Shorkot
Encyclopedia
Shorkot is a city in the Jhang District
of Punjab
, Pakistan
. It is located at 30°50'0N 72°4'0E with an altitude of 131 metres (433) and lies in the centre of the district, serving as the headquarters of Shorkot Tehsil
. The Sarfraz Rafiqi Airbase, the third largest in Pakistan, is located here. The city is also the location of the tombs of the famous Sufis Hazrat Sultan Bahu
and Hazrat Shah Mehmood Ghazi (Ghazi Pir)and Hazrat Pir Syed Mahboob Alam Shah Gilani. The tomb of Pir Syed Mahboob Alam Shah is in the centre of the Town. He was sent to Shorkot to spread Islam by the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam.
in 325 BC. It is said that Alexander ultimately died of wounds received in this battle, and because of the fierce resistance he revised his plans to conquer the remainder of India
.
Shorkot was conquered by the Ummayad general Muhammad Bin Qasim
between 710-715 CE.
the historical castle situated in many acres of land & towers 200 feet high. The original settlement s part of the old Indus valley civilisation and thels town was built on an arificial mound whose Southern side was used to get the material for building the mound. This mound has at least three layers of soot showing that it was destroyed three times. The visit of Alexander has been confirmed by Alexander Burs F.R.S. who published an account in his book in 1834. They were taking Dray horses as presents from Queen Victoria to Ranjit Singh. From Multan
going up North to Lahore
they stopped near Shorkot and went to visit the shrine of Pir Syed Mahboob Alam Shah finding it to be a dusty shrine attended by an old Syed. There on the Bhirr (mound) they found some old coins with the Greek
word "Bazileous" stamped on it and conjectured that these were the coins left behind by the Greeks. Scattered shards of pottery are still to be found for miles around the old Bhirr showing that is was an extensive settlement. As the river Chenab moved away to the West it lost its importance as river port whilst the nearby town of Pir Mahal known as the Las Vegas
of those days also lost its customers and fell into decline.
Darbar Maan Baap present in Shorkot is shrine of parents of Hazrat Sultan Bahu
. Darbar maan baap is very popular place where many people come from far areas for fateh on shrine. In Muharram there is great rush of people.
Jhang District
Jhang District is a district of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city of Jhang is the district's capital. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the district's population was 2.8 million, of which 23 percent lived in urban areas. By 2008, according to estimates, the population had...
of Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is located at 30°50'0N 72°4'0E with an altitude of 131 metres (433) and lies in the centre of the district, serving as the headquarters of Shorkot Tehsil
Shorkot Tehsil
Shorkot is a subdivision of Jhang District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is subdivided into 16 Union Councils. The city of Shorkot is the headquarters of the tehsil.-Politics:The Tehsil Nazim of Shorkot is Mian Madhu Lal Hussain...
. The Sarfraz Rafiqi Airbase, the third largest in Pakistan, is located here. The city is also the location of the tombs of the famous Sufis Hazrat Sultan Bahu
Sultan Bahu
Sultan Bahu was a Muslim Sufi and saint, who founded the Sarwari Qadiri Sufi order.Sultan Bahu belonged to the Awan tribe, and was born in Anga, Soon Valley, Sakesar . Like many other Sufi saints of South Asia, Sultan Bahu was a prolific writer, with more than forty books on Sufism attributed to...
and Hazrat Shah Mehmood Ghazi (Ghazi Pir)and Hazrat Pir Syed Mahboob Alam Shah Gilani. The tomb of Pir Syed Mahboob Alam Shah is in the centre of the Town. He was sent to Shorkot to spread Islam by the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam.
History
Alexander The Great faced bitter resistance in Shorkot when fighting the MalhiMalhi
The Malhi is a Jat gotra/Kumhar clan from the North Indian state of Punjab and Pakistani Punjab,Earlier based in the region around Sialkot , the Malhis were often wealthy landlords living in North-East Punjab....
in 325 BC. It is said that Alexander ultimately died of wounds received in this battle, and because of the fierce resistance he revised his plans to conquer the remainder of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Shorkot was conquered by the Ummayad general Muhammad Bin Qasim
Muhammad bin Qasim
Muhammad bin Qasim Al-Thaqafi was a Umayyad general who, at the age of 17, began the conquest of the Sindh and Punjab regions along the Indus River for the Umayyad Caliphate. He was born in the city of Taif...
between 710-715 CE.
Historical buildings
BhirrBhirr
Bhirr is a historic castle located in Shorkot, Punjab, Pakistan in the district of Jhang. The tower is around high. Bhirr is an ancient place, with archeological remains such as old coins, old jewelry, and old buildings...
the historical castle situated in many acres of land & towers 200 feet high. The original settlement s part of the old Indus valley civilisation and thels town was built on an arificial mound whose Southern side was used to get the material for building the mound. This mound has at least three layers of soot showing that it was destroyed three times. The visit of Alexander has been confirmed by Alexander Burs F.R.S. who published an account in his book in 1834. They were taking Dray horses as presents from Queen Victoria to Ranjit Singh. From Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
going up North to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
they stopped near Shorkot and went to visit the shrine of Pir Syed Mahboob Alam Shah finding it to be a dusty shrine attended by an old Syed. There on the Bhirr (mound) they found some old coins with the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word "Bazileous" stamped on it and conjectured that these were the coins left behind by the Greeks. Scattered shards of pottery are still to be found for miles around the old Bhirr showing that is was an extensive settlement. As the river Chenab moved away to the West it lost its importance as river port whilst the nearby town of Pir Mahal known as the Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
of those days also lost its customers and fell into decline.
Darbar Maan Baap present in Shorkot is shrine of parents of Hazrat Sultan Bahu
Sultan Bahu
Sultan Bahu was a Muslim Sufi and saint, who founded the Sarwari Qadiri Sufi order.Sultan Bahu belonged to the Awan tribe, and was born in Anga, Soon Valley, Sakesar . Like many other Sufi saints of South Asia, Sultan Bahu was a prolific writer, with more than forty books on Sufism attributed to...
. Darbar maan baap is very popular place where many people come from far areas for fateh on shrine. In Muharram there is great rush of people.