Tomb of Bibi Jawindi, Baha'al-Halim and Ustead and the Tomb and Mosque of Jalaluddin Bukhari

Description

The proposed property consists of 5 monuments at the South-West corner of Uch Sharif- representing the town’s most exceptional architecture. The oldest are the fourteenth century AD tomb and mosque of the Central Asian Sufi Jalaluddin Bukhari. The brick-built tomb measures 18 meters by 24 meters and its carved wooden pillars support a flat roof and it is decorated with glazed tiles in floral and geometric designs. The ceiling is painted with floral designs in lacquer and its floor covered with the graves of the saint and his relatives an interior partition provides purdah for those of his womenfolk. Its mosque consists of a hall, measuring 20 meters by 11 meters, with 18 wooden pillars supporting a flat roof. It was built of cut and dressed bricks and further decorated, internally and externally, with enamelled tiles in floral and geometric designs. These structures were joined by a series of domed tombs; the first is said to have been built for Baha’ al-Halim by his pupil, the Suharwardiya Sufi saint Jahaniyan Jahangasht (1307-1383 AD), the second for the latter’s great grant daughter, Bibi Jalwindi, in c.1494 and the third for the latter’s architect. They all have three tiers, an octagonal base supporting a zone of transition surmounted by a dome and are richly decorated with carved timber, cut and moulded brick, and blue and white faience mosaic tiles. The basement walls taper and are supported by 8 engaged tapering corner towers. The eroded nature of the three clearly allows their profile, construction and decorated interiors to be seen.