Tomb of Hazrat Sheikh, Kabirwala

A script in brickwork tells us that this tomb was constructed on the order of Ali Bin Karmakh, the 12th century Ghaurid governor of Multan. Raised on high plinth it represents the exalted status of whoever is interred here. This is tomb of Sheikh Sadan Shaheed. Local lore tells us Sheikh Sadan Shaheeds descendants were Arab by origin who landed with Muhammad Bin Qasim in early 8th century. He died fighting Mongol invasion in Punjab and that happened around 1275 CE. The grave is elongated and magnificent in size in line with typical naugaza shrines found across Punjab. A Quranic inscription in Naksh on foliated background decorates the eastern facade. Its not fully preserved, still we find Bismillah followed by verses 1-3 for Surah 48, Al Fatah (victory). This tells us that we are likely to have a fallen mujahid/martyr buried here. Prominent architectural elements are the blind windows (gavashka or master niche) on all four sides. The head has word Allah in cut brick work. The borders and base line have these Islamic invocations in Kufic script Ya Allah & Al Mulk O Lillah (dominion belongs to Allah. On one side this Kufic script links to 11th and 12th century religious monuments of eastern Iran and Afghanistan. On the other hand, their repetitive use is characteristic of 12th century Hindu temples in western India where figural imagery was used in repetitive pattern.