Uch

Uch (; ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf (; "Noble Uch"), is a historic city in Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexander the Great during his invasion of the Indus Valley. Uch was an early stronghold during the Muslim conquest of the subcontinent. It is also known as the home for the Naqvi/Bukharis after the migration from Bukhara. Uch was a regional metropolitan centre between the 12th and 17th centuries, and became refuge for Muslim religious scholars fleeing persecution from other lands. Though Uch is now a relatively small city, it is renowned for its intact historic urban fabric, and for its collection of shrines dedicated to Muslim mystics (Sufis) from the 12th to 15th centuries that are embellished with extensive tile work, and were built in the distinct architectural style of southern Punjab.

== Etymology == Uch Sharif was previous known by the name of Bhatiah until the 12th century. The origins of the city's current name are unclear. In one legend, Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari, the renowned Central Asian Sufi mystic from Bukhara, arrived in Uch and converted the daughter of the town's ruler, Sunandapuri, to Islam. Upon her conversion, Jalaluddin Bukhari requested her to build a fortress which he named Uch, or "High." According to another version of the legend, the princess converted by Bukhari was actually a Buddhist princess named Ucha Rani, and the city's name derives from her. Uch was not universally recognized as the area's name for quite some time, and the city was not referred to by early Muslim historians by the name Uch. Uch, for example, is likely the town recorded as Bhatia that was invaded by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1006.