Punjabi are also spoken. Urdu and English are the official languages used in various educational and government institutions.
History
The city of Ahmadpur East was once the capital of the former
Princely State of Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur (Urdu, skr, ) was a princely state of British India, and later Dominion of Pakistan, that was a part of the Punjab States Agency. It existed as an autonomous state, within Pakistan from 1947 to 1955, when it was dissolved and merge ...
. It takes its name from Ahmed Khan, the son of Ghappa Khan Parjani, who was the first cousin of Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan I. On the invitation of Nawab Mubarak Khan, the dwelling where Ahmed Khan along with his family, tribe and supporters made their permanent abode was designated ''Ahmed Pur'' and the modern name is derived from this. Numerous important buildings and places constructed by the former rulers of Bahawalpur State remain in the city, including Sadiq Garh Palace, Qadeem Mahal and Jamia Masjid Chowk Bazaar.
Geography and climate
The city lies just south east of the Head Panjnad. It is situated 50 km from Bahawalpur, 470 km from Lahore, 15 km from Uch Shareef, 60 km from Yazman, 320 km from Faisalabad and about 750 km from the national capital, Islamabad. The west region of the city is called the Sindh. The chief crops are wheat, gram, cotton, sugarcane, dates, citrus and mangoes. Sheep and cattle are raised for export of wool and hides. It is chiefly desert irrigated by the Sutlej inundation canals and yields crops of wheat, cotton, and sugarcane. Farther south, the Cholistan, is a barren desert tract, bounded on the north and west by the Hakra depression with mound ruins of old settlements along its high banks; it is still inhabited by nomads. The climate is mainly hot and dry. In summer's the temperature reaches high forties degrees Celsius during the day and the nights slightly cooler. Since the city is located in a desert environment there is little rainfall. The weather conditions in area reach extremes in both summer and winter. Average temperature in summer is 33c and 18c in winter. Rainfall is very scarce and scanty. The average rainfall is 20 to 25 cm annually
Economy
Ahmedpur East is also an important agricultural training and educational center. Soapmaking and cotton ginning are important enterprises; cotton, silk, embroidery, carpets, and extraordinarily delicate pottery are produced. Factories producing cottonseed oil and cottonseed cake were built in the 1970s. It is an important marketing center for the surrounding areas and is located on the crossroads between Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta and Karachi. Ahmedpur East is also known for its distinctly embroidered khusa and pottery which is made here. The surrounding area is mostly agricultural, which allows agricultural exports in many parts of the world. There is also a large market town for mangoes, dates, wheat, sugarcane, and cotton that bring in continuous demand all year round. In addition, it has soap making and cotton spinning factories".
Culture
The city of Ahmedpur East is a tourist destination for not only locals but provides an important hotspot for historians and archeologists due to its rich heritage. The City Contains Sadiq Garh Palace Which Was Built In 1302 By Nawab Sadiq I And Many Old Buildings. The
Derawar Fort
Derawar Fort ( ur, ) is a fortress in Ahmadpur East Tehsil, Punjab, Pakistan. Approximately 20 km south of the city of Ahmedpur East, the forty bastions of Derawar are visible for many miles in the Cholistan Desert. The walls have a pe ...
is also in
Ahmadpur East
Ahmedpur East or Ahmedpur Sharqia (), also spelled ''Ahmadpur'', ''Ahmed Pur'' or ''Ahmad Pur'', is a city in Bahawalpur District, Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Ahmadpur East Tehsil. It is the 69th largest city of Pakista ...
tehsil
Ahmedpur East is known for its cotton, silk, embroidery, carpets, and extraordinarily delicate pottery.
The saints of Ahmadpur Tehsil
(1) Syed Mohammad Abdullah Shah Madni Jilani, son of
Syed Abdul Rehman Jilani Dehlvi and a descendant of Sheikh
Abdul Qadir Jilani
ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, ( ar, عبدالقادر الجيلاني, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī; fa, ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusayn ...
. Born and raised in Medina, he walked miles between
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
and
Madina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...
in the heat. He then spent least 12 years of service at the Masjid-e-Nabwi and had a dream where
Mohammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
ordered him to find his
murshid
''Murshid'' ( ar, مرشد) is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher", derived from the root ''r-sh-d'', with the basic meaning of having integrity, being sensible, mature. Particularly in Sufism it refers to a spiritual guide. The term is frequently use ...
