Photo: A.Savin · FALArea guides / Sindh / Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Area guide
Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Sindh's medieval capital and its city of tombs
Region
Sindh
When to go
November to February. Summer on the Thatta plain is severe, and most of the sites offer no shade
Getting there
About two hours from Karachi on the N-5. The town's monuments, Makli and Keenjhar Lake, about 36 km from Thatta, fit in a single trip.
Places
19 field guides
Overview
About Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Thatta, about 100 km east of Karachi, was the medieval capital of Sindh and the seat of three dynasties. Beside it, the Makli Necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, holds an estimated half a million to a million tombs over some 10 km, built across 400 years.
About two hours from Karachi on the N-5. The town's monuments, Makli and Keenjhar Lake, about 36 km from Thatta, fit in a single trip.
Makli Hill
Royal tombs, Sufi shrines and scholars' graves spread across the hill, from Jam Nizamuddin's time to the Tarkhan rulers and the Mughal governors who followed them. Allow a few hours and bring water; there is little shade.
Town and lake
The Shah Jahan Mosque and the Dabgir Masjid are in and around Thatta town. Keenjhar Lake, formed by joining two lakes, is an important source of Karachi's drinking water and a common stop on the way back.
Top sights in Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
All 19 places →Resorts
All resorts →GreenPak stays in this area are listed on the region guide.
Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar: Questions Travellers Ask
What is there to see in Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar?
19 places in Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar have their own field guide here, the most in mosques, shrines and tombs (11), landmarks and buildings (6) and parks and gardens (2).
When is the best time to visit Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar?
November to February. Summer on the Thatta plain is severe, and most of the sites offer no shade; go early or late in the day.
How do you get to Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar?
About two hours from Karachi on the N-5. The town's monuments, Makli and Keenjhar Lake, about 36 km from Thatta, fit in a single trip.
What day trips can you take from Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar?
17 within about 40 km of Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar, all listed on this page: St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Hyderabad (about 11 km outside), Boundary Wall of Pucca Fort (about 11 km outside), 7 mosques, shrines and tombs and 8 landmarks and buildings.
The complete guide
Everything to See in Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
All 19 places in Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar with their own field guide, grouped by kind.
Mosques, shrines and tombs · 11
Brick Enclosure of Tomb of Baqi Baig UzbekA 17th-century brick enclosure on Makli holding the grave of Baqi Baig Uzbek (d. 1641).
Dabgir MasjidA Mughal-era mosque in Thatta built by Khusrau Khan Charkas, often called the town's oldest surviving monument, with fine early blue tilework.
Old Jamia Masjid, MakliA ruined 14th-century Samma mosque at Makli, beside the khanqah of Sheikh Hamad Jamali.
Shah Jahan Mosque, ThattaA 17th-century Mughal mosque famed for its tilework and remarkable acoustics, part of Thatta's UNESCO-listed heritage.
Sonda GraveyardSonda was founded by the Samma ruler Jam Tamachi in the 3rd quarter of the fourteenth century and was revered by the Muslims of the area due to the noble family of saints, the Makhdums.
Tomb of Jam NizamuddinThe carved stone tomb of Jam Nizam-ud-Din on Makli Hill, decorated in the 15th-century Gujarati manner.
Tomb of Mirza Baqi TarkhanA walled Tarkhan family enclosure at Makli, Thatta, for Mirza Muhammad Baqi, the Tarkhan ruler of Sindh until 1585, with carved stone graves in four chambers.
Tomb of Mirza Jani & Mirza GhaziThe octagonal Makli tomb of Mirza Jani Beg, Sindh's last independent ruler, and his son Mirza Ghazi Beg.
Tomb of Nawab Shurfa KhanThe best-preserved and one of the most colourful tombs on Makli, built in 1639.
Tomb of Sultan IbrahimAn octagonal tomb on Makli Hill for Sultan Ibrahim Khan Tarkhan, of the dynasty that ruled Sindh from 1554 to 1593.
Tomb of Tughral BaigA square tomb platform on Makli Hill, between the enclosures of Jani Beg Tarkhan and Baqi Beg Uzbek.
Parks and gardens · 2
Landmarks and buildings · 6
Banbhore (Sasyunjo Takkar)Bambhore is situated on the northern bank of the Gharo Creek.
Bhambore (Banbhore), ThattaBhambore (or Bhanbhore) is an ancient city located in Sindh, Pakistan, with a history spanning from the 1st century BCE to the 13th century AD.
Makli Necropolis: UNESCO World Heritage SiteExplore one of the world's largest historic necropolises and a remarkable record of Sindh's architectural heritage.
Maqam Qadam Shah GraveyardA 37-acre graveyard at Raj Malik village with carved yellow-sandstone tombs like those of Chaukhandi.
Mound AmriThe Amri remains belong to the Chalcolithic period.
Port of BanbhoreThe excavated ruins of an ancient port city on the Indus delta near Thatta, a trading hub for over a thousand years under Scytho-Parthian, Hindu-Buddhist, and early Islamic rule.
Around Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar: day trips · 17
Outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar, straight-line distance from its boundary.
Kotri Bridge~9 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Mukhi House~11 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Boundary Wall of Pucca Fort~11 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Old office of Mirs~11 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Haram of Talpur Mirs~11 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Mosque of Mirs~11 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Talpur Tower, Pakka Qila~11 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Hyderabad~11 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Sudheran jo Thul, Tando Muhammad Khan~12 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Talpur Tomb's Enclosure~12 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Navalrai Clock Tower~12 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Tomb of Ghulam Shah Kalhoro~13 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Tomb of Ghulam Nabi Kalhoro~13 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Tomb of Sarfaraz Khan Kalhoro~13 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Lakhmir-Ji-Mari~15 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Nasar-ji Masjid~37 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar
Mai Khairi Mosque~37 km outside Thatta, Makli & Keenjhar