The Tomb of Bibi Jawindi ( ur, ) is one of the five monuments in
Uch Sharif
Uch ( pa, ;
ur, ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf ( pa, ;
ur, ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexand ...
,
Punjab, Pakistan
Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...
, that are on the tentative list of the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s.
Dating back to the 15th century, the shrine was built in the spirit of the historical Sufi premier Bibi Jawindi of the
Suhrawardiyyah order, a strictly hegemonistic Sunni school of theosophical thought which puts particular emphasis on the
Shafi’i
The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...
school of classical jurisprudence in the context of its interpretation of the
Sharia
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
. Jaw Indo was great-granddaughter to
Jahaniyan Jahangasht
Mīr Sayyid Jalāl ad-Dīn an-Naqwī al-Bukhārī ( fa, ; 1308-1384), better known as Jahāniyān Jahāngasht ( fa, ), was a Sufi saint from South Asia.
Biography
Mir Sayyid Jalaluddin Bukhari was born into a Muslim family on 8th Februar ...
, a famous
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
saint in his own right.
[
]
Location
The site is located in the south-west corner of Uch
Uch ( pa, ;
ur, ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf ( pa, ;
ur, ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexan ...
, a historical city founded by Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
, in the Bahawalpr state and Punjab province of Pakistan.[ Uch, locally known as Uch Sharif, is known as the home of the "shrine culture" because of its cultural significance and the presence of several monuments and shrines.]
Architecture
Built of glazed bricks on an octagonal base with turrets on each of its eight corners, the tomb of Bibi Jawindi is considered one of the most ornate monuments in Uch. The exterior of the building has three tiers with the top one supporting a dome, while the interior is circular due to thick angled walls rising up two stories. Both the interior and exterior of the building are richly decorated with Islamic scriptures, carved timber, and bright blue and glazed white mosaic tiles.[ The base tier is supported by the eight tapering turrets in each corner.][ The compound enclosing the shrine is preserved in its original desert-like conditions and is mostly covered with cemented graves. The surrounding area is covered with green vegetation due to a network of river tributaries and canals crossing the area.][
]![A close up of Bibi Jawindi's Tomb by Usman Ghani](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/A_close_up_of_Bibi_Jawindi%27s_Tomb_by_Usman_Ghani.jpg)
World Heritage Site
The site was submitted by the Department of Archaeology and Museums Pakistan in January 2004 to be inducted in the World Heritage Sites along with four other monuments in the region. These monuments are the Shrine of Baha'al-Halim
Shrine of Baha'al-Halim () is the shrine of Baha'al-Halim, an Islamic saint. It is the earliest of three located in Uch in present-day Punjab, Pakistan. It is one of the five monuments in Uch Sharif, Pakistan which are on the tentative list of the ...
, Tomb of Ustead (the architect), Shrine of Jalaluddin Bukhari
Shrine of Jalaluddin Bukhari ( ur, ) is the shrine of Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari. It is located in Uch Sharif in present-day Punjab, Pakistan. It is one of the five monuments in Uch, Pakistan which are on the tentative list of the UNESCO World ...
, and the Mosque of Jalaluddin Bukhari. The site was submitted under the criteria ii, iv, and vi in the cultural category. As of April 2019, it is still on the tentative list.[
]
Conservation
Over the centuries, the tomb has badly disintegrated as a result of environmental conditions, and during torrential floods in 1817 half of the structure was washed away. Only half of the structure remains today.[ In 1999, the Conservation and Rehabilitation Center of Pakistan invited international bodies and city officials to work on the conservation of the site. However, because of humidity, salt infiltration, and erosion the complex monuments are still crumbling. Inappropriate methods of repair have further damaged the complex. The ]World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and trainin ...
placed the structure on their Watch
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...
in 1998, 2000, and 2002 to gather international attention and obtained grants to conserve the tombs.[
]
Gallery
File:Tomb of Bibi Jawindi 3.jpg, A view of the graves in the tomb enclosure with surrounding vegetation
File:Tomb of Bibi Jawindi 01.jpg, Close up view of the mosaic tiles decorating the mausoleum
File:Tomb of Bibi Jawindi 1.jpg, Side view of the tomb showing only half the structure is still standing
File:Tomb of Bibi Jawindi, Uch Sharif.jpg, Tomb of Bibi Jawindi, 2013
File:Front Wall of Bibi Jawindi's Tomb.jpg , Front wall of the tomb
See also
*List of World Heritage Sites in Pakistan
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritag ...
References
{{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan , state=autocollapse
World Heritage Sites in Pakistan
Archaeological sites in Punjab, Pakistan
Sufi shrines in Pakistan
Mausoleums in Punjab, Pakistan
Monuments and memorials in Punjab, Pakistan
Indo-Islamic architecture