here too that the arts and sciences flourished. The loom was perfected and the indefatigable weavers worked day and night to produce calico, shawls,loongies of mixed gold, silk and cotton for the princes and sovereigns of central Asia and Hindustan.’’
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The Badshahi Masjid(Mosque) was built by Shah Jehan, the mughal empreror who built Taj Mahal.The mosque was built to commemorate his visit to Thatta and the warm reception he received by the people when he was a prince.
Construction was started in 1644 and finished in 1647. The mosque has about 99 domes.
There is even a grave of a grand muslim scholar of that time, Abdul Rahman Thattwi.

This is the grave of grand muslim scholar of that time,Abdul Rahman Thattwi

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riz_sat · June 9, 2010

Next place I visited was Makli necropolis. Makli is world’s second largest cemetery
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This is the first picture I took of Makli when I was going to Keenjhar lake

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this is the view you get from the entrance

This is the tomb of Jani Beg he was some Mughal noble<o:p></o:p>

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I don’t know whose tomb is this but it was beautiful

there was also a grave of an infant

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another unknown tomb

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This is the tomb of Dewan Shurfa Khan
The design of this tomb was also copied for the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:country-region><st1:place>Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> (http://pkonweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/jinnah-tomb522.jpg)<o:p></o:p>

riz_sat · June 9, 2010

The tomb of Isa Khan Tarkhan II is one of the most beautiful tombs in Makli
Isa Khan Tarkhan II was the governor of Thatta during the time of Shah Jehan
He built this tomb for himself and his family in 1627 A.D.

this is outside the tomb of Isa Khan Tarkhan II

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A picture of his tomb also used to be on the reverse of RS.10 old Pakistani banknote
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There is also a shrine of muslim saint, Abdullah Shah Baghdadi

the grave of Abdullah Shah Baghdadi

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riz_sat · June 9, 2010

there are also tombs of Sama dynasty.
The beauty of Jam Nizamuddin’s tomb is really striking.
Jam Nizamuddin succeeded Jam Tamachi in 1439 A.D. and ruled for 60 years.
He was very pious and generous ruler.
It is said once on an expedition he came across an orphan boy who had no one to take care of him.He had some conversation with that boy he was so much impressed by his
intelligence that he adopted him as his son and provided him with education.
Later on that boy was called Darya Dolha Khan and he became the General of Jam Nizamuddin’s army. General Darya Dolha Khan’s tomb is near Jam Nizamuddin’s tomb.
After Jam Nizamuddin, Jam Feroz ascended the trone but he was soon overthrown and the rule of Sama dynasty in Sindh ended.
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I took these pictures when I was going to Jam Nizamuddin’s tomb.

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And finally here are the pictures of Jam Nizamuddin’s tomb

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Inside of Jam Nizamuddin’s tomb

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these pictures were taken from window of the tomb

took these pictures from the back of the tomb

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some people there were saying that the grave of Jam Tamachi is under this umbrella beside Jam Nizamuddin’s tomb.

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inner part of the umbrella

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riz_sat · June 9, 2010

Here I am going to post the pictures of Chaukundi.
Chaukundi is about 300 to 500 years old.
The graves in Chaukundi are beautifully carved.
The graves of men are decorated with swords and arrows and the graves of men are also have crown like thing on top of them
The graves of women are decorated with jewellery.

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Here I would like to introduce the caretaker of Chaukundi, Ali Dino
He’s been working here for 25 years!

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this grave has a crown-like thing on it,so it is a grave of man

this grave belonged to some woman whole set of jewellry is carved on it

grave of an infant boy

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this grave is under the umbrella

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coldclimb · June 9, 2010

Thanks for sharing, this is a very interesting peek at your part of the world!

Awais Yaqub · June 12, 2010

Makes me want to go there, planning in winters!

Homer · June 13, 2010

Nice pics, I won't even try contemplating the time that went into craving those detailed designs.

ian408 · June 13, 2010

Be much easier to read if the text color is removed.

Nice pictures though!

riz_sat · June 14, 2010

thank you everyone

@Awais winter is the best time to visit this region

@ian thank you

i have removed text colour

My one day journey

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