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Jhang

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Jhang is a busy city in central Punjab, Pakistan.

Star and Crescent
Star and Crescent

It sits on the east bank of the Chenab River. This river flows toward a place called Trimmu Barrage. There, the Chenab meets the Jhelum River near the town of Athara Hazari. Jhang is the 14th most populous city in the whole country. In 2017, the census showed 414,131 people lived there. This was a big jump from 1998, when only 293,366 people lived in the city. The city is the capital of the Jhang District. It is also the center for the Jhang Tehsil area.

The city has a very interesting name. The old name for the area was Jhang Sial. This means the "terrain of the Sials." The word Jhang comes from an old Sanskrit word called jāṅgala. This word means rough or forested land. The word "jungle" actually comes from this same root. The city sits at an elevation of 158 meters above sea level. Parts of the area sit on high ground. The town of Maghiana sits on the edge of the highlands. The older part of Jhang sits in the lowlands near the river.

A long time ago, a man named Rai Sial built the city. He was a chief of the Sial tribe in the year 1288. The Sial tribe ruled this land for a very long time. At their strongest, their territory was huge. It reached all the way to the Muzafargarh boundary in the south. Their lands also included Chiniot, Kamalia, and Kabirwala. They even held parts of Bhakkar and Sargodha. The Sial rule lasted until the last ruler, Ahmad Khan, was defeated. This happened between 1812 and 1822 during fights with Ranjit Singh.

Many different people live in Jhang today. Most people in the city follow Islam.

Star and Crescent
Star and Crescent

You can also find people who follow other faiths. There are Christians,

Christian cross
Christian cross

Sikhs,

Khanda
Khanda

and Hindus.

Om
Om

Other groups include Jains,

Jain Prateek Chihna
Jain Prateek Chihna

Ahmadiyya,

Liwa-e-Ahmadiyya 1-2
Liwa-e-Ahmadiyya 1-2

and even small numbers of Zoroastrians.

Faravahar
Faravahar

The city has even had people who follow Judaism

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Star of David

and Buddhism

Dharma Wheel (2)
Dharma Wheel (2)

in its history. This mix of people makes the city a unique place.

Jhang is also a place where many famous people were born. One very important man was Abdus Salam. He was the first Pakistani to win a Nobel Prize in Physics. The city has many famous politicians and poets too. For example, the Urdu poet Majeed Amjad lived there. There are also many famous people in sports and business. Jhang even has a sister city in another part of the world. That city is Madera, which is in California, USA. This link connects the people of Jhang to a place far away.

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File:Om.svg
Om.svg
File:Star and Crescent.svg
Star and Crescent.svg
File:Khanda.svg
Khanda.svg
File:Christian cross.svg
Christian cross.svg
File:Jain_Prateek_Chihna.svg
Jain_Prateek_Chihna.svg
File:Faravahar.svg
Faravahar.svg
File:Star_of_David.svg
Star_of_David.svg
File:Dharma_Wheel_(2).svg
Dharma_Wheel_(2).svg
File:Liwa-e-Ahmadiyya_1-2.svg
Liwa-e-Ahmadiyya_1-2.svg
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