Sialkot

Sialkot  is a city and capital of Sialkot District located in the north-east of the Punjab province in Pakistan and is 13th in the List of most populated metropolitan areas in Pakistan. It is located at the foot of Kashmir hills near the Chenab River. The city is about 125 km (78 mi) north of Lahore. The recorded history of Sialkot covers thousands of years. Sialkot has, since its foundation, experienced migrations of Hindu, Buddhist, Persian, Greek, Afghan, Turk, Sikh, Mughal and British people to that of present-day Pakistan. Sialkot has been the birthplace of many noted personalities, including philosopher / poet Dr Muhammad Iqbal, poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz, the second Prime Minister of India, Sri Gulzarilal Nanda, writer Rajinder Singh Bedi, Kuldip Nayyarand a number of sports and art personalities.

Lying between 32°30′ North latitude and 74°31′ East longitude at an altitude of 256 m above sea level, Sialkot is bounded on the north by Jammu, north-west by Gujrat, on the west by Gujranwala and on the south by Narowal. The Chenab river flows to the north of Sialkot. There are three small seasonal streams flowing through the city, Aik, Bher and Palkhu.

Sialkot is a great center of the Punjabi culture. The old city has a fascinating labyrinth of narrow streets and crowded bazaars. In the old part of the city is located the shrine of Hazrat Imam Ali-ul-Haq also known as Imam Sahib. The mausoleum complex is a maze of narrow corridors leading to several shrines of saints. The tomb of Imam Ali-ul-Haq is to the right, through a mirrored gateway tiled with Koranic inscriptions and geometric designs. On a low hill, in the centre of the old city, are the few remains of the Sialkot Fort which is popularly believed to mark the site of the original stronghold of Raja Salivahan; but the fort itself is not more than 1000 years old and is said to have been rebuilt by Shahab-ud-Din Ghauri at the end of the twelfth century A.D. The fort is now dismantled, and the few buildings it contains are used for public purposes. The shrine of the Muslim saint, Pir Muradia Shah, is also situated on the Sialkot Fort. Puran’s Well is a famous historical site, which is related with the Punjabi folklore ‘Bhagat Puran’. It is located just outside the city of Sialkot. According to Mutiny in Sialkot there were remains of Puran’s tomb extant in 1857 but now there is no tomb except for a small building, a small place for worship and a running well.

Content from tourism.youmagix and wikipedia