What Verification Means
Verification confirms that a claim has passed the project’s current review standard.
Verification does not mean that every question about a shrine, grave, genealogy, historical event or local tradition has been permanently settled. It means that the published wording, references, classification and location have been examined and expressed at a level supported by the available evidence.
Different parts of one record may carry different confidence. The existence of a building may be certain, its coordinates may be highly reliable, while the burial attribution or genealogy may remain traditional, disputed or incomplete.
A verified physical location is not automatically a verified burial claim, and a well-attested historical personality is not automatically proof that a specific modern structure is the original grave.
Four Dimensions of Review
The project avoids treating all evidence as one single question.
Identity
Names, titles, alternative spellings, biography and whether the associated personality has been correctly identified.
Historical attribution
Whether the site is described as a confirmed grave, attributed maqam, memorial, mosque, destroyed shrine or another defined site type.
Physical location
Whether the coordinate identifies the correct building, entrance, enclosure, graveyard, mosque, memorial or wider complex.
Documentary support
Whether the important statements are supported by usable books, research, institutional records, maps, photographs, field evidence or transparent notes.
GPS Confidence Levels
Levels A, B and C describe location confidence, not religious importance.
| Level | Meaning | Typical evidence | Public treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level A | High confidence | Physical inspection or strong visual confirmation; consistent map evidence; identifiable structure, signage, entrance or landmarks; and supporting sources. | Coordinates may be presented as verified, with a concise note where needed. |
| Level B | Moderate confidence | Several consistent map, photographic or documentary indicators, but incomplete field confirmation or some uncertainty about the precise target. | Coordinates may be published with a visible confidence label and explanatory note. |
| Level C | Provisional or approximate | Local attribution, limited mapping, uncertain entrance or building, approximate area, conflicting pins, or incomplete corroboration. | Use cautious wording; coordinates may remain approximate, under review, or unpublished. |
If publishing a point would create false precision or send visitors to the wrong place, the location remains blank until better evidence becomes available.
How Evidence Is Checked
Verification depends on comparison, not repetition.
Define the claim
The editor identifies exactly what is being verified: a name, lineage, burial, historical association, current building, coordinate or administrative status.
Collect relevant evidence
Books, academic studies, government or heritage records, institutional publications, maps, photographs, signs, local testimony and field observations are gathered according to the claim.
Test independence and consistency
Repeated websites are traced where possible to their original source. Conflicts, copying, date differences and alternative spellings are examined.
Compare physical and documentary evidence
For location work, Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Overpass Turbo, satellite imagery, photographs, roads, landmarks and physical inspection are compared manually.
Assign cautious wording and level
The published language and confidence level are limited to what the evidence can genuinely support.
Verification Level and Publication Status
These are related, but they are not the same field.
Verification level communicates confidence in the reviewed evidence, especially GPS and location work. Publication status controls whether a record is visible to the public. A record can remain Under Review even when some parts are strong, because another essential part is incomplete.
| Status | Meaning | Public visibility |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | The record is being assembled and may contain incomplete names, descriptions, references, categories or coordinates. | Not public. |
| Under Review | The record has meaningful content but still requires verification, correction, comparison or editorial review. | Not public; available to authorized administrators for review. |
| Published | The record meets the current public standard for clarity, references, terminology, location handling and multilingual presentation. | Public and eligible for sitemap, QR and discovery features. |
Minimum Checks Before Publication
Publication should be deliberate rather than automatic.
- The permanent shrine code is stable and does not conflict with another active record.
- Urdu, English and Arabic names identify the same person or place and use appropriate script.
- The site type and category describe the physical and historical nature of the record.
- Burial, lineage, martyrdom and attribution claims use wording proportionate to the evidence.
- The location points to the intended physical target and carries an appropriate GPS confidence level.
- Book, academic, institutional, mapping or field references are usable and separated clearly.
- The descriptions preserve equivalent meaning across all three languages.
- Known limitations, disputes or approximate information are not hidden from the reader.
Re-verification and Change
A Published record can still improve.
A record may be re-opened when a better book reference, official notice, field photograph, corrected coordinate, changed administrative boundary, reconstruction, destruction, new academic study or credible community correction becomes available.
A stronger source may raise confidence; contradictory evidence may lower confidence or return the record to Under Review. Such change is a normal part of a responsible research atlas and should not be treated as failure.
- Major GPS movement or a different physical target requires renewed map review.
- A changed primary identity or genealogy requires renewed source comparison.
- Broken references should be replaced or preserved with sufficient bibliographic detail.
- A record should not remain Published if a serious unresolved error could mislead visitors.
What Visitors Should Be Able to See
Verification is useful only when its limits are understandable.
- Publication status and, where relevant, the verification or GPS confidence level.
- The distinction between a shrine, maqam, grave, mosque, memorial or attributed site.
- References that can be opened, copied or traced to a book and page where available.
- Notes explaining approximate, disputed, destroyed, relocated or inherited locations.
- A correction pathway for submitting better evidence.
The project should never use a green badge, exact coordinate or confident title to hide uncertainty that remains material to understanding the record.