(video) Rohtas Fort – Legacy of Sher Shar Suri

Rohtas Fort is one of the six World Heritage Sites in Pakistan.

A fortress built by Sher Shah (Founder of Sur Empire, a short-lived empire from 1539 to 1555)  who built the transportation networks that served as the foundation for Mughal empire.

Sher Shah built ” The Grand Trunk Road “between Kabul and the Punjab Plain and built Rohtas Fort on it’s middle way.

Aerial view of Lotus Fort by dronefootage.

 

Video &  text : Mariko SAWADA

Visit : Feb 2020, Rohtas Fort, Punjab

Category : = Video Clip Punjab > - Monument / Heritage of Punjab > ◆ Video Breathtaking Views of Pakistan > ◆ Punjab > ◇ Heritage of Pakistan
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Mohenjodaro

This is the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization, the city of Mohenjo-daro (also Moenjodaro).

It is the site of the largest urban archeological settlement, with its most active period between 2500 to 1800 BC. It is believed that up to 40,000 people inhabited this area, in the east is a fortified section (There is a Gandhara stupa, Ritual bath believed to have been used for religious ceremonies, bathing or purifying, and for political gatherings) and divided on the western side (there were houses for the nobles, shops and commoners homes also). So far, only 10 percent of the area has been excavated, and scattered all around are unexcavated mounds.

Meaning “Mound of the Dead people” in Sindhi the local language, back in the old days, this burial place was a site that locals were afraid to come close. In 1921 an Indian archeologist excavated the site calling it the “2nd and 3rd Century Gandhara” but upon exploring it, they had uncovered a city ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization, much older than they thought.

Extensive excavations were carried out by the Archeological Survey of India (A.S.I)  during the British India period until 1947. In 1980 it was designated a World Heritage Site. It is still unclear what might have caused the decline of the city. During the survey, a seal was discovered, but because the text of the Indus script that is engraved on the seal has not been deciphered yet, the true name of the town is unknown.

 

This Mohenjodaro  SD Area’s Gandhara Stupa, which dates back to 2nd or 3rd Century AD. There is a monastery surrounding the area which is built using bricks from the Indus Valley Civilization.

 

The famous “Great bath” area is 12m x 7m and 2.5m deep, and there are remain of  waterproofing on the elaborate wall made of bricks. It is said  that some religious ceremony was held here.  The stepped ghats (terraces) descending to the surface of the water are supposed to lead to Hindu features later.

 

A sewage system in the SD Area. It is covered with limestone rocks. Some of the DK area is built entirely underground.

 

This is also the sewage system in the SD area. Water from the Great Bath and other dwellings are directed through this channel to the Indus river. During that time, the Indus River ran very close to the town of Mohenjo-daro.

 

In the corner of this DK area home, is a “Rubbish Bin.” Similar efforts for “Trash collection” areas are also seen in the SD areas as well. Unfortunately, this concept of managing their garbage wasn’t carried into modern pakistan.

 

In the Urban DK area, an aristocratic house was a two story building, with access to the well even from the second floor.

 

“The Old Street” as it is called is the Main Street. On both sides it was lined with shops.

Recently, many domestic tourists of Pakistan have increased in visiting this site. Particularly at sunset, you will see many people.

Unfortunately, the time I visited Mohenjo-daro it was too cloudy to catch a good sunset. But my personal recommendation is to visit early in the morning, when you can enjoy “the deserted city of Mohenjo-daro.” without other tourists.

Photo & Text: Mariko SAWADA
Visit: Feb 2020, Nov 2019,  Mohenjo-daro, Sindh

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Category : - Mohenjodaro > - Monument / Heritage of Sindh > ◆ Sindh > ◇ Heritage of Pakistan
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Cave City of Bela, Gondrani

A Buddhist ruin, located in Balochistan … though its existence is still a mystery …
This bygone site is known as, “The Cave City of Bela” or “Cave city of Gondrani”. It is located on the outskirts of the secluded town of Bela, where you have to go by a 4WD vehicle or walk across the river.

 

Till this date, we still don’t know the details and the exact history of what these ruins were or for what purpose they were built and from which era.
However, it is said that it is one of the remains of a Buddhist monastery from around the 8th century when it was a territory of a Buddhist kingdom.

 

The front side is a terrace and there is a room behind it.

 

A closer view. I had a strong sense of déjà vu when I first came here. It reminded me of a cave of Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan. The difference from the Bamiyan was that in Bamiyan the caves were with Buddha and some wall paintings and ceiling decorations, but here there were no decorations at all.

