Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

In the period of Ibn al-Hanafia, it deserves notice that the locations of Jhimpir and Kotri geographically were submerged into Indus River. It is therefore, absurd to believe the frivolous tale of the cave, sprouted out in the rock in the period of Ibn al-Hanafia.

It is worth keeping in mind that there was a long stony rock lying on the bank of the Soneri lake. It is evident from the interior walls of the cave that a small prefigured space was definitely hollowed out in the rock by a talent mind. Its size is 10x12 feet with a height of 3 ¼ feet, and none can stand or walk inside. Its interior walls are very solid. The mouth of the cave was plastered, then cemented. Afterwards, it was decorated with a silver frame, which has been removed. It is also believed in the vulgar section that the original cave exists somewhere in Arab, whose tunnel ends at Amir Pir’s location. Mr. Mohammad Hussain, the President of the Ismaili Engineers & Architects Association had visited the location in 1983 with few members of the Regional Council for Karachi and Sind. He examined the cave and submitted his conclusive survey report that the structure of the cave was artificial, not natural.

Outside the cave, a chamber or the dome (quba) was erected, whose internal height is 3 ¼ feet with the level of the cave. It could hardly accommodate 50 persons. In 1951, one another chamber to its right side was built to enlarge the space. Both chambers were partitioned by a wall, and when the wall was going to be demolished to make two chambers as one, it was seriously suggested to drop the program because the wall acted as the pillar and if it would be broken, the roof of the chambers with rock’s debris would bury the chambers. Apprehending lest the chambers without wall would cause havoc, the wall was retained and the second new chamber was marbled in 1953. One can easily judge that the legend of the Amir Pir is so fictitious that a new story was floated in exaggeration to the account of Imam Aga Ali Shah, relating that he sometimes came down from his residence on hilltop and passed his days in seclusion and worship in this marbled chamber. This is absolutely false, the purpose of which was to legitimate the legend of the cave on religious ground.