Sialkot is a district of province Punjab, Pakistan, located on the north-eastern parts of the province. The city is the district’s capital and considered to be the 3rd most prosperous city of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 3,016 square kilometres. The town is located at a distance of 125 kilometres from Lahore.
The district is bordered district Gujranwala in the west, district Gujrat in the southwest, Narowal in southeast district Jammu Kashmir in the southwest. It is famous for its manufacturing industries and exports different things such as Sports goods, Textile, Surgical instruments, leather goods and musical instruments etc.
The region is famous for its sports goods production for more than a century. The famous cricket bats, polo sticks, hockey sticks and footballs of the region are exported to the countries all over the world. This article has all the information about the city, including Sialkot History.
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Location: | Pakistan |
| Nickname: | City of Iqbal |
| In Urdu: | سیالکوٹ |
| Type: | District |
| Local Language Name: | Sialkot |
| Coordinates : | 32°29′33″N 74°31′52″E |
| Website: | http://www.sialkot.gov.pk/ |
| Several Union Councils: | 152 |
| Density : | 48,000/km2 (130,000/sq mi) |
| Old Name : | Sagala or Sakala |
| Total Population: | Total : 920,000 (2016) |
| Sialkot’s Chamber of Commerce Members: | 6,500 in 2010 |
| Employed in Sialkot’s Industries: | 250,000 |
| 2015: | Sialkot Exported US$2 Billion Worth of Goods |
| Government | |
| District Coordination Officer: | Hassan Javaid |
| Area | |
| City: | Sialkot |
| Total Area: | 19 km2 (7 sq mi) |
| Codes | |
| Postal code: | 51310 |
| Dialling code: | 052 |
Table of Contents
Sialkot History
The region’s history goes back to the Indus Valley Civilization followed by Verdic Empire, Daradas, Kambojas, and Kaikayas. After the decline of the Achaemenid Empire, Alexander the Great invaded the region in 331 BC followed by Maurya Empire, Gupta Empire, Turk and Hindu Shahis.
Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi took hold of the region and defeated the Ghaznavid Empire. He defeated the Shahis of Kabul in 1005 followed by the Punjab conquest. After the Ghaznavid Empire’s decline, Dehli Sultanate took hold of the region followed by the Mughal Empire who ruled the region for many years. Sikh occupied the area after Mughals decline and ruled the district till 1748 followed by the Ahmad Shah Durrani’s Empire.
In 1857, East-Indian Company came to the region and invited British troops to occupy the region. They ruled the region till the partition of Subcontinent in 1947 century.
Administration
The district of Sialkot is administratively divided into four tehsils which are given below.
- Sialkot
- Sambrial
- Pasrur
- Daska
Population
According to 2017 census of Pakistan, the district had a population of 3,893,672 inhabitants.
Language
Punjabi is considered the major language of the region, spoken by 95 per cent of the population. The people speak two dialects of Punjabi, Majhi and Dogri of the region. The inhabitants also speak languages of Urdu, Pashto and English of the district.
Religion
The maximum number of people follows Islam’s religion (90 per cent) while the follower of Hinduism and Christianity (10 per cent as a whole) are also living in Sialkot.
Sialkot Climate
The region’s climate is hot and dry in the summer season, having an average temperature of 27 degrees centigrade. The winter season is dry and cold, and the district’s lowest recorded temperature is -2 degrees centigrade.
Sialkot Postal Code and Area Code
Postal code: 51310
Area Code: 052
Transportation
The district is linked with other main cities of Pakistan through National Highways, Railway Tracks and Airports. The transportation of the district accessed the inhabitants everywhere through different air, railway and road services. The transportation system of the region makes it unique among all another district of the country.
Road
The district is linked with the other cities of Pakistan through National Highways. Minor roads connect the people of the nearby areas with Sialkot.
Railway
The railway station is linked with all other major cities of Pakistan such as Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Peshawar.
Airport
The region’s inhabitants use the International airport of the region to travel to many countries globally, including the USA, Gulf Countries, Arab countries and Europe. It also connects the people of the region with other cities of Pakistan.
Agriculture
The region has fertile land, and the major crops of the area include wheat, rice, millet, barley, sugarcane corn, cotton, mango and tobacco.
Education
The region contains many educational institutions providing the facility to educate the people of the area. Some of the notable institutions of the district are given below.
- University of Sialkot
- University of Central Punjab, Sialkot Campus
- Government College Women University
- University of Management and Technology
- Quaid ELC
- Allama Iqbal Law College
- Allama Iqbal College of Commerce
- Government College of Commerce
- Brits Education Excellence College
- Jommah Islamia College
- Government Murray College
- Islam College of Engineering and Management Sciences
Sports
The people of this city play sports such as cricket, football, volleyball, hockey, snooker, table tennis and gymnastics. The region is also famous for its sports goods manufacturing, including bats, hockey stick, and footballs manufactured in Sialkot and exported worldwide.
The region contains Jinnah Cricket Stadium and the cricket team of Sialkot also competes in Pakistan Premier League. The sportsmen of the region are as follow:
- Ijaz Ahmad (Cricketer)
- Shoaib Malik (Cricketer)
- Abdul Rahman (Cricketer)
- Mukhtar Ahmad (Cricketer)
- Zaheer Abbas (Cricketer)
- Mansoor Amjad (Cricketer)
- Shahnaz Sheikh (Hockey Player)
- Asif Bajwa (Hockey Player)
- Javed Iqbal (Hockey Player)
- Nasir Ali (Hockey Player)
Tourism
There are many different places in this region which got the attraction of people all over the world. Some of the exciting places of the district are given below.
- Saddar Bazaar
- Sialkot Fort
- Iqbal House
- Do Darwaza
- Clock Tower (Iqbal Square)
- Puran well
- Shrine of Imam Ali -ul- Haq.
Notable People
Many notable people of the district contain poets, politicians, cricketers, hockey players and so many other famous personalities. Names of some of the favourite characters are given below.
- Allama Mohammad Iqbal
- Faiz Ahmad Faiz
- Zafar Ali Khan
- Gulzarilal Nanda
- Syed Faiz -ul- Hassan Shah
- Abdul Hakeem Sialkoti
- M. Latif Tambra (Air Marshal)
- Hamid Mir
- Amjad Islam Amjad
- General Khalid Shameem Wynne
- Zafar Chaudhry (Air Marshal)