Chiniot ( Punjabi,

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: ) is a city and the administrative headquarters of Chiniot District in the province of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the river Chenab, it is the 28th most populous city in Pakistan. It is also known for its intricate wooden furniture, architecture, and mosques, and is home to the Omar Hayat Mahal.

History

Early

The origins of Chiniot are obscure, and historical records accurately detailing its founding unavailable. According to some accounts, the city was founded by an ancient king's daughter named Chandan, who while on a hunting expedition, was charmed by the surrounding area, and ordered the construction of the settlement of ''Chandaniot,'' alternatively spelt ''Chandniot,'' which was named in her honour. The name Chiniot, a contracted version of the original name, eventually gained favour, though the older name had been used up until at least the 1860s.

Mughal

During Mughal rule, Chiniot was governed as part of the '' subah,'' or province, of

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. The city reached its zenith during the reign of Mughal Emperor

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

, and his governors of the area, Wazir Khan and Nawab Sadullah Khan of the ''Thahim'' tribe, who served between 1640 and 1656. Under Sadullah Khan's governorship, Chiniot's famous Shahi Mosque was built. Chiniot's artisans were renowned for their skill during the Mughal era, and were employed in the decoration of the

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

, and Lahore's

Wazir Khan Mosque The Wazir Khan Mosque (, ''Wazīr Khã Masīt''; Persian language, Persian, ) is a 17th-century Mughal Empire, Mughal masjid located in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The mosque was commissioned by the then governor ...

Mughal decline and Sial rule

Following the collapse of Mughal authority after the death of Emperor

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

in 1707, the local Sial tribe, a tribe of Zamindar status, under the rule of Walidad Khan was officially granted governorship of the area on account of Khan's loyalty to the Delhi throne. Though nominally a part of the declining Mughal realm, Walidad Khan forged a largely independent state in western Punjab that controlled the region between Mankera and Kamalia. Chiniot suffered heavily during the

Durrani The Durrānī (, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes, tribal confederation of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan (Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, ...

invasion of the late 1748.

Sikh

The Sial state around Chiniot was encroached upon by

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

chieftains in the north, and by

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

i chiefs in the south, before coming under the control of the Bhangi Misl Sikhs by 1765. The Sikhs imposed an annual tribute on the Sial chief, Inayatullah Khan, which he ceased paying in 1778 before also capturing Chiniot. He died in 1787, though the city had reverted to Bhangi Sikh rule before his death. The city suffered during the Sikh ''Misl'' states period in which the city region's Bhangis battled the Sukerchakia ''Misl''. Chiniot was captured by

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia M ...

in 1803, and thereafter became part of the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...

. The city was invested in Sial chief Ahmad Khan, who promised to pay tribute to Ranjit Singh's kingdom. Khan stopped paying tribute, and briefly seized full control of the region in 1808, but was decisively defeated by Ranjit Singh's forces in 1810.

British

The city came under British rule by 1849, and the city was constituted as a municipality in 1862. In 1875, the city's population was 11,999. During the British period, a vast network of canals was laid to irrigate Punjab, resulting in the creation of many new "canal colonies" around Chiniot. Chiniot's famous Omar Hayat Mahal was built between 1923 and 1935 for a businessman who made his fortune in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

Geography

Location

Chiniot is at the intersection of the

Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

Sargodha Sargodha (Punjabi language, Punjabi/; ; ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Central Punjab, central Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 11th most populous city and ...

and

- Jhang roads. It is northwest of

and north of

. Chiniot city is spread over an area of with an average elevation of . Rabwah city, the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Community is on the other side of the Chenab River. In the center of river a worship center (or Chilla Gah) of the Sufi Bu Ali Shah Qalandar is located.

Topography

Chiniot city lies on left bank of the

Chenab River The Chenab River is a major river in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, the Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Hima ...

, and is located on a small rocky hill. Much of the surrounding area consists of

alluvial plain An alluvial plain is a plain (an essentially flat landform) created by the deposition of sediment over a long period by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A ''floodplain'' is part of the process, bei ...

s, interspersed with rocky outcroppings of

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

and

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

that reach up to 400 feet in height around Chiniot.

Climate

Chiniot has a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''BSh''). The weather in Chiniot is variable.

Demographics

Population

According to the 1998 census, the population of Chiniot Tehsil was 965,124 (included urban 172,522). According to the

2017 Census of Pakistan The 2017 Census of Pakistan was a detailed enumeration of the Pakistani population which began on 15 March 2017 and ended on 25 May 2017. It was the first census taken in the country in the 21st century, nineteen years after the previous one i ...

