Shrine of Khalid Walid

مقبره خالد وليد
The shrine may be the earliest Muslim funerary monument in South Asia.[1]
30°28′36″N 71°43′24″E / 30.4768°N 71.7232°E / 30.4768; 71.7232
Location	near Kabirwala, Punjab, Pakistan
Type	Sufi shrine
Completion date	late 12th-early 13th century

The Shrine of Khalid Walid (Urdu: مقبره خالد وليد) is a Sufi shrine located in the village of Nawan Shehr,^[2] near the Pakistani city of Kabirwala. The shrine is dedicated to the 12th century warrior-saint Khaliq Walid, popularly known instead as Khalid Walid (not to be confused with Islam's Khalid ibn Walid of Arabia).^[3] The shrine dates from the period of the medieval Delhi Sultanate,^[4] and may be the earliest Muslim funerary monument in South Asia.^[1] The shrine represents the first stage of evolution of funerary monuments in southern Punjab which would later culminate with the Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam in Multan.^[5]

The tomb dates from between the last quarter of the 12th century,^[6] and the early decades of the 13th century.^[4] The shrine bears an inscription stating that the shrine was built by Ali bin Karamakh, who served as Governor of Multan during the reign of Muhammad of Ghor.^[7] The tomb was rediscovered and identified as the shrine of Khalid Walid by Dr Ahmad Nabi Khan and Kamil Khan.^[8]

The shrine assumes the form of a fortified rectangle measuring 70 by 90 feet, and is capped by a low and sloped dome,^[9] with an exterior made of plain brick and inward sloping walls that may derive from Seljuk architecture from Central Asia.^[10] The use of wooden bands horizontally across the shrine, and use of both glazed and cut brick also represents the influence of Central Asian Seljuk architecture.^[10]

The shrine reflects elements of military architecture, with semicircular bastions in each of the shrine's corners, as well as in the middle of 3 of the 4 walls. The western wall of the shrine features a small projection, indicating the location of the mihrab.^[5] The roofline is decorated with crenellations - a feature commonly employed in fortified structures such as the Rohtas Fort. Similar influence of military architecture is found at the Tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam in Multan.^[11]

The shrine's interior is square shaped measuring 24 feet on each side,^[12] with entrance on each side that open to vaulted galleries, and rectangular shaped chambers on the east and west side of the shrine.^[13] The interior space is divided into a series of galleries The shrine's interior walls are decorated with cut-brick designs.^[13] The shrine is notable for its exceptional mihrab made of cut and molded brick, decorated with Kufic calligraphy,^[2] capped with a hood similar to a baldachin. Decorative cut-brick patterns on the ornate mihrab differ from patterns on the rest of the shrine.^[13]