Makli Necropolis: City of Stone

Makli Necropolis is a funerary site near Thatta in Sindh. The grounds hold 500,000 tombs built over 400 years.

The Samma seized Thatta in 1335. Their sandstone tombs blend Muslim and Hindu decorative elements together.

Jam Nizamuddin II got an 11.4 metre square tomb in 1510.

Makli Necropolis contains multiple grand funerary monuments.

Stonemasons carved yellow sandstone into Chaukhandi style designs. Some canopies feature lotus flowers, a symbol linked with Hinduism.

Isa Khan Hussain II Tarkhan finished his two-story stone mausoleum during his lifetime. Legend claims he ordered craftsmen's hands cut off.

Jan Beg Tarkhan lies beneath an octagonal brick dome covered in blue and turquoise glazed tiles. UNESCO inscribed the site as World Heritage in 1981.

The 2010 Pakistan floods worsened deterioration from siltation and encroachment. Makli Necropolis is a vast archive written in stone. Silt is a demanding archivist.