http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/dmag10.htm
By Syed Farooq Ali
Thatta, once the capital and metropolis of Sindh, is now famous for its Makli necropolis, the largest graveyard of the world, which is spread over an area of 15 square kilometres with presence of millions of graves. It was in October 1981 that Thatta and Makli were included in the world heritage list of historical monuments by Unesco.
Thatta, through centuries, has witnessed a rich historical past, full of interesting events. The famous Moroccan traveller, Ibn-i-Buttuta, describes the presence of a large busy trading port near Thatta (AD 1332). The richness and wealth was so prominently present in Thatta that it was named as El-Dorando of the East. Trading boats from all over the world visited Thatta and Buttuta’s narration’s revealed that he was taken aboard a luxury boat by the then Amir of the region for a sail in Indus near Thatta.
The Makli graveyard and two beautiful mosques in the city centre are the main attraction for visitors. The most conspicuous amongst the tombs of Makli hill are those built from 16th to 17th century AD by Turkhan and Mughal rulers and Amirs. These buildings are distinguished by the presence of coloured enamel tiles which were lavishly used in the form of dados, panels, spandrels etc.
Apart from tombs of Makli, the Dabgir mosque (AD 1588) and the Shahi mosque (AD 1647) are also good examples of the surviving architecture. The Dabgir mosque, located about one kilometre from the Shahi mosque and decorated with beautiful tile work, was built by Amir Khusro Khan Charkas. The mosque, measuring 98’ x 48’ in size, has survived vagaries of time.
It is evident from the presence of so many beautiful buildings that Thatta metropolis was a popular abode for artisans and the glazed tiles and building work was carried out by craftsmen from Persia and Central Asia which was largely influenced by traditions surviving in Persia from ancient civilizations of Babylon and Nainnavah. The foundations of these buildings are made of stone and thus have resisted the disintegrating effect of salts with which the soil of Thatta is saturated. The most significant of Thatta buildings, the Jami Masjid (AD 1647) with a large courtyard (169’x97’), is a massive stone structure beautifully tiled. The mosque is a reminder of Thatta’s past as a thriving port and the capital of lower Sindh.
Thatta’s known history is at least 600-years-old, though some experts argue that this was also the ancient city of Pattala where Alexander the Great rested his troops on his way back home in 325 BC. From 14th to 16th century lower Sindh and Thatta was controlled by Sammahs who were independent of Delhi Sultanate. At the far end of the Makli hill, the tomb of Jan Nizamuddin, the Summah Ruler (AD 1461-1509), presents a unique architectural style. The tomb depicts Hindu culture in the construction of dome which is flat in shape, contrary to later buildings built by Mughal princes in the 17th century AD.
The tomb of Mirza Jani Beg (AD 1601) and Mirza Tughril Beg (AD 1679) deserve attention for their elaborate construction. The corners of these square structures have been cut to form an octagon. The colourful tile work on the Jani tomb is worth seeing.
Another large surviving stone building is the mausoleum of Thatta Governor (AD 1644) Isa Khan Tarkhan. The middle of the 16th century was eventful in the chequered history of Thatta. At this time business and trade was flourishing in this metropolis and events to come later were to be responsible for turning the course of history. In AD 1555, a Portuguese fleet of 28 ships arrived in Thatta, burned and sacked the city and took much of the wealth. This was the time when Turkhan rulers took control of the area and eventually in AD 1591 the last Turkhan ruler Mirza Jani Beg handed over the control of Thatta to Mughal Emperor Akbar, thus bringing Thatta under the control of Mughal rulers. This led to construction of beautiful buildings by the rulers in the city.
Following this Thatta became busier and progressed in business. Alexander Hamilton (AD 1699) has mentioned Thatta as a large, densely-populated and very rich city. According to him there were some 400 educational institutions where more than 80,000 students from all over Asia and the Muslim world learnt philosophy and politics. Apart from education Thatta was centre of textile production where art of weaving of silk was on its peak and exports to Asia and Europe were the major business of the traders.
It has been found by historical research that there were twin ports of Daybul in Sindh, one at the mouth of the Indus facing sea and the other on the River Indus which was Thatta. The ports used to witness hectic business activities.
The transformation of Thatta into a necropolis started in AD 1739 when Nadir Khan sacked the city and entrusted its administration with Mian Noor Muhammad Kalhora. The capital of Sindh was moved to Khundabad near Dadu and the population was reduced to merely 20,000 due to migration of a large number of people to other areas.