Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari - Town of Uch

Town of Uch

During the Islamic era in the subcontinent Uch and Multan became the greatest centers of academic and cultural excellence. The twin cities attracted the persons having expertise in various prevalent arts and sciences from every corner of the world. Numerous personalities enjoying reasonable socio-religious and academic status stood attached to the city of Uch. Hazrat Safi-ud-Din Gazruni (980-1007 CE) introduced the first academy of letters at Uch. Ali bin Hamid bin Abubakar Koofi, translated from Arabic into Persian the most authentic historical document " Chach Nama" migrated from Iraq to Uch. Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari made Uch a center of religious education and preaching. Hazrat Jahaniyan Jahangasht (1308 – 1384 CE) belonged to this land of piety and righteousness. The well known reference of history "Tabqate Nasiri's" writer Minhaj-i-Siraj spent most part of his life at Uch.

Uchch Bukhari is the oldest settlement, dating back to about a thousand years and the monument complex. The complex is located on a mound that is considered the city's highest point. Hundreds of small, unmarked graves lead up to the monuments and palm trees dot the landscape beyond the fields that were once the riverbed of the Sutlej below. The three largest tombs, of Bibi Jawandi, Hazrat Baha Ul Halim and Ustad Nurya, were all once complete mausoleums covered with exquisite glazed tile-work. Now they are in ruins.

There is not much information available on the individuals who were buried in these tombs, the actual graves of Bibi Jawandi, Ustad Nurya and Hazrat Baha Ul Halim are no longer marked by a cenotaph. Ustad Nurya is said to be the architect responsible for Bibi Jawandi's mausoleum while Hazrat Baha Ul Halim was a direct descendant of Syed Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari. Bibi Jawandi's mausoleum is the oldest of the three. The architectural style of her tomb is indigenous to Upper Sindh and Lower Punjab, where moulded bricks are used as decorative elements. According to historian Holly Edwards, who has done extensive research on Bibi Jawandi's tomb, the bastions of the mausoleum are peculiar to the region. She has found only one other similar tomb in Central Asia. In addition, the wedge-shaped tiles that have been knitted into the structural core of the building are unique to this monument.