Makhad Sharif, a bowl-shaped city about 150km away from Islamabad, is one of Pakistan’s oldest sites.
Makhad, which means a “deep ditch”, is cited as one of the most popular cultural hubs in history where Muslims, Hindus and people belonging to other religions existed harmoniously.
Makhad has a mosque, gurdwara and a temple where everyone celebrated Diwali and Shab-e-Baraat together. There are mansions as well, built from stone and wood, whose windows open to the Indus River.
But around 70 years ago, 4,000 people mysteriously disappeared from the city. No one knows if a flood washed them away or they migrated, because they were never found. Today Makhad has more graves than its settlers.
