Oldest Mosque of Islamabad I Mai Qamroo Masjid I Sultan Muqarrab Tomb I Bagh Jogian I Pharwala Fort

#gakhar #islamabad #rawalpindi Oldest Mosque of Islamabad I Mai Qamroo Masjid I Sultan Muqarrab Tomb I Bagh Jogian I Pharwala Fort Special Thanks: Dr. Abdul Ghafoor, Project Director, Department of Archeology & Museums Mian Muhammad Azeem, Archeological Engineer, Department of Archeology & Museums Zohaib Nazar, Kahuta Music: Binu Kumar, Kerala, India ‪@SoundSFX‬ (Under License) Related Vlogs: Pharwala Fort I Last Sign of Gakhar Rule in Pothohar I Defeat of Asia's Most Invincible Castle    • Pharwala Fort I Last Sign of Gakhar Rule i...   Rawat Fort I Rabat Se Rawat Tak I قلعہ روات I Rawalpindi I Islamabad    • Rawat Fort I قلعہ روات I Rabat Se Rawat Ta...   Dan Gali I Dhan Gali I The Lost Gakhar Paradise I Remains of Rani Mango's Palace I Mazar of Doda Haqani    • Oldest Mosque of Islamabad I Mai Qamroo Ma...   Bagh Jogian means The Garden of Jogis (or Yogis). It was once an attraction for British Army officers who frequented the place for hunting and camping. Facing north, there stands hexagonal tomb of Sultan Muqarrab Khan, the last Gakhar chieftain of the area between Attock and Jhelum. The tomb has no signs of a grave inside the compound. In 1765, Sardar Gujjar Singh Bhangi, the powerful Sikh chief marched from Lahore with a large force against him. Gujjar Singh Bhangi who ruled Lahore for nearly 30 years before Ranjit Singh, had introduced new war skills to Bhangi Misls. In 1765 he had captured the Lahore Fort. From there he moved to the west capturing the formidable Gujrat fort that had then been under Sultan Muqarrab Khan. In December of the same year, Muqarrab Khan fought a battle outside the walls of Gujarat but was defeated and retreated to Jhelum giving up a major part of his possession. The rival chiefs of his own tribe soon declared war on him. Himmat Khan of Domeli and Nawazish Ali Khan of Khanpur allied with Raja Yousuf Khan Pakhral who had a long rivalry with Muqarrab Khan. Muqarrab Khan was finally killed in the battle of Gujarat and the Gakhar rule came to an end. Hari Ram Gupta writes in History of the Sikhs that Muqarrab Khan was last seen riding on an elephant after the defeat in the Battle of Gujarat. There is no clue as to where he went from there. There is no documented history of Gakhars during the Sikh days. That was probably the time when Bagh Jogian witnessed its darkest time as Sikhs ruthlessly killed Gakhars. During this time, thousands of Gakhars were killed by Sikhs. Many escaped to remote areas. Later, during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule, Anand Singh Theporia, grandson of famous Milka Singh Theporia seized the whole area and reduced them to absolute poverty in 1826. The mosque of Mai Qamro at Bagh Jogian is prominent among the many neglected historical buildings in the vicinity of Islamabad. This mosque is situated west of Bagh Jogian village near the right bank of Soan River facing the formidable fort of Pharwala on the left bank. The mosque offers a spectacular view of the fort. Mai Qamro Mosque is claimed to be one of the oldest mosques in Pakistan. However, the claim could be fabricated. The mosque is believed to have been built by Mai Qamro, wife of Hathi Khan (Hamad Khan) Ghakkar, a scion of the Ghakkar dynasty in which women occupied a prestigious and influential position. Some women like Mai Qamro and Rani Mangho acquired renown in the field of arts and architecture. They were also famous for their welfare work like digging wells, building step wells (Baolis) and caravan sarais. Mai Qamro mosque is a great specimen of Ghakkar architecture which appears to have been built in early 16th century. The mosque is built on a rectangular plan and crowned with three squat domes. The southern dome of the mosque has caved in but the two others are in fairly good condition. It is noted for its three arched-entrances. The central entrance is flanked by two recessed arches which lend an amazing beauty to the façade of the structure. Above the arched entrance, one finds a beautiful cut-brick ornamentation. Such embellishment cannot be found elsewhere in Potohar. Another debate is about Sultan Muqarrab Khan’s tomb. Although the Pothohar region was never a princely state; he ruled like a princely state chief. The architecture of Sultan Muqarrab’s tomb is similar to the 18th century Khalsa architecture. It resembles a samadhi of some Hindu or Sikh saint. Many local Gakhars who are from the lineage of Admal Gakhars doubt the hexagonal dome. On the way to the site, there is not a single direction board. All that is left is some oral history narrated by locals and some stories constructed by academics that are lacking in research. Follow us on: Facebook:   / ​.  . Twitter:   / gilanilogs   Instagram:   / zulfiqargil.  . WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaBl...