ZIARAT SHEIKH HAJE GHARA

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A south-southwest facing cave entrance (up to 6.5 m wide and 2.25 m high, partly blocked by a boulders in the eastern half) gives access to a slightly modified natural sacred cave (temple cave) with a relatively small cave chamber (5 m wide and 2 m high) containing the venerated tomb of a Muslim saint (note 1) put up on a levelled floor. Here, a solitary passage with damaged speleothems, arrives descending (18 m) along the local dip of the strate (200° / -32°) from some 5 or 7 m of horizontal and, in ground plan letter -Y- shaped passages with calcite floors and more speleothems damaged by human visitors. SITUATION: At a travelling distance of 95 km along the road south of Quetta. Just before reaching the village Mangucar (Mangochar), an unpaved road towards Johan leads after a travelling distance of 16.7 km to a pass across the first ridge encountered. Here, the entrance lies about 20 vertical metres above the pass in the left (northern) shoulder. CULTURAL HISTORY: The sacred cave lis at the perfect place for a succesful hermit because it is situated 1) at a prominent landmark close to the main road, 2) at about halfway between Mastung on the Kalat Plateau to Sibi in the Plains of Sindh, and 3) on the top of a pass, where about every traveler would like to take a rest to reflect the journey already covered and to consider the way ahead. Thus, its not amazing at all to find the entrance area modified with piled rocks and religious paraphernalia like bells and flags (of Hindu tradition?), a pole reminiscent of a Mongolian urga adorned with horned animal skulls, and, finally, the carefully maintained 'turba' (note 2) covered with a fine 'kafn' (note 3). It is suspected that the entrance chamber once has been cleared from fallen rocks and that the smooth plain floor is man-made as well. Visitors to the maqbara cave are, of course, oblidged to remove their shoes (note 4). If the local informants were properly understood, the cave site once was seriously fighte for. It remained unclear by whom or if the struggle took place between religiously minded Muslims and Hindus, or resulted from secular interests of Kalat State and the British Agency, or between rulers of Kalat and Quetta, or other opponents. CAVE POTENTIAL - Archaeology: Since the cave is located at a place overlooking the needle's eye on the route from the Kalat Plateau to the Plains of Sindh, the occupational use of the cave obvious. Scanning the debris in front of the cave, leaving the sanctuary proper untouched, might be interesting to archaeologists interested in para-Harapan cultures like Stone Age, etc.s at the perfect place for a succesful hermit because it is situated 1) at a prominent landmark close to the main road, 2) at about halfway between Mastung on the Kalat Plateau to Sibi in the Plains of Sindh, and 3) on the top of a pass, where about every traveler would like to take a rest to reflect the journey already covered and to consider the way ahead. Thus, its not amazing at all to find the entrance area modified with piled rocks and religious paraphernalia like bells and flags (of Hindu tradition?), a pole reminiscent of a Mongolian urga adorned with horned animal skulls, and, finally, the carefully maintained 'turba' (note 2) covered with a fine 'kafn' (note 3). It is suspected that the entrance chamber once has been cleared from fallen rocks and that the smooth plain floor is man-made as well. Visitors to the maqbara cave are, of course, oblidged to remove their shoes (note 4). If the local informants were properly understood, the cave site once was seriously fighte for. It remained unclear by whom or if the struggle took place between religiously minded Muslims and Hindus, or resulted from secular interests of Kalat State and the British Agency, or between rulers of Kalat and Quetta, or other opponents. CAVE POTENTIAL - Archaeology: Since the cave is located at a place overlooking the needle's eye on the route from the Kalat Plateau to the Plains of Sindh, the occupational use of the cave obvious. Scanning the debris in front of the cave, leaving the sanctuary proper untouched, might be interesting to archaeologists interested in para-Harapan cultures like Stone Age, etc.