Jalalpur Sharif

Infobox City Pakistan
official_name= Jalalpur Sharif


province= Punjab
code= 546

Jalalpur Sharif is a small town located in Jhelum, and is a Union Council of Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil in Jhelum District, Punjab province, Pakistan. [ [http://www.nrb.gov.pk/lg_election/union.asp?district=12&dn=Jhelum Tehsils & Unions in the District of Jhelum – Government of Pakistan] ] It is located at 32°39'34N 73°24'19E, making it approximately 42 km south west of the city of Jhelum.

Jalalpur modern name came from the renaming of its ancient name, "Girjakh", by it's king Malik Darwesh Khan Janjua who was also a high ranking General of the Imperial Mughal Army under Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar’s reign.

It is stated that Malik Darwesh ordered the renaming of Girjakh (part of his extended kingdom) to Jalalpur, when Emperor Akbar visited him ["Evaluation of District Council, Jhelum" by Nasir Ahmad, Abdul Aziz Awan, Noor Mohammad, Pub.Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, 1989, p16] . This was done in honour of the Emperor and the Janjua family's relationship. [Panjāb Under the Great Mughals, 1526-1707 Bakhshish Singh Nijjar, Thacker 1968, p191] Jalalpur at this point was a flourishing centre of trade for the region. [The Ancient Geography of India, Sir Alexander Cunningham, Adamant Media 1871, p163]

The history of region dates back to 326 BC when Alexander the Great and his troops camped in the area of Jalalpur Sharif prior to their battle with Raja Porus.

Jalalpur Sharif is most famous for being the burial site of Bucephalus, Alexander the Great’s horse. Ancient accounts state Bucephalus died after the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC but was later buried in Jalalpur. [Bucephalus buried in Jalalpur Sharif]

A notable landmark of the town is the Tomb of "Haydar Ali Shah" (a prominent Chishti leader of the Punjab, d. 1908). [Muslim Networks from Hajj to Hip Hop (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks), Miriam Cooke & Bruce B. Lawrence, University of North Carolina Press 2005, p235] It is this association with the shrine that the title of "Sharif" is pronounced together with Jalalpur.

The Khewra Salt Mines, the world's second largest salt mine, is located 37 km west of Jalalpur Sharif in Khewra.

Currently under construction nearby is the Alexander Research Institute at the point where Alexander camped before launching his attack on Raja Porus. The project is being supervised by renowned historian Ahmad Hasan Dani in collaboration with the Greek government. Next to the Institute is a model of a Ghauri missile inaugurated by the nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, dedicated to the people of Jalalpur Sharif. [ [http://www.dawn.com/weekly/dmag/archive/041017/dmag9.htm Alexander’s Footsteps by Omar Mukhtar Khan] ]

Jalalpur Sharif has one police station and there are three higher secondary and high schools [http://www.pdksociety.org/files/aboutus.htm Pind Dadan Khan Welfare Society] ] they are:

1. Govt. Higher Secondary School
2. Govt. High School for Girls
3. Govt. High School for Boys

The current Nazim or Mayor of the town is Nazim UC Jalalpur Sharif contactable on 0544 – 786352. [http://www.pdksociety.org/files/aboutus.htm Pind Dadan Khan Welfare Society] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.unc.edu/~cernst/chishti.htm Chishti Photos]

* [http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=32.658743,73.404465&spn=0.008888,0.016994&z=15 Google Maps]

* [http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/04-05/greek-connections-the-salt-range-pakistan.html Greek Connections]

* [http://jalalpursharif.wordpress.com History of Jalalpur Sharif]

* [http://jamiahydria.jeeran.com Jamia Haidria Fazl-ul-Uloom Jalalpur Sharif]

* [http://www.worldisround.com/articles/328248/index.html Local Photos]

* [http://flickr.com/photos/77196102@N00/sets/72157600116286957 More Local Photos]

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Yo9BShY5o Video - 'Beautiful Jalalpur Sharif' by Farooq Hasnat]

* [http://wikimapia.org/#lat=32.658508&lon=73.4043789&z=16&l=0&m=a&v=2 Jalalpur Sharif on Wikimapia]