 

As you walk along the path created by the flow of water, the caverns would eventually become smaller and distorted. Some of the caves have hardly remained in shape due to weathering over many years.

 

I touched about the Buddhist cave in Afghanistan. This is a panoramic view of the majestic Bamiyan Caves. There are over 750 caves spread over 1300m long cliff. These caves started to build from the 5th century and are considered to have reached their peak in the 6th and 7th centuries and ended in the 8th and 10th centuries. Wall painting and decoration remains on the terrace of East Buddha, on the right side of the photo.

 

More like the Gondrani Caves than the Bamiyan Cave are the Foladi Caves in the Bamiyan valley.

 

Some people lived in the cave to take refuge during the recent war. There was also a cave with a black ceiling due to fire.

 

Unlike the Gondrani Caves, the Foladi Caves have beautiful ceiling decorations such as “Laternendecke”.
Above all, we hope that Gondrani (Bela) Cave city’s historical survey will be conducted soon. So that this uncharted place gets historically recognized throughout the world.

 

Photo & Text : Mariko Sawada
Visit: Nov 2018, Feb 2019 Cave city of Bela/Gondrani, Baluchistan :
Photographs of Bamiyan & Foladi Cave were taken from 2003-2012

Category : ◆ Balochistan > ◇ Heritage of Pakistan
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Great Wall of Sindh – Rani Kot Fort

Rani Kot Fort, also known as, “The Great Wall of Sindh”. It is also listed in UNESCO’s world heritage tentative list since 1993.

The wall is 35 kilometers long. The history of the construction somehow is not yet clear. Moreover, it is believed that the original site was rebuilt at the very beginning of the 19th century.

The Great Wall extends in 3 directions. I did not walk up to the wall because there wasn’t much time to visit, and it was really hot during the daytime. I took this aerial shot using a drone.

On the way back from “The Great Wall of Sindh”, I met a family of nomads with a camel and some other animals. All in all, It was really a beautiful sight to witness the lovely people, and the Great Wall of Sindh, due to its vastness still has some hidden mysteries yet to be explored.

Photo & Text : Mariko SAWADA
Visit: Oct 2018, Rani Kot Fort, Sindh

Category : - Monument / Heritage of Sindh > ◆ Sindh > ◇ Heritage of Pakistan
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Old Kartarpur – Sikh’s Holy Land, Guru Nanak Mausoleum

Did you know? In Pakistan, there is a mausoleum of Guru Nanak, who was the first Guru and the founder of Sikhism.
Obviously, in Guru-Nanak’s time, there was no such a border and the individuals lived unified.
Following 20 years of traveling around the world, Guru Nanak created the first Sikh community in the current Kartarpur region, where people irrespective of their religion or race, lived together. Guru Nanak lived here in harmony with his family and passed away on September 22, 1539.

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, the tomb of Guru Nanak stands where he passed away.

The present building was built in 1925, and since 1947 when India and Pakistan separated, Pakistan’s government has been taking care of it.

The holy place where the divine scriptures of Sikhism are stored.

A Pakistani chef serving a meal at Gurdwara Kartarpura Sahib. By the way, there is only a single Sikh family living in Kartarpur territory.

Lamentably, due to the Radcliffe line drawn by the British during the partition of India in 1947, this Sikh holy place became part of Pakistan territory, which turned a headache for the Sikhs living in India.
It is 4 km from the Indian border across the Ravi river.
They could only worship mausoleum with binoculars from Dera Baba Nanak on the Indian side.

Since 1999, there has been a proposition to make a “Pilgrimage route without visa” for Sikhs, so in November 2018, progress has been made by the talks between Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and an Indian high official, and both the nations are pushing towards acknowledgment.
The coming November 2019 is the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak. Before that, it was decided to build the Kartarpur pilgrimage corridor, where Sikhs who were living in India can pilgrimage without a visa.

I visited this place in the middle of March 2019, when the diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan were at the pinnacle.
The project seems to be steadily advancing forward. Regardless of such political circumstances, the territory around the Guru Nanak Mausoleum has been transformed into a vast construction site for the completion of the “Pilgrimage Corridor”.

The realization of the “pilgrimage corridor” will be what numerous people pray for.

Photo & Text:  Mariko SAWADA

Visit: March 2019, Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, Kartarpur, Punjab, Pakistan

Category : ◆ Punjab > ◇ Heritage of Pakistan
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