Historical Monuments

Historical Monuments - Thatta

The remains of the city of Thatta, inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1981, and its dilapidated necropolis provide a unique view of the Sind civilization. The capital of three successive dynasties and later ruled by the Mughal emperors, Thatta is a symbol of the glorious past of Sind from the 14th to the 18th centuries A.D. During this period, Thatta was one of the major seats of learning, fine arts and handicrafts.

The architecture of Thatta bears the distinct marks of its variant ancestry, its hallmark being the variety of forms and techniques of decoration. The brickwork found on the buildings of Thatta, is a superb example of craftsmanship.

The buildings, the tombs and the great necropolis of Thatta are now in shambles and need immediate attention. The Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan, is responsible for the site's maintenance and conservation. A detailed study had been conducted a few years back, in consultation with national and international experts. In the light of the findings of this study, the proposed conservation measures entail an amount of US$ 63 million, far beyond the government's resources. Efforts have been made by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan, to capture the interest of visitors, by installing general and individual information boards on the monuments. But much needs to be done to make the site more presentable to attract tourists and other visitors.

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Mehrgarh (7000 BC - 2500 BC)

One of the most important Neolithic (7000 BCE to c. 2500 BCE) sites in archaeology , lies on the "Kachi plain" of now Balochistan , Pakistan . It is one of the earliest sites with evidence of farming (wheat and barley) and herding (cattle, sheep and goats) in South Asia." Mehrgarh is located near the Bolan Pass , to the west of the Indus River valley and between the now Pakistani cities of Quetta , Kalat and Sibi . The site was discovered in 1974 by an archaeological team directed by French archaeologist Jean-François Jarrige , and was excavated continuously between 1974 and 1986, and again from 1997 to 2000. The earliest settlement at Mehrgarh—in the northeast corner of the 495-acre (2.00 km 2 ) site—was a small farming village dated between 7000 BCE to 5500 BCE and the whole area covers a number of successive settlements. Archaeological material has been found in six mounds, and about 32,000 artifacts have been collected.

Taxila - The City of Stones

Moving northwards from Harappa and Moenjodaro, come remains of another city that thrived between 518 BC to 600 AD. Around the present day Taxila and a little over 20 miles north of Islamabad, lie the remains of the an ancient city whose actual name varies from scripture to scripture and from one language to another. "Tashasila" as it was called in Sanskrit gives some idea of the meaning of this name. Sila in Sanskrit means rock or stone . The legend says that the Buddha gave his head in charity to a man at this place . The Chinese called it "Chu-cha-shi-lo". The difficulty of Chinese phonetics with the sila and sira has led to this day to have names around Taxila such as Sirkap, Sirsukh and Margalla. Whatever its actual name. it was the most flourishing of all the cities between the Indus and Jhelum Rivers. Darius I formed it part of Achaemenid Empire of Persia. In 326 BC Alexander the Great and his armies encountered the charging elephants at battle against Hin

Kusak Fort

This fort lies on the narrow top of a hillock in southern part of the Salt Range about 10 kilometers from Choa Sadien Shah. Maharaja Singh is said to have besieged this fort till the Janjua Sardar, Sultan Fateh Muhammad Khan surrendered to him. The Janjua Sultan of Watli, Sultan Fateh Muhammad Khan (descendant of Raja Jodh through Raja Sun Pal) opposed the Sikhs, holding them off for over 6 months in Kusuk Fort, Watli, for which Ranjit Singh gave the salt mines of Khewra and 40 villages to the Sultan as compensation. His descendant, Sultan Raja Azmat Hayat served as a Member of the Provincial Assembly of Pakistan. Upon his death on 15 February 2003 his son Sultan Raja Azam Hayat succeeded the estate of Kusak Fort.

Heritage of Pakistan

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