ery little has been written about the stonemasons of the Pothohar region in the Punjab, which was once home to many celebrated masons and stone and wood carvers. I have been visiting historical stone structures and writing about them since 1998. Stone masons and masonry in the Pothohar have always escaped the attention of the scholars. However, it did not escape an anthropologist’s gaze. During my excursions in the Pothohar, I particularly focused on maaris (mansions) and masjids (mosques). I have written about several stonestructures that thesemasons built. Every significant building reflects the mastery of certain masons. Local people are familiar with and can readily identify the designs that the masons engraved on stone slabs. Stone carvings have been a part of various villages’ identity.

The list of celebrated masons and stone and wood carvers is long. Here, I’ll mention only a few well-known stonemasons and woodcarvers of Pothohar whose names are engraved on wooden doors and decorative stone slabs of a mosque. The prominent names include Sher Muhammad Mistri of Takiya Shah Murad village, Ghulam Hyder Mistri and his son Ghulam Mohiuddin Mistri of Tharpal village, Muhammad Khan Mistri of Fim Kassar village, Ghulam Ahmed and Ghulam Muhammad of Chawli village, Muhammad Yasin of Ranjha village in the Chakwal district, Sirajuddin Mistri of Pachnand village, Baba Hayat of Leti village and Mistri Mian Muhammad of Mirjan village.

The stone engravers and masons appear to have spent considerable energy and time in making the floral and geometric designs on the façades of the stone-built mosques in various villages in the Pothohar and Salt Range. One can still visit some of the stonemosques in several villages of the Jhelum district; prominent amongst these include, Padhri, Bhet, Dhok Mistri and Dhok Awanetc. In Chakwal, one can see stone mosques in Fim Kassar, Minwal, Kot Iqbal, Siral and Mohra Roshan villages. I have also visited stone mosques in Pindigheb and Jand tehsils of the Attock district.

The skilful craftsmanship and motifs created on the mosque walls by Mistri Nur Gul echo the legacy of his teacher Badar Din, not seen in any other mosque in the Talagang district.

Like other districts in the Pothohar region, Talaganghas been home to stonemosques built mostly in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. One such mosque is located in Suriali village. The Jamia Masjid-Suriali is the most impressive structure in terms of decoration in the district. This village is situated about 13 kilometres northwest of Tamman town on the right bank of Nullah Ankar, a tributary of the Soan River, which is a tributary of the River Indus. Ankar is noted for the remains of prehistoric and historical sites located on both banks of the stream. I came across these during my frequent excursions in the area. I most recently visited the village on September 24, 2022, with my friend Tariq Mehmood Malik, a writer and historian from Talagang town.

During my interviews with the residents of Suriali village, I learnt that the mosque was rebuilt in 1960.The project was completed in three years. Aslam Shah, whom I also interviewed regarding the history of the Jamia Masjid, was more knowledgeable than others. He told me that there were wooden doors and ceilings in the Jamia mosque that were removed during a renovation. According to him, the village’s residents had contributed funds for its construction. The mosque was first built in the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century. It was a simple structure, later demolished and rebuilt in 1960. A few historical mosques in the district are famous for their painted wooden ceilings, carved wooden doors and wall paintings. These include the Jamia Masjid in Singwala village, the Jamia Masjid in Jasial village and the Shahi Masjid in Khichian village.

However, the Jamia Masjid in Suriali village stands out for its exquisite stone carvings. I have visited several historical mosques in Talagang district but have not seen such refined and exquisite stone carvings elsewhere.

According to Aslam Shah, Mistri Nur Gul, a famous mason and woodcarver of Maira Sharif village, was employed to rebuild the Jamia Masjid at Suriali. Maira Sharif is also famous for the shrine complex of Khwaja Ahmad Chishti Mairvi, a deputy of Shah Muhammad Suleiman Taunsvi (1770-1850). Maira Sharif is located about 28 kilometres west of Pindigheb in the Attock district. Mistri Nur Gul of Maira Sharif learnt the art of stone masonry and stone carvings from his Ustad Badar Din of Kanet village in Jand tehsil in the Attock district. Badar Din was the most renowned mason of Jand tehsil during his career. He built several stone mosques in the Attock district. Two of his most famous buildings are the JamiaMasjid at Maira Sharif and the Jamia Masjid at Toot village in Pindigheb tehsil. It is said that Mistri Nur Gulhad been assistant to Ustad Badar Din during the construction of the Jamia Masjid at Toot village.

However, the inspiration for the Suriali mosque came from the Jamia Masjid at Maira Sharif. There are five arched entrances at the Maira Sharif mosque. These lead to the verandah of the mosque. It is believed that three of the arched entrances were built by a mason from Chak Bhaun village in the Chakwal district and the flanking doorways on either side of the triple-arched entrance by Badar Din. The main arched ways are plain and lack decoration but those attributed to Badar Din have three decorative slabs above each doorway. Badar Din also added a stone entranceway in the southern wall which also leads to the verandah. This entrance is decorated with floral patterns and two flanking windows. Both windows are decorated with geometric patterns. It is believed that Mistri Nur Gulused similar patterns at the Jamia Masjid in Suriali. When the old mosque was demolished, Mistri Nur Gulwas engaged in 1960 for the replacement mosque building. The building material for the mosque was stone extracted from the Soan River. Large stone slabs were brought from the river to Suriali, where Mistri Nur Gul dressed and engraved the slabs. It took between two and three years to complete the mosque.

One enters the mosque through the gateway to the spacious courtyard which was rebuilt in 2005 by Abdul Khaliq of Tamman. The mosque is built on a rectangular plan with a triple arched entrance flanked by two windows and two minarets that rise from the thickness of the walls. Decoration on both windows that flank the triple-arched entrance is remarkable for its craftsmanship. Decoration on the windows in the eastern and northern walls bears the same patterns as the mosque in Maira Sharif. Another archway is located to the extreme left.It has been adorned by floral designs. Likewise, one can see floral designs on spandrels of arched entrances that lead to the main prayer hall. Three decorative slabs above the triple arched entrance depict geometric, floral and calligraphic patterns.

The mosque’s interior is now decorated with tiles that have covered the stone carvings produced by Mistri Nur Gul. Two windows on the northern wall also carry floral and acanthus ornamentation. The mihrab arch on the western wall also has intricate decoration.

Another stone mosque in Suriali villageis located in the eastern part of the village. However, it is not as impressive in terms of decoration as the Jamia Masjid-Suriali located in the village’s western part. MistriNurGul’s brilliance carries the legacy of his teacher Badar Din.

The writer is an anthropologist.He has authored 12 books on anthropology, cultural heritage, art and religion in Pakistan. He tweets at @kalhorozulfiqar