The carving
Geometric and floral.
Ailya Ejaz Mirza — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Framjiarnaz — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Adil Farhan — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yasir Dora — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Framjiarnaz — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Chaukhandi Tombs are an early Islamic cemetery in eastern Karachi, Sindh, famous for their elaborate sandstone carving. They resemble the tombs of the Makli Necropolis near Thatta and lie about 23 km in a straight line from the Mazar-e-Quaid. The tombs are generally attributed to the Sindhi Jokhio tribe, and other Sindhi and Baloch tribes are also buried here. They were built mainly in the Mughal era, between the 16th and 18th centuries. Graves of this kind in Sindh and Balochistan are notable for their north–south orientation. The larger graves are built of buff sandstone well preserved by the dry climate, set singly or in groups of up to eight on a shared platform, and stacked with layers of fine geometric and floral carving. Stone canopies with pillars and domes stand among them, framed by flowering shrubs. This is a cemetery, so walk respectfully and do not climb the tombs. The site is open to the sun, so come in the morning or just before sunset, when the sandstone glows.
Geometric and floral.
Pillars and domes.
Carved tiers.
Eastern Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Mostly attributed to the Jokhio tribe.
Morning or just before sunset.