Parsi Cemetery is a cemetery in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.[1][2]

History

Constructed in the 1890s, the Parsi graveyard was established to honor the memory of Rawalpindi Parsi merchants Seth Jahangiriji Framji Jussawala and Seth Jamasji Hormasji Bogha.[3][4] Their respective grandsons, Seth Dorabji Cowasji Jussawala and Seth Nasarwanji Jehangiriji BoghaShahshai, erected the cemetery, buildings, and compound wall in January 1898.[3][5]

Prior to the partition of India, Rawalpindi was a religiously diverse city with a significant Zoroastrian minority that arrived in the 1870s.[3] Parsi merchants were drawn to Rawalpindi due to its strategic position as a major business hub and gateway to the North.[3] The marble tombstones in the graveyard, featuring inscriptions in Gujarati script, reflect the Gujarati origins of Rawalpindi's Parsi community.[3][6]

References

  1. ^ "Rawalpindi: Parsi places of worship... still exist!". The Express Tribune. December 1, 2013.
  2. ^ "The Parsi burial ground is a sign of Rawalpindi's rich heritage". Parsi Khabar. May 15, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hassan, Shiraz (January 11, 2015). "For the lost Parsis of Pindi, a final resting place". DAWN.COM.
  4. ^ "The Parsi burial ground is a sign of Pindi's rich heritage". May 7, 2019.
  5. ^ "Shrinking as a people". Bol News.
  6. ^ Shabir, Mahnoor. "The Parsi Cemetery of Rawalpindi". Youlin Magazine.