The Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam (
Punjabi and ur, ) located in
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the List ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, is the
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
of the 14th century
Punjabi 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
Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fateh. The shrine is considered to be the earliest example of
Tughluq
The Tughlaq dynasty ( fa, ), also referred to as Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty, was a Muslim dynasty of Indo- Turkic origin which ruled over the Delhi sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the ...
architecture,
and is one of the most impressive shrines in the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
. The shrine attracts over 100,000 pilgrims to the annual ''
urs
Urs (from ''‘Urs'') or ''Urus'' (literal meaning wedding), is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint, usually held at the saint's dargah (shrine or tomb). In most Sufi orders such as Naqshbandiyyah, Suhrawardiyya, Chishtiyya, Qadiriyya, etc ...
'' festival that commemorates his death.
[
]
Location
The tomb is located in the ancient city of Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the List ...
, in central Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. The tomb is situated at the northwestern edge of the Multan Fort
The Multan Fort was a historic fort in the city of Multan. According to some estimates the original fort was built by Katoch Dynasty Rajput between 800 and 1000 B.C. However, it was later destroyed. It was rebuilt by Ranghar chiefs near the city o ...
.
History
The tomb was built between 1320 and 1324 CE by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq
Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq ) (Ghazi means 'fighter for Islam')ref name="sen2"> (died c.1325) was the Sultan of Delhi from 1320 to 1325. He was the first sultan of the Tughluq dynasty. During his reign, Ghiyath al-Din Tughl ...
in the pre- Mughal architectural style. The tomb is considered the earliest example of Tughluq architecture, and pre-dates Tughluq monuments in Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
.[
The tomb was built when Ghiyath al-Din served as governor of Dipalpur, and likely was intended to serve as a tomb for himself,][ before he became Emperor of the ]Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). . Rukn-e-Alam had initially been buried in the Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya
The Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya ( ur, ) is a 13th-century shrine located in the city of Multan, in Pakistan's Punjab province. The tomb is dedicated to the Muslim mystic Bahauddin Zakariya, founder of the Suhrawardiyya order of Sufism. It co ...
, however, the present tomb was gifted by Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq (1290 – 20 March 1351) was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from February 1325 until his death in 1351. The sultan was the eldest son of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. In 1321, the youn ...
to the descendants of Rukn-e-Alam, who had his remains interred in the shrine in 1330.[
]
Layout
The shrine's layout is typical of ''Suhrawadi'' tombs, with three entrances, a western-facing ''mihrab
Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...
'', and an original main entrance on the southern axis that featured a small vestibule.[ The main entrance has since been shifted to the east, in an attempt to align the shrine's axises with ]Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
, in accordance with orthodox interpretations of Islam.[
]
Architecture
The shrine represents the culmination of Multani funerary architecture that began with the Shrine of Khalid Walid
The Shrine of Khalid Walid ( ur, ) is a Sufi shrine located in the village of Nawan Shehr, near the Pakistani city of Kabirwala. The shrine is dedicated to the 12th century warrior-saint Khaliq Walid, popularly known instead as Khalid Walid (not ...
near Kabirwala
Kabirwala ( ur, , Punjabi ), is a town of Khanewal District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The town is the headquarters of Kabirwala Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of the district. Kabirwala was 118th biggest city, with a populatio ...
.
Mausoleum
The mausoleum is a three-tiered structure. Though the second octagonal tier is typical of Multan,[ the first tier in the shape of an octagon differs from the nearby ]Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya
The Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya ( ur, ) is a 13th-century shrine located in the city of Multan, in Pakistan's Punjab province. The tomb is dedicated to the Muslim mystic Bahauddin Zakariya, founder of the Suhrawardiyya order of Sufism. It co ...
and other earlier shrines which rests upon a square shaped base.[
The first tier is 15 metres in diameter, and features walls 4 feet thick. The first tier features bands of timber that create a visual break in the exterior brickwork.][ The octagonal first tier is buttressed by small minaret-shaped towers in each of its 8 corners that provide support to the structure, and narrow as they rise and surpass the height of the first tier.][
A second octagon rests upon the first tier that features small domes in each of the eight corners of the building. A third tier rests above the second, and is formed by a dome of 15 metres in diameter.][ The entire structure is 35 metres tall,][ with sloping walls. The dome is capped by a structure similar to an '']amalaka
An amalaka ( sa, आमलक), is a segmented or notched stone disk, usually with ridges on the rim, that sits on the top of a Hindu temple's shikhara or main tower. According to one interpretation, the amalaka represents a lotus, and thus the ...
'' found on Hindu temples.
Decorative elements
The mausoleum is built entirely of red brick, bounded with beams of shisham wood, which have turned black over the centuries. The exterior is elaborately ornamented with carved wooden panels, carved brick, string-courses and battlements
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
. Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...
es, turret
Turret may refer to:
* Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building
* Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon
* Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope
* Mi ...
s, and crenellation
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
s at the top of the shrine reflect the influence of Tughluq military architecture on even non-military buildings.
The exterior is further embellished with regional-style tile-work in floral, arabesque
The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...
, and geometric motifs with dark blue, azure, and white tiles - all of which contrast the deep red finely polished bricks. The white dome is decorated with blue tile-work along its lower perimeter.[
]![Inside the tomb of Rukn-e-alam](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Inside_the_tomb_of_Rukn-e-alam.jpg)
Interior
The shrine's vast interior features no internal buttresses, nor any interior structural elements to support the interior space,[ which results in a vast interior space. The interior was initially decorated with elaborate tile work, which was subsequently covered in plaster,] though vast interior of the mausoleum is now largely bare.[ Niches at the ground level serve to enlarge the interior space further.][
The carved wooden '']mihrab
Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...
'' is considered to be one of the earliest examples of its genre.[ The sarcophagus of Rukn-e-Alam is slightly off-centre, and is surrounded by the graves of 72 of his relatives,][ which allude to the 72 martyred companions of the ]Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
's grandson, Imam Hussein
Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...
, at the Battle of Karbala
The Battle of Karbala ( ar, مَعْرَكَة كَرْبَلَاء) was fought on 10 October 680 (10 Muharram in the year 61 AH of the Islamic calendar) between the army of the second Umayyad Caliph Yazid I and a small army led by Husayn ...
in 680 CE.
Conservation
In the 1970s, the mausoleum was thoroughly repaired and renovated by the Auqaf Department. The entire glittering glazed interior is the result of new tiles and brickwork done by the ''Kashigars'', or tile makers, of Multan.
The tomb is on the tentative list as a 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 ...
.[
]
Gallery
File:Close up detail of the facade of the tomb of shah rukn e alam.jpg, Detail of the shrine's carved brickwork
File:Shah Rukn-e-Alam Tomb.jpg, The shrine at night
File:Rukn-e-Alam Tomb Multan 1865.jpg, The tomb in 1865
File:Shah Rukn-e-Alam inside.jpg, Underside of the shrine's dome
File:Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam Inside View.JPG, Devotees inside the shrine
File:Shah Rukn-e-Alam2.jpg, External view of the shrine
File:Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam 3.jpg, The shrine's exterior is embellished with a variety of decorative elements
File:Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Multan 2013 8.jpg, A view of the shrine from its courtyard
References
External links
*
{{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan , state=autocollapse
Buildings and structures in Multan
Tourist attractions in Multan
Architecture of the Tughlaq dynasty
Mausoleums in Punjab, Pakistan
Sufi shrines in Pakistan
Ziyarat
People from Multan
Punjabi Sufis