Thatta is an historic town in the Sindh province of Pakistan, which used to be one of the country’s major centres of literature, religious ideologies and socio political clashes. It is situated near Lake Keenjhar – the largest freshwater lake in the country – and not far away from the huge port of Karachi. Its most important monuments, among which many are listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list, are visited by thousands of people every year.
Thatta’s known history goes back at least 600 years. From the 14th to the 16th century it was the seat of the Sammahs, the independent Muslim rulers of lower Sindh who had rebelled against Delhi. In the mid-16th century the Portuguese, who controlled the lucrative spice trade to Indonesia, burned and ransacked the town, and in 1592 it became a part of the Moghal Empire. For the next 150 years it was a prosperous port famous for its handloom cotton-weaving and its wood-carving. In 1739 however, following the Battle of Karnal, the province was ceded to Nadir Shah of Persia, after which Thatta felt into neglect. Not only had the Indus shifted its course, but Britain had begun exporting cotton lunghis to India which were better and cheaper than the once-famous Thatta product. Today, some experts believe that Thatta was the site of the ancient city of Pattala, Pattala being the main port on the Indus in the time of Alexander the Great.
A must-see place in Thatta is the Shah Jahan or Jama Mosque, built by Moghal emperor Shah Jahan in 1647. Doesn’t this name ring a bell? Yes, he is indeed the same architecture genius who ordered the construction of landmark structures such as the Taj Mahal in Agra (India) or the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore.
The Jama Mosque was built in gratitude to the people of Thatta for harbouring Shah Jahan when, as a young man, he incurred his father’s displeasure. It is reputed to be one of the most beautiful gifts given to Sindh by the emperor, and comes as something of a surprise to those used to the white marble and pink sandstone of the Moghal monuments. Built of red brick, the mosque is decorated with blue and green glazed tiles and unlike its contemporaries elsewhere is long and narrow, with arcades on all sides of its central court. The effect of the red brick arches in the arcades, highlighted with bands of white paint, is extremely striking. The arcades are covered with no fewer than 93 domes, which enable prayers said in front of the mehrab to be heard in any part of the mosque, without the help of any loudspeaker.
Before leaving Thatta, don’t forget to take a walk through the Shahi Bazaar, which is very close to Shah Jahan’s mosque. This is a good place to buy sussi (striped hand-loom) and ajrak (hand-block printed) cloth, which is cheaper here than in Karachi. Located a few kilometres away from Thatta, a trip to Makli Hill - the largest necropolis in the world - must be the next thing to do in your agenda. Other nearby places worth a visit include the 1613 built Khizri Mosque, the 1588 built Dabgir Mosque, Tando Muhammad Khan and the Yahya Khan Bridge, the last bridge across the Indus before it reaches the sea.
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