The Jewel of Sindh
Summa Monuments on Makli Hill
by Suhail Z.Lari / Yasmin Lari
Heritage/ Oxford university press,
Karachi,1997
pages 246, price  Rs. 1500.

 Thatta remained the capital city of Sindh till the downfall of the Mughal and the Makli Hill during that period became the graveyard of the rulers, saints, noblemen and noblewomen . Its importance declined when  during the Kalhors and the Talpurs the capital shifted from Thatta to other places. The new ruling dynasties were not interested to maintain the monuments  of the past which denied their legitimacy. Their interest was to build their own monuments to assert their  authority. This neglect caused deterioration  of the buildings at Mukli. History is grateful that a scion of Thatta  Mir Sher Ali Qani’ ( d. 1788 )recorded and documented the history of the Mukli hill in his book Makli Nama. After nearly passing more than 200 years , we are again grateful to the present authors that by using the modern technology they documented the historical graveyard and its ruins.

 A number of  European travellers  who visited Makli hill left their impressions. The silence of the graveyard, the ruins of the buildings , and  prevailing sadness  in surroundings is clearly  indicated in their observations. Richard Burton in his book “Unhappy Valley” writes: “ Behind it is an infinite variety of mausoleums and sepulchres, many reduced to ruins by the earthquake’s  shock, many crumbling to decay beneath the touch of time, a few and   but very few preserved by the pious hands of descendants and disciples. Vaulted domes, arches, and towers; porticos, gateways, and vast colonnades, rise in apparently endless succession above shapeless mounds of ruins…We pass over the hill. Every now and then some strolling fakir, grim as the ruins amid which he stalks, frowns  at the intrusion of the stranger , or a pariah dog barks as we approach, and then flies frightened by the echoed sound of his own voice .If we enter a mausoleum, the noise of our footsteps returned by the hollow ground, disturbs the hundred tenants of the porticos, the niches, and the projections of the domes.”

 The authors documented  only the monuments of the Summa period understandably because of lack of funding. However, it is a laudable  effort that  should be praised .The Summa period is important in the history of Sindh because on the one side they defended themselves from the onslaught of the Delhi Sultans and on the other they resisted against the Arghuns. However, in spite of war  expenses they were able to spent huge amount on building the Mausoleums, mosques, and Khanqas. The richness of the tombs was a contrast to the life of common people who lived in poverty and misery. However, on the other hand , it reflects the creativeness of the artists, engineers, builders, and artisans who were patronized by the rulers .The patronization encouraged the artisans and craftsmen to come from central Asia and Iran. That was the period when Sindh became a sanctuary of refugees who came from the Central Asia on the eve of the Mongol invasion.

 At Makli hill there are not only tombs of the rulers but also mausoleums of saints and sufis; a blend of religion and politics even after death .It proved a blessing in disguise for the rulers because when the devotees and disciples came for blessing to visit the shrines, they also offered fateha to the graves of rulers and noblemen.

 As the history of the Samma period is not written on the basis of modern research methodology, the facts and myths are mingled with each other .We cannot fully understand the cultural achievements of the Samma rulers unless we know their revenue system, administrative structure, and the composition of the society .There is a need to analyse the impact of the migrants  of central Asia on the Sindhian society.

There  are some minor mistakes in the text.. For example it is written that Akbar built the tomb of Moin uddin Chishti at Fathpur; it was not of Moin uddin Chishti, but Shaikh Salim Chishti whose tomb was constructed at Fathpur. The bibliography also requires revision as it is not up to the standard. However, besides these minor flaws the book is a great contribution to the history of Sindh. It contains text on the history of the Samma rulers, on Makli hill, and 326 illustration which are excellently produced. The book keeps alive the remains of Makli hill  .