Project

The ancient city of Uch, located west of Lahore on the edge of the Cholistan Desert, was one of several metropolises founded by Alexander the Great on his crusade through Central Asia in the late 4th century B.C. (...)

The ancient city of Uch, located west of Lahore on the edge of the Cholistan Desert, was one of several metropolises founded by Alexander the Great on his crusade through Central Asia in the late 4th century B.C. During the 12th century A.D., Uch was the capital of the Delhi Sultanate, a major trade station along the route to the Arabian Sea, and an important defensive post that resisted Mongol advances toward India. Islamic intellectuals fled from conflict in other areas of the region and flocked to Uch, which became a thriving hub of religious activity and scholarship. The 16 Sufi mausoleums and sacred buildings that compose the Uch Monument Complex were commissioned by powerful Mughal elite in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The three largest tombs, Bibi Jawandi, Baha-ul Halim, and Ustad Nuria, dominate the landscape and exemplify the Mughal influence on indigenous Punjab architecture. These intricate, ceramic and brick structures were built on octagonal or square plans and were decorated with bright blue and white glazed tiles forming geometric patterns and floral motifs. In 1820, a flood damaged the Uch Monument Complex and began a trend of deterioration that has since escalated.