Uch

Uch Sharif
اوچ شریف
Town

Tomb of Bibi Jawindi
Uch Sharif
اوچ شریف
Coordinates: 29°14′N 71°04′E / 29.233°N 71.067°E / 29.233; 71.067Coordinates: 29°14′N 71°04′E / 29.233°N 71.067°E / 29.233; 71.067
Country  Pakistan
Province Punjab
Population
 • Total 22,000
Time zone PST (UTC+5)

Uch or Uch Sharif (Urdu: اوچ شریف‎, Punjabi: اوچ شریف) is 73 kilometres (45 mi) from Bahawalpur in Bahawalpur District, It Is Situated In Ahmadpur East South Punjab, Pakistan. Uch is an important historical city, having been founded by Alexander the Great. Formerly located at the confluence of the Indus and Chenab rivers, it is now 100 kilometres (62 mi) from that confluence, which has moved to Mithankot. It was an important centre in medieval India, as an early stronghold of the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century during the Muslim conquest. Uch Sharif contains the tombs of Bibi Jawindi, Baha'al-Halim, Ustad Nuriya and Jalaluddin Bukhari, (R. A) which are considered masterpieces of Islamic architecture and are on the UNESCO World Heritage Site tentative list. It is city of saints.

History

It is believed that in 325 BCE Alexander the Great founded a city called Alexandria on the Indus (Greek: Ἀλεξάνδρεια ἡ ἐν Ἰνδῷ) at the site of the last confluence of Punjab rivers with the Indus.[1] Nevertheless, some historians believe that Uch predates the advent of Bikramjit when Jains and Buddhists ruled over the area, and that Mithankot or Chacharan Sharif was the true settlement of Alexandria. In 712 CE, Muhammad bin Qasim conquered the city and during the Muslim period Uch was one of the centres of Islamic studies of South Asia. Following the schism between the Nizari and Musta'li sects of Ismaili Shi'ism in 1094, Uch became a centre of Nizari missionary activity for several centuries,[2] and today is home to several tombs of prominent Nizari pīrs.[2]

There are several tombs of famous mystics (Sufis) in Uch, notably the tombs of Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari and his family. 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), the second for the latter’s great-granddaughter, Bibi Jawindi, in 1494, and the third for the latter’s architect.

Uch in modern times

Flooding in the early 19th century caused serious damage to the tombs, including structural problems and the deterioration of masonry and finishes.[3] As the problems have persisted, the "Uch Monument Complex" was listed in the 1998 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund, and again in 2000 and 2002.[4] The Fund subsequently offered financial assistance for conservation from American Express.[5]

Panorama of a farm view in Uch Sharif

Parliamentarians

2013

Syed Ali Hassan Gillani Member National Assembly PML(N)

Makhdoom Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gillani Member Provincial Assembly(BNAP)

2008

Arif Aziz Sheikh Member National Assembly PPPP

Makhdoom Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gillani Member Provincial Assembly PML(Q)

See also

References

  1. ↑ Alexandria (Uch) - Livius.org
  2. 1 2 MacLean, Derryl N. (1989). Religion and Society in Arab Sind. BRILL. ISBN 9789004085510.
  3. ↑ Colin Amery and Brian Curran, Vanishing Histories, Harry N. Abrams, New York, NY: 2001, p. 103.
  4. ↑ World Monuments Fund - Uch Monument Complex
  5. ↑ Rina Saeed Khan, "New York group funds Uch conservation," Pakistan Daily Times, January 16, 2004.
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