Postcard from Abbasi Royal Graveyard

Our final stop for the day was the Abbasi Royal Graveyard.  It was a short but dusty drive to the graveyard where we waited for the caretaker to come and open the gate.   A large key was extracted from a pocket of the caretaker’s shalwar kemeez and the door was slowly opened.  There are several tombs here, individual tombs for wives and relatives and the main Nawab tomb.  The Nawab tomb contains the graves of all 12 Nawabs that ruled Bahawalpur.  The outside is red brick with traditional Multani blue and white glazed tiles.  Inside the tomb you can see the individual tombs respectfully covered in white cloth.  The interior is highly decorated with frescoes, elaborate wood doors and tile and mirror work.  We started our visit to the Cholistan Desert with the fort and man’s attempt to control his environment, we then visited the mosque and contemplated life today and ended at the graveyard and a reminder that one day we will all return to dust.