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| Mausoleum of M.A Jinnah is frequently visited by Pakistani nationalists, It is a national symbol of Pakistan. |
Mazar-e-Quaid (Urdu: مزار قائد), Jinnah Mausoleum or the National Mausoleum refers to the tomb (Mazar) of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It is an iconic symbol of Karachi throughout the world. The mausoleum (Urdu/Persian/Arabic: mazār), completed in the 1960s, is situated at the heart of the city. It is the final resting place and mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan and is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
The location is usually calm and tranquil which is significant considering that it is in the heart of one of the largest global megalopolises. The glowing tomb can be seen for miles at night. Khan Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, and Jinnah's sister, Fatima Jinnah, are also buried besides Jinnah. Official and military ceremonies take place here on special occasions, especially on 23 March, 14 August, 11 September and 25 December. Dignitaries and officials from foreign countries also visit this place.
Architecture
The Mausoleum building was designed by Mumbai based Indian architect Yahya Merchant.[1] It is made of white marble with curved Moorish arches and copper grills reset on an elevated 54 square meters platform.[2] The mausoleum is located in a 53 hectare park and the size of the building is 75x75m on ground and 43m high, built on an 4m high platform. In each wall is placed an entrance. 15 successive fountains lead to the platform from one side and from all sides terraced avenues lead to the gates. The cool inner sanctum reflects the green of a four-tiered crystal chandelier gifted by the people of China. Around the mausoleum is a park fitted with strong beamed spot-lights which at night project light on the white mausoleum.[3] In the interior of the grave complex, there are three graves in a row and one to the north.
The northern one, which is decorated with a series of black floral design at the base, belongs to Miss Fatima Jinnah, Jinnah's sister. Out of the three graves, the northern one belongs to Liaquat Ali Khan, who died as Prime Minister of Pakistan. The extreme southern grave belongs to Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar. In the middle lies buriedNurul Amin, who rose to be the Vice-President of Pakistan. All these graves are made of Italian white marble, and they are of the box type, like the sarcophagus of Jinnah, placed on a triple base. But the sides of these graves are tapering inward while that of Jinnah are diverging outward. These are all plain graves, except that of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, which has a basal floral ornamentation.
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