Makli Necropolis

• 1. Introduction

  ›

  Between 500,000 and 1 million tombs lie across Makli Necropolis, built up over 400 years near the city of Thatta in Pakistan's Sindh province. It spreads across 10 kilometres, making it one of the largest funerary sites in the world. Its monuments belong to royalty, Sufi saints, and esteemed scholars, all buried within the same stretch of ground. In 1981, UNESCO named the site a World Heritage Site, calling it "an outstanding testament" to Sindhi civilization between the 14th and 18th centuries. What does the name Makli actually mean, and how did a single hillside come to hold so many rulers and saints?

• 2. On The Delta's Edge

  ›

  The town of Makli sits on a plateau roughly 6 kilometres from Thatta, which served as the capital of lower Sindh until the 17th century. Karachi lies about 98 kilometres to the west, with the necropolis positioned near the apex of the Indus River Delta in southeastern Sindh. Ruins of the medieval Kallankot Fort lie roughly 5 miles south of the necropolis's southernmost point. The name of this hillside carries its own disputed history.

• 3. A Name Wrapped In Legend

  ›

  A Hajj pilgrim is said to have stopped at the site and fallen into spiritual ecstasy, declaring it Makkah for him. Hearing the story, the Sufi saint Sheikh Hamad Jamali is said to have named the place Makli, meaning Little Makkah. The same legend is said to give the surrounding hills their name as well. Historical evidence does not confirm this account.

  Historian Ali Ahmad Brohi instead traces the name to an ancient Mahakali, or Maa Kali, temple, and dismisses the other theories as unconvincing. He points to the tomb of Jam Nizamuddin II, where the stones resemble those of an old temple. Whatever its origin, the name would soon attach itself to a much larger story of saints and kings.

• 4. Origins Of A Funerary Tradition

  ›

  The Sufi saint, poet, and scholar Shaikh Jamali founded a khanqah, a gathering place for Sufi followers, at Makli, and was later buried there himself. Jam Tamachi, a 14th century ruler of the Samma dynasty, venerated Jamali and asked to be buried near him. That request began the practice of using Makli as a burial ground.

  Under Samma rule, with their capital established near Thatta, the site grew into a major burial ground. The most architecturally significant tombs at Makli date from around the Mughal era, between 1570 and 1640 CE. Those centuries of Mughal-era construction would leave behind the site's most elaborate stonework.

• 5. Shape And Style

  ›

  Makli Necropolis stretches northward from Pir Patho, at the southern end of the Makli Hills, in a roughly diamond-shaped outline. The Makli Hills ridge forms the site's eastern edge. The largest monuments generally stand at the southern edge of the site, while the Samma-era tombs are concentrated in the north.

  The funerary architecture at Makli blends Muslim, Hindu, Persian, Mughal, and Gujarati influences. This combination became known as the Chaukhandi style, a name borrowed from the Chaukhandi tombs near Karachi. Stonemasons carved slabs of sandstone into intricate and elaborate designs within this style.

  The earliest tombs stacked 3 to 6 slabs of stone into the shape of a small pyramid. Later designs added small plinths beneath the stonework. By the 15th century, builders were adding decorated rosettes and circular patterns. More complex patterns followed, along with Arabic calligraphy recording biographical details of the person buried. Later, larger monuments added corridors and designs inspired by cosmology.

  16th century pyramidal tombs added minarets topped with floral motifs, a style unique to the Turkic Trakhan dynasty. 17th century structures at the Leilo Sheikh section resemble Jain temples from a distance, showing clear influence from nearby Gujarat. Several larger tombs carry carvings of animals, warriors, and weaponry, a practice uncommon in Muslim funerary monuments. Some later tombs were built entirely of brick, with only a single sandstone slab.

  The largest and most typical Chaukhandi structures feature domed yellow sandstone canopies, plastered white, with wooden doorways reflecting Central Asian and Persian influence. The size of each dome signaled the prominence of the person buried beneath it, and the underside was carved with floral patterns. Some canopies show lotus flowers underneath, a symbol usually associated with Hinduism. Other tombs carry extensive blue tile-work typical of Sindh, a style of funerary pavilion that eventually spread into neighboring Gujarat. That spread of style set the stage for the grandest tombs of all: those built for Makli's kings.

• 6. The Samma Kings

  ›

  Royal tombs at Makli fall into two major clusters, one from the Samma period and another shared by the Tarkhan, Arghun, and Mughal periods. Samma tombs occupy a 5-acre section at the northern end of the necropolis. The Samma were Rajput princes who seized control of Thatta in 1335.

  The tomb of Jam Nizamuddin II, completed in 1510, is a square structure measuring 11.4 metres on each side. Built of sandstone and decorated with floral and geometric medallions, its cuboid shape may echo the Ka'aba in Makkah. Its dome was never finished, leaving the interior exposed to the elements. A large, intricately carved Gujarati-style jharoka, or balcony, tops the structure alongside a small peak, giving the tomb a temple-like appearance. 14 bands of decorative motifs wrap the exterior, mixing Quranic verses with Hindu symbols. In keeping with Islamic tradition, the decoration stays geometric throughout, except for one frieze depicting local ducks.

  Darya Khan, adopted son of Jam Nizamuddin, has a tomb resembling a Rajasthani fort, built after his death in 1521. Born a slave, he rose to become a general after defeating an Arghun army in battle. He was granted the title "Hero of Sindh" and eventually served as Madrul Muham, or Prime Minister. The cluster of Tarkhan, Arghun, and Mughal tombs that followed would push Makli's architecture toward a very different style.

• 7. Tarkhan And Mughal Legacies

  ›

  Isa Khan Tarkhan I ruled from 1554 to 1565, and his tomb marks a clear departure from Samma-era funerary design. It introduces a new cenotaph-style, laid out in a rectangular shape with its inner walls entirely covered in Quranic verses. The tomb also includes a section set aside for the graves of 5 of his royal ladies.

  Jan Beg Tarkhan, who died in 1600, lies beneath an octagonal brick tomb whose dome is covered in blue and turquoise glazed tiles. Pavilion or canopy tombs, known as chattri maqbara or umbrella tombs, are another common Indo-Islamic feature at the site, alongside enclosure tombs. Many tombs from the Mughal period sit on the southern side of the necropolis. These include the mausoleum of Mirza Jani and Mirza Ghazi Baig, and the tomb of Nawab Shurfa Khan. Also present are the enclosure of Mirza Muhammad Baqi Tarkhan and Mirza Jan Baba, and the restored tomb of Nawab Isa Khan Tarkhan the Younger. These centuries of construction left behind a site now facing very different pressures.

• 8. Threats To The Site

  ›

  Siltation, encroachment, poor site management, vandalism, and solid waste have all worn away at Makli's structural integrity. The 2010 Pakistan floods added further damage, leaving many of the site's carved monuments more exposed than before.