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Wah Cantonment

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Wah Cantonment is a large city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It sits on the Potohar Plateau, northwest of the Islamabad-Rawalpindi area. The city is very close to the historic city of Taxila, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mughal Garden Wah
Mughal Garden Wah

Wah is a busy place with 400,733 people living there. It covers an area of about 58 square kilometers. The city is also located along the Grand Trunk Road. This road is a very old trade path that is 2,500 years old.

Front Wah Gardens
Front Wah Gardens

The name of the city comes from a very special moment in history. Long ago, the area was known as Jalal Sar. In 1607, the Mughal Emperor Jahangir visited the area during an expedition. He saw beautiful natural springs and a powerful waterfall. He was so happy that he said "Wah!" which means "Wow!" in Urdu.

Mughal Garden Wah
Mughal Garden Wah

Later, people began calling the area Wah. The city also has the Mughal Gardens, which were created by Raja Man Singh. Many emperors, like Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, visited these gardens over the years.

Front Wah Gardens
Front Wah Gardens

Wah Cantonment is very famous for its schools and learning. It has one of the highest literacy rates in all of Pakistan. In fact, the rate is reported to be over 99%. Because of this, a former Prime Minister named Shaukat Aziz called it a "Model Education City."

Central Mosque Wah Cantt
Central Mosque Wah Cantt

The city has many places for students, like the University of Wah and Wah Medical College. There is also a large Central Library on Quaid Avenue. This library holds more than 58,000 books and magazines. It even has five reading rooms located in different parks.

Trains are an important way to travel through this region. There are three different railway stations in the city. These stations all sit on the Karachi–Peshawar main line. The Budho Railway Station is the oldest, starting in 1881. The Wah Railway Station opened in 1909 and is the largest of the three.

Wah railway station
Wah railway station
Budho railway station-0820
Budho railway station-0820

The city also has a beautiful mosque called Jamia Masjid. It was opened in 1959 by President Muhammad Ayub Khan. The mosque looks a lot like the famous Badshahi Mosque in Lahore.

Badshahi Masjid wah cantt
Badshahi Masjid wah cantt

Many different things have happened in Wah throughout the years. In 1921, a large cement plant was built there. During the time of Partition in 1947, the city hosted up to 12,000 refugees. The city has also hosted big sports events. In 2005, it held an international women's squash tournament. In 2016, it hosted a regional Kabaddi cup with teams from many countries.

Central Mosque, Wah Cantt
Central Mosque, Wah Cantt

Even though hard things have happened, like the bombings in 2008, the city remains a major center for people in Punjab.

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🖼️ Images & Media (8)
File:Badshahi Masjid wah cantt.jpg
Badshahi Masjid wah cantt.jpg
File:Central Mosque Wah Cantt.jpg
Central Mosque Wah Cantt.jpg
File:Mughal Garden Wah.JPG
Mughal Garden Wah.JPG
File:Front Wah Gardens.jpg
Front Wah Gardens.jpg
File:Central Mosque, Wah Cantt.jpg
Central Mosque, Wah Cantt.jpg
File:Wah railway station.jpg
Wah railway station.jpg
File:Budho railway station-0820.jpg
Budho railway station-0820.jpg
File:Yaad Gaaar - panoramio.jpg
Yaad Gaaar - panoramio.jpg
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