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The city of Multan, Punjab, Pakistan has many mausoleums and shrines, due to its rich heritage of pirs and saints. Some of the best-known mausoleums that can still be visited today include the following.
At the north-eastern fringe of the ancient fort of Multan is the mausoleums of Al-Sheikh Al-Kabir Sheikh-ul-Islam Makhdoom Baha-ud-Din Abu Muhammad Zakaria Al-Qureshi Al-Hashemi, one of the greatest saints of the Suhrawardiyya Silsila (Sufi order or tariqa and one of the most distinguished disciples of Sheikh Al-Shuyukh Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi. He was the founder of Suhrawardiyya Silsila in the Indian subcontinent. [1]
Sheikh Baha-ud-Din Zakariya, known as Bahawal Haq, was born at Kot Karor (Karor Lal Esan), a town of Layyah District near Multan, around 1170. For 30 years, he traveled to different cities in order to preach Islam and eventually settled in Multan in 1222. He died in 1267. The Mausoleum is a square of 51 feet 9 inches (15.77 m), measured internally. Above this is an octagon, about half the height of the square, which is surmounted by a hemispherical dome. The Mausoleum was almost completely ruined during the siege of Multan by the British in 1848, but was soon afterwards restored.
The tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, grandson of Shaikh Bahauddin Zakaria, which was built between 1320 and 1324, is an unmatched pre-Moghul masterpiece. The Mausoleum of Rukn-i-Alam could possibly be considered the glory of Multan.
Approaching the city from any direction, the most prominent landmark is a huge dome, visible from miles around . This dome is the Shrine of Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fath commonly known by the title Rukn-i-Alam ("pillar of the world"). The tomb is located on the southwest side of the Fort. This building is an octagon, 51 feet 9 inches (15.77 m) in diameter internally, with walls 41 feet 4 inches (12.60 m) high and 13 feet 3 inches (4.04 m) thick, supported at the angles by sloping towers. Over this is a smaller octagon 25 feet 8 inches (7.82 m), on the exterior side, and 26 feet 10 inches (8.18 m) high, leaving a narrow passage all round the top of the lower story for the Moazzan, or public caller to prayers. The whole is topped by a hemispherical dome of 58 feet (18 m) external diameter. The total height of the building, including a plinth of 3 feet (0.91 m), is 100 feet (30 m). As it stands on the high ground, the total height above the road level is 150 feet.
Besides its religious importance, the mausoleum is also of considerable archaeological value as its dome is reputed to be the second largest in the world, after Gol gumbad of Bijapur (India), which is the largest. The mausoleum is built entirely of red brick, bounded with beams of shisham wood, which have now turned black after so many centuries. The whole of the exterior is elaborately ornamented with glazed tile panels, string courses and battlements. Colors used are dark blue, azure, and white, contrasted with the deep red of the finely polished bricks. The tomb was said to have been built by Ghias-ud-Din Tughlak for himself, but was given up by his son Muhammad Tughlak in favour of Rukn-i-Alam, when he died in 1330.
The mausoleum of Shamsuddin Sabzwari Multani ibn Pir Sayed Salahuddin is located about half a mile to the east of the Fort site, on the high bank of the old bed of the Ravi River near Aam Khas Garden. Sabzwari was born in 1165. He died in 1276 and the shrine was built by his grandson in 1330. The tomb is square, 30 feet (9.1 m) in height surmounted by a hemispherical dome. It is decorated with ornamental glazed tiles.
Within the city of Multan there is a shrine of Muhammad Shah Yusaf Gardezi, commonly known as Shah Gardez, just inside the Bohar Gate. It is a rectangular domeless building decorated with glazed tiles. Shah Gardez came to Multan in 1088 and revitalized the then-moribund city. Shah Yousaf Gardez converted many people to Islam. His descendants are known as Gardezis and are one of the few old noble families in the country.
The Mausoleum of Syed Musa Pak Shaheed is inside the Pak Gate. Shaikh Abul Hassab Musa Pak Shaheed was a descendant of Abdul Qadir Jillani and was born in Uch.
The mausoleum is situated near Aam Khas garden outside Daulat Gate, Multan. The tomb has been built within a wall resembling a fortification. The tomb lies on a platform of marble and is surrounded by an area paved with marble and black slate. On the North and West side there is an arched corridor which looks like a tunnel. On the south side there is an extensive assembly hall, whose timber roof is embellished with decorative work.
Hafiz Jamal died at the age of 66 on 5 Jamadi ul Sani 1226 (7 May 1811). A chronogram for the date of his death was derived by his beloved pupil Munshi Ghulam Hassan from these words of Holy Qur'an: "innl muttaqin fi jannat". Two other chronograms in Persian verses are also inscribed over the eastern gate of the tomb. Hafiz Jamal married twice and one of his wives was from Laang family. He had a considerable number of spiritual successors such as Khwaja Khuda Bakhsh of Khairpur Tamiwali.
Hafiz Jamal was a poet in Arabic, Persian and Saraiki. His "Seeharfi" is a poem in Saraiki which comprises 29 stanzas of four rhyming lines each, the fourth containing the poet's name 'Jamal'. In this Hafiz Jamal uses the spinning wheel and its appurtenances as symbols of deeds and character.
Shah Ali Akbar was a descendant of Shah Shams Sabzwari. He was the grandson of Shah Shams. His mausoleum is situated in Shia Miani Multan.
