Of all things about the Pothohar region of Pakistan, what fascinates me the most is its historic built environment. It is both marvelous and ordinary, having so much to offer about its previous and current residents' lives. Humans have been living there for thousands of years. That makes it one of the earliest human settlements in the world, and the oldest in South Asia. To say it in a few words, Pothohar has a very long history of human occupation. One can know, make sense of, and experience how life was and is in Pothohar through different ways, such as the traditions of local people, the landscape, monuments, etc.
Megalithic structures of remote antiquity, settlements and monuments of bygone civilizations, and buildings and spaces of contemporary communities dot its landscape. These structural remains, as well as the oral traditions of the people, bear witness to the colorful built environment of the region. They tell about peoples' interactions with and within the environment and the processes of adaptation, settlement patterns, and socio-cultural and economic structures. Research in the past decades has contributed significantly to the knowledge about the history and cultural heritage of Pothohar, but it is still very underexplored and requires further study. Among the scholars who have worked on the past and present cultures of Pothohar, one prominent name is Dr Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro, whose contributions to Pothohar studies are enormous and very significant. Dr Kalhoro is writing a series of ten books on the history, culture, and heritage of Pothohar within the framework of cultural anthropology.
Dr Kalhoro's newly published book, Sites and Saints of Pothohar, views and discusses the built environment of Pothohar from the perspective of cultural history and anthropology. It is his third book in the series of ten books. Seven of them are yet to be committed to paper. The titles of his other two published books are Memories, Mystics and Monuments of Pothohar and Mystics, Mosques and Masons of Pothohar. He has also written Reflections on the Pothohar Heritage, which is an account of his initial research in the region. All of his books are the result of his extensive study and fieldwork in every nook and corner of Pothohar, in which he has given special attention to the lesser-known aspects of the cultural heritage of the region.
Sites and Saints of Pothohar takes us on an exploration of the rich culture of this region through spaces, symbols, and stories. It contains twenty-eight articles, most of which were published in The Friday Times-Naya Daur, except for two that appeared in Youlin Magazine, along with eighty-four figures. These articles cover different areas of the region. Each article focuses on a particular aspect, such as art, architecture, history, religion, or personalities.
The articles are organized in the book in the following order:
- Petroglyphs of Pothohar
- Sarai Pakka Khanpur
- Historic Bhagpur Village
- The Pre-Partition Havelis of Daultala
- Mosque and Mansions of Dhoke Musa Village
- The Pre-Partition Arya High School of Chakwal
- The Works of Shrimati Jawal Devi of Vahali
- Temples and Havelis of Bhaun
- Jhelum's Historic Padhri Village
- Gakhar Monuments of Pharwala and Bagh Jogian
- Rawat Monuments
- Temples of Gujar Khan
- Glorious Gulyana
- Baba Khem Singh Bedi Haveli of Kallar Sayedan
- Nayika Paintings of Pothohar
- Krishna Temple of Kallar Sayedan
- The Samadhi of Baba Mohan Das
- Fateh Jang Temples
- Sacred Landscape of Islamabad
- The Chishti Sabiri Saints of Kalyam Sharif
- Qadiri Qalandari Saints of Islamabad's Tumair Village
- Saints of Chak Bahadur and Bajrana Villages
- Saints of Gujar Khan's Dhoke Shams
- Chishti Saints of Chawli
- Janjua Saints of Chakwal
- Naqshbandi Sufi Saints of Rupper Kalan Sharif
- A Qadiri Naushahi Saint of Pind Bainso
- Qadiri Saints of Wasala Bangial Village
The figures provided at the end of the text offer visuals of the personalities and spaces covered in these articles.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sites and Saints of Pothohar and learned so much about the not-so-famous personalities and places of Pothohar discussed in it. It is a very interesting read and also an important reference for scholars, especially those researching the cultural heritage of Pothohar.
Sites and Saints of Pothohar was published by Emel Publications Islamabad in 2025. It is available in bookstores in Islamabad or can be purchased directly from the publisher for PKR 1200/US$ 20.