Sultan Bahu
Sultan Bahu ( pa, , ਸੁਲਤਾਨ ਬਾਹੂ ; also spelled Bahoo; 17 January 1630 – 1 March 1691), was a 17th-century Punjabi Sufi mystic, poet, scholar and historian. He was active in the Punjab region (present-day Pakistan) duri ...
. He met Sultan Bahu on the 12th
Rabi' al-awwal. During the reign of Nawab Bahawal Khan III, he migrated from Medina to Ahmadpur East for a permanent residence from 29th Ramazan 1241 H/6 May 1826 AD. He died on Friday of 29th Ramazan 1276 H/20 April 1860. His shrine is situated at Fatani Chowk, Fatani Street, Ahmadpur East. He was the 26th Shaikh of the Sarwari Qadri Order.
(2) Makhdoom Bahaudin Akbar, belonging to
Bahaudin Zikarya’s 18th generation of descendants. He migrated from Multan to Ahmadpur East. He died in 26 Ramazan 1267/24 January 1851. He belongs to the
Suhrawardiyya
The Suhrawardiyya ( ar, سهروردية, fa, سهروردیه) is a Sufi order founded by Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi (died 1168). Lacking a centralised structure, it eventually divided into various branches. The order was especially prominent in I ...
Order.
(3) Azmat Sultan, a descendant of Sultan Bahu. His father, Sultan Mohammad Hussain was a
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
dervish
Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity
A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, ...
. Azmat Sultan migrated to Ahmadpur East along with his family and resided there. It was here that he died and his shrine is also located here.
(4) Abdul Asad Khan Afghan: There is a
khanqah
A khanqah ( fa, خانقاه) or khangah ( fa, خانگاه; also transliterated as ''khankah'', ''khaneqa'', ''khanegah'' or ''khaneqah''; also Arabized ''hanegah'', ''hanikah'', ''hanekah'', ''khankan''), also known as a ribat (), is a buildin ...
by the name of Abdul Asad Khan in Ahmadpur East. He is known as being the khalifah of Khawaja Aaqil Mohammad.
(5) Noor Shah Bukhari: In Ahmadpur Sharqia, his shrine is located near Qilla Tehsil. He is from the progeny of Syed Jalal Bukhari. He spent most of his time in the Zikr of Allah. The order of his followers initiated at the desert area.
(6) Molvi Hakeem Gul Mohammad: His
khanqah
A khanqah ( fa, خانقاه) or khangah ( fa, خانگاه; also transliterated as ''khankah'', ''khaneqa'', ''khanegah'' or ''khaneqah''; also Arabized ''hanegah'', ''hanikah'', ''hanekah'', ''khankan''), also known as a ribat (), is a buildin ...
exists in Ahmadpur East. His family was prominent for its knowledge and herbal tips. The shrines of his ancestors still exist in Multan and Uch, Pakistan. He was the khalifah and a disciple of Aaqil Mohammad. His family lineage and biography is preserved in his writing Takmala Sharif.
[''Auliya Bahawalpur'', Masood Hafiz-ur-Rehman, Urdu Academy Bahawalpur, 1984, Bahawalpur, Pakistan]
(7)
Khawaja Muhammad Abdul Malik Siddique belongs to Ahmad Pur Sharkia. He was the Peer-e-Tariqat of
Naqashbandi Golden Chain. Khawaja Muhammad Abdul Malik Siddique was Khalifa of
Peer Fazal Ali Qureshi of
Miskeen Pur sharif District Muzaffar Garh. Now his son
Khawaja Abdul Majid Siddiqui is the Sajjada Nasheen of
Khanqah Malikia.
Khanqah
A khanqah ( fa, خانقاه) or khangah ( fa, خانگاه; also transliterated as ''khankah'', ''khaneqa'', ''khanegah'' or ''khaneqah''; also Arabized ''hanegah'', ''hanikah'', ''hanekah'', ''khankan''), also known as a ribat (), is a buildin ...
. Khawaja Abdul Majid Siddiqu is Khalifa of
Peer Shaikh Mufti Muhammad Fareed Sahib in Naqashbandi.
See also
*
List of people from Ahmedpur East
References
{{Tehsils of Punjab (Pakistan)
Tehsils of Bahawalpur District