Thatta punches far above its modest modern size when it comes to historic monuments. This small Sindhi town was once the capital of the Samma dynasty and later a major Mughal provincial centre, and it still holds two of the most extraordinary sites in Pakistan: the Shah Jahan Mosque, with its extraordinary acoustics, and the Makli Necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering 10 square kilometres of royal tombs from a span of four centuries. Both sites are within a short drive of the town centre.
The landscape around Thatta is also striking — flat, arid Sindhi plains running to the edge of the Indus delta, with the Makli ridge rising above the surrounding fields. Come early in the morning to see both sites before the heat builds.