, the city has the population of 278,747. The language spoken is Punjabi.

Economy

The important products of Chiniot includes silk, cotton, wheat, sugar, rice, milk, pottery, wooden furniture, etc. The city's agricultural economy is largely derived from "canal colonies" established during British rule when a vast network of canals were laid to irrigate Punjab. Chiniot is famous for his wooden furniture, and developed as a centre of woodworking given its close proximity to the Chenab River - as timber from

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

would be floated down the river towards Chiniot. Chiniot's artisans are renowned for their skill, and were employed in the construction of both the

and

. The city's metalworkers, along with those of Lahore, were considered the best in Punjab during the British period, and Chinioti designs and were considered superior to those of

Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur () is a city and a Municipal corporations in India, municipal corporation in Hoshiarpur district in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the ...

Jalandhar Jalandhar () is a city in the state of Punjab, India, Punjab in India. With a considerable population, it ranks as the List of cities in Punjab and Chandigarh by population, third most-populous city in the state and is the largest city in the ...

. Ramzan Sugar Mills is located at Faisalabad Road.

Education

Educational institutions in Chiniot include * Allama Iqbal Model School, Chiniot * Chenab College, Chiniot * Govt Al Islah High School, Chiniot * Govt High School Inayatpur, Chiniot * Govt High School Salara, Chiniot * Govt Islamia College, Chiniot * Govt Islamia High School, Chiniot * Govt Primary School, Shareen Awan Chiniot * Govt Mudrassa-tul-Banat High School, Chiniot * Superior Group of Colleges Chiniot Campus * Khatam e Nabuwat Institute of Modern Sciences (KIMS) College, Chiniot * Masoomeen Foundation High School, Chiniot * Masoomeen School and College, Chiniot * National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES) * Punjab College, Chiniot * Superior Group of Colleges Chiniot Campus * Tips College, Chiniot * Unified P/G Science College, Chiniot

Libraries

After his death, Sheikh Omar Hayat's palace Omar Hayat Mahal was converted into a library by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

Transport and communication

Chiniot is connected with the rest of Pakistan by a main highway and rail line. The nearest international airport is Faisalabad International Airport, which is from Chiniot.

Culture

Islamic occasions

In Chiniot people celebrate Islamic occasions with great arrangements. On 12

Rabi' al-awwal Rabiʽ al-Awwal (, also known as Rabi' al-Ula (), or Rabi' I) is the third month of the Islamic calendar. The name ''Rabī‘ al-awwal'' means "''the first month'' or ''beginning of Spring (season), spring''", referring to its position in the ...

, 1440th birthday celebration of the Islamic Prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

, people of Chiniot arranged a 63-maund cake, one of the largest cakes in the world.

Furniture

Chiniot is known for its furniture. Chinioti craftsmen and artisans have for centuries carved flowers and geometric patterns onto

cellulose Cellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of glycosidic bond, β(1→4) linked glucose, D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important s ...

fibres. Masons from Chiniot are thought to have been employed during the construction of the

and

Golden Temple The Golden Temple is a gurdwara located in Amritsar, Punjab, India. It is the pre-eminent spiritual site of Sikhism. It is one of the Holy place, holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Kartarpur, Pakistan, ...

Sport

Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

is the most popular sport in Chiniot.

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

is also played here . Other popular sports include

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

, kabbadi, and

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

Notable people

* Ilyas Chinioti, Politician (Member of Provincial Assembly, Punjab) * Manzoor Ahmad Chinioti, father of Ilyas Chinioti * Nasir Chinyoti, a famous stage drama comedy actor * Muhammad Hussain, baseball player * Saadullah Khan, Mughal Grand Vizier * Wazir Khan, a court physician in Mughal Empire, famous for the

* Muhammad Masood Lali, Politician (Member of Provincial Assembly, Punjab) * Mian Muhammad Mansha, Prominent Businessman, owner of the MCB Bank Limited and Nishat Group * Syed Hassan Murtaza, Politician (Member of Provincial Assembly, Punjab) * Muhammad Nawaz, Former Director General of Pakistan Rangers (Punjab) * Syed Anayat Ali Shah, politician (MNA) * Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, politician and former President of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry * Saqlain Anwar Sipra, politician in Bhawana

Notes

External links

Chiniot Tehsil Municipal Administration
s official site
Chiniot Map
{{Authority control Populated places in Chiniot District Cities in Punjab (Pakistan) Chiniot District Populated places in Punjab, Pakistan