MAHMOOD GHAZNAVI MOSQUE

Perched at the top of a hill, Mahmood Ghaznavi Mosque is the oldest mosque in the north of the country. It was built in shale stone in the middle of the 11th century, and was rediscovered by the Italian archaeological mission to Pakistan in 1985. Although it is now in ruins, its original form is still quite clear.

Overlooking the mosque are the remains of Raja Gira's castle destroyed by Mahmood Ghaznavi when he seized the city of Udegram (ancient city of Ora) in the 11th century. Recent research by an Italian-Pakistani team has also uncovered a collection of 32 sealed protohistoric tombs (dating from the 11th century BC). The majority of the tombs contained two skeletons, one male and one female, facing each other.