Shah Yousuf Gardezi Tomb (built c. 1152, rebuilt 1548)
Shah Yousuf Gardezi’s Tomb is located about 600 meters southwest of the former fort of Multan. The historical heart of the site is a small cubical building with a flat roof, decorated on all sides with blue and white glazed tiles embellished with floral patterns and aina-kari mirror-work on the interior.
Very little is known about Yousuf Gardezi’s life, other than that he was born in 1058 in Gardez (near present-day Ghazni) and came to Multan during the reign of Bahram-Shah of Ghazna (r. 1117-57), where he helped to spread Islam and repopulate the city. He died in 1136 and was likely buried in a permanent tomb in the subsequent decades. According to Hasan, the present tomb was probably rebuilt in the 16th century as a plaque located on site provides the year 955 AH, corresponding to 1548 (Hasan, p. 50). The architectural historian Kamil Khan Mumtaz suggests that the reconstructed tomb “probably retain the character of the original as it was built in 1152.” (Mumtaz, p. 44). If correct, that suggests that flat-roofed tombs were in use at least a century before domed mausoleums began to make their first appearance in the city with the construction of Bahauddin Zakariya’s tomb.
Flat-roofed tombs were less common in later years in Multan, but they were used with greater frequency in neighboring Uch Sharif with notable examples being the Jalaluddin Bukhari Tomb and Rajan Qattal Tomb.