By Hasan Khan 

Stand under the tomb of Bibi Jiwandi in Uch Sharif, just 75 km away from Bahawalpur city. Watch the wooden pillars inside the shrine of Jalal ud Din Bukhari or see the blue and white architecture of the tombs, it’s difficult to resist the pull of history.

The great saint Jalal Uddin Bukhari also known as Surkh Posh, a Sufi from the 14th century, migrated from Bukhara, Central Asia to South Punjab and settled in Uch Sharif.

The shrine is joined by a series of magnificent domed tombs and necropolis showing the rich history of Rohi land.

During my recent ‘pilgrimage’ to the shrine, I captured some of the moments and emotions that every visitor to the shrine feels.

 

This is the tomb of Bibi Jawindi in Uch Sharif. She was the granddaughter of Jahaniyan Jahan-Gasht, a Sufi saint. 

 

The tomb of Bahaal Haleem, another Sufi saint, showing cracks in its structure. 

 

The tomb of Jalal Ud Din Bukhari is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

 

The grave of a Sufi saint Jalal Ud Din is visited by hundreds of devotees every day. 

 

The wooden work inside the shrine creates its own aura with glazed tiles. 

 

Around the shrine of Jalal Ud Din Bukhari, there is a necropolis dating back to the 14th century.

 

Next to the Darbar is Masjid Jalalia. It was built of dressed bricks and further decorated with enameled tiles. 

 

Inside view of the mosque showing wooden pillars and interior decoration. 

 

One of the doomed tombs richly decorated with carved timber, cut bricks and blue-white tiles. 

 

A tomb at the shrine presenting a sorry state of decay. 

 

The restoration work is ongoing for the preservation of the tomb of Ustad Nuriya. 

Author Bio: Hasan Khan is the editor at PakVoices, leading the initiative of community media for transparency and good governance. In the past, he has worked with the mainstream media such as Geo News and Samaa TV as a reporter in Islamabad. He has also reported on the last US election for CNNPolitics.com, telling American Muslims story in Washington DC. In 2015-2016, he was selected as a Fulbright fellow and placed at the University of Maryland where he studied digital media and mobile journalism, exploring the intersection of journalism and technology.

All photos by the writer 

He tweets: @hasanqau

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