In addition to the tombs mentioned above, Multan has several other historical and archaeological remains of the Muslim period. Prominent among these are:
The long brick tombs generally known as Nuagaza tombs, or the "nineyarder tombs". This term is generally applied in the sub-continent to the warriors and martyrs of Islam who fell in action against the Hindus at the time of the early invasions of the Muslims.
Outside the Delhi Gate, nearly twelve yards in length, there is a stone of chocolate color with marks of light yellow on it, 27 inches (69 cm) in diameter and 78 inches (200 cm) thick, with a hole through the middle 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter. It is called Manka. People say the saint wore it round his neck, while some maintain that it was his thumb ring. The tomb is asserted to be 1300 years old. It is possible that it may belong to the times of the early Muslim invasion under Mohammad bin Qasim.
Chisht Nagar is a Shrine of a great saint Maulana Ghulam Rabbani Ramdasi Chishti Sabri(1918–1988) near Jahanian Mandi, Multan.
Multan is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, located on the bank of Chenab River. Multan is one of the five largest urban centres of Pakistan in 2023, with an estimated population of 2.2 million, and is the major cultural, religious and economic centre of Southern Punjab. Multan is known for rich ancient heritage and historic landmarks. The city is one of the oldest and continuously inhabited cities of Asia, with a history stretching deep into antiquity. A historic capital and cultural centre of Punjab and a significant centre of the Indus Valley civilization. Multan region was centre of many civilizations in its 5 millenia old history.
Makhdoom Yahiya Maneri was an Indian Sufi saint of the 13th century. His tomb in courtyard of a mosque, located in Maner, 29 km from Patna, Bihar, India.
Khuldabad is a city and a Taluka of Aurangabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is known as the Valley of Saints, or the Abode of Eternity, because in the 14th century, several Sufi saints chose to reside here. The Bhadra Maruti Temple and Dargah of Zar Zari Zar Baksh, Shaikh Burhan ud-din Gharib Chisti and Shaikh Zain-ud-din Shirazi, along with the tomb of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and his trusted General Asif Jah I, the first Nizam of Hyderabad, are located in this town. It is a holy and spiritual city of Islamic saints.
Makhdum Rashid, is a town of approximately 30,000 in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan.
Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fateh, commonly known by the title Shah Rukn-e-Alam, was an eminent 13th and 14th-century Punjabi Sufi saint from Multan, who belonged to Suhrawardiyya Sufi order. His shrine in Multan, is one of Punjab's most important places of historical and cultural value.
Shaikh Syed Abul Hassab Musa Pak Shaheed was Sufi and his mausoleum is located at Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. Shaikh Syed Abul Hassab was son of Syed Hamid Bakhsh Gilani.His shrine is situated in historical city of Multan. Syed Musa Pak buried near Pak Gate inside the wall city of Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. The Urs of Syed Musa Pak Shaheed takes place annually at his Mausoleum in Multan.(11ve Wali Sarkar).
Hajib Shakarbar was born as the younger of the two sons of Shams Tabrizi and Shams Sabzwari in 1213 AC. His grand parents named him Alauddin Muhammad, but when his father returned from Tabriz to see his newborn baby, he changed the name from Alauddin Muhammad to Syed Ahmad because he had a dream to this effect in Tabriz. The new baby showed the signs of a born Hafiz and so came to be known as Zinda Pir from his very infancy. He got the title of Shakarbar in Sabzwar and of Hajib in Makkah, and became so famous with the sweet combination of Hajib Shakarbar that his original names went into total oblivion. He joined his father in Multan, Pakistan, with his elder brother Naseeruddin, and a large armed escort of Turkish, Iraqi and Kabul fighters in 1289 AC.
Sheikh Safi al-Din Khānegāh and Shrine Ensemble is the tomb of Sheikh Safi-ad-din Ardabili located in Ardabil, Iran. In 2010, it was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam located in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, is the mausoleum of the 14th century Punjabi Sufi saint Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fateh. The shrine is considered to be the earliest example of Tughluq architecture, and is one of the most impressive shrines in Asia. The shrine attracts over 100,000 pilgrims to the annual urs festival that commemorates his death.
Shamsuddin Sabzwari Multani was a Muslim saint from Sabzewar in present-day Iran who arrived in Multan in Punjab, Pakistan in the early 1200 C.E. He established a dargah there and preached Islam to the local population. Shamsuddin Sabzwari died in 1276 in Multan, where his mausoleum is located. The Urs of Shamsuddin Sabzwari takes place in June of each year.
Shah-e-Alam's Tomb and Mosque, also known as Rasulabad Dargah or Shah Alam no Rozo, is a medieval mosque and tomb complex (Roza) in Shah Alam area of Ahmedabad, India.
Tughlaq Tombs in the Indian subcontinent are mostly simple, monotonous and heavy structures in Indo-Islamic architecture built during the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1413). They look more like fortresses with walls surrounding them and have restrained decoration and embellishment compared to both earlier and later Indian Islamic tombs. Their architecture lacks the influence from Hindu temple architecture and craftsmanship which was later found in Lodi and Mughal architecture. But Hindu influence on Tughlaq buildings was not totally absent. Features of Hindu influences on Tughlaq architecture include the flat lintel instead of pointed arch, pillars, windows with balconies and eaves and railings.
The Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya 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 considered to be one of the most important shrines in southern Punjab province, and is the prototype for Multan's distinct architectural style.
The Shrine of Khalid Walid 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. The shrine dates from the period of the medieval Delhi Sultanate, and may be the earliest Muslim funerary monument in South Asia. The shrine represents the first stage of evolution of funerary monuments in southern Punjab which would later culminate with the Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam in Multan.
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