TOURIST RESORT KHEWRA: July 2016

Introduction

The Khewra Salt Mine (or Mayo Salt Mine) is located in Khewra, north of Pind Dadan Khan,an administrative subdivision of Jhelum District, Punjab Region, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's largest and oldest salt mine and the world's second largest. It is a major tourist attraction, drawing up to 250,000 visitors a year. Its history dates back to its discovery by Alexander's troops in 320 BC, but it started trading in the Mughal era. The main tunnel at ground level was developed by Dr. H. Warth, a mining engineer, in 1872 during British rule. After independence, the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation took over the mine, which still remains the largest source of salt in the country, producing more than 350,000 tons per annum of about 99% pure halite. Estimates of the reserves of salt in the mine vary from 82 million tons to 600 million tons.

HISTORY

The Khewra Salt Mine is also known as Mayo Salt Mine, in honour of Lord Mayo, who visited it as Viceroy of India. The mine is a part of a salt range that originated about 800 million years ago, when evaporation of a shallow sea followed by geological movement formed a salt range that stretched for about 300 kilometres (185 miles). The salt reserves at Khewra were discovered when Alexander the Great crossed the Jhelum and Mianwali region during his Indian campaign. The mine was discovered, however, not by Alexander, nor by his allies, but by his army's horses, when they were found licking the stones. Ailing horses of his army also recovered after licking the rock salt stones. During the Mughal era the salt was traded in various markets, as far away as Central Asia. On the downfall of the Mughal empire, the mine was taken over by Sikhs. Hari Singh Nalwa, the Sikh Commander-in-Chief, shared the management of the Salt Range with Gulab Singh, the Raja of Jammu. The former controlled the Warcha mine, while the latter held Khewra. The salt quarried during Sikh rule was both eaten and used as a source of revenue. In 1872, some time after they had taken over the Sikhs' territory, the British developed the mine further. They found the mining to have been inefficient, with irregular and narrow tunnels and entrances that made the movement of labourers difficult and dangerous. The supply of water inside the mine was poor, and there was no storage facility for the mined salt. The only road to the mine was over difficult, rocky terrain. To address these problems the government levelled the road, built warehouses, provided a water supply, improved the entrances and tunnels, and introduced a better mechanism for excavation of salt. Penalties were introduced to control salt smuggling.While working with Geological Survey of India in the 1930s and 1940s, Birbal Sahni found evidence of angiosperms,gymnosperms and insects from the Cambrian period inside the mine.

Location

Khewra Salt Mine is situated in Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil of Jhelum District. Located about 200 km (125 miles) from Islamabad and Lahore, it is accessed via the M2 motorway, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) off the Lilla interchange while going towards Pind Dadan Khan on the Lilla road. The mine is in mountains that are part of a salt range, a mineral-rich mountain system extending about 200 km from the Jhelum river south of Pothohar Plateau to where the Jhelum river joins the Indus river. Khewra mine is about 288 meters (945 feet) above sea level and about 730 meters (2400 feet) into the mountain from the mine entrance. The underground mine covers an area of 110 km² (43 sq. miles).

Production

Estimates of the total reserves of salt in the mines range from 82 million tons to 600 million tons. In raw form it contains negligible amounts of Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sulphates and moisture, with Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Chromium and Lead as trace elements. Salt from Khewra, also known as Himalayan salt, is red, pink, off-white or transparent. In the early years of British rule, the Khewra mine produced about 28,000 to 30,000 tons per annum; it increased to about 187,400 tons per annum for the five fiscal years ending 1946–7 and to 136,824 tons for the two years ending 1949–50 with the systematic working introduced by Dr H. Warth. The mine's output was reported in 2003 to be 385,000 tons of salt per annum, which amounts to almost half of Pakistan's total production of rock salt. At that rate of output, the tunnel would be expected to last for another 350 years.

The mine comprises nineteen stories, of which eleven are below ground. From the entrance, the mine extends about 730 meters (2440 ft.) into the mountains, and the total length of its tunnels is about 40 km (25 miles). Quarrying is done using the room and pillar method, mining only half of the salt and leaving the remaining half to support what is above. The temperature inside the mine remains about 18–20 °C throughout the year. A 2 ft. (610 mm) narrow gauge railway track laid during the British era is used to bring salt out of the mine in rail cars.

Himalayan salt is Pakistan's best known rock salt. It is used for cooking, as bath salt, as brine and as a raw material for many industries, including a soda ash plant set up by Akzo Nobel in 1940. Salt from Khewra mine is also used to make decorative items like lamps, vases, ashtrays and statues, which are exported to the United States, India and many European countries. The use of rock salt to make artistic and decorative items started during the Mughal era, when many craftsman made tableware and decorations from it. Warth introduced the use of a lathe to cut out art pieces from the rock salt, as he found it similar to gypsum in physical characteristics.

In 2008 the Government of Pakistan decided to sell off seventeen profitable organisations including Khewra salt mines, but the plan was shelved. The mine is now operated by the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, a government department.

Tourism

Khewra Salt Mine is a major tourist attraction, with around 250,000 visitors a year, earning it considerable revenue. Visitors are taken into the mine on a train. There are numerous pools of salty water inside. The Badshahi Mosque was built in the mining tunnels with multi-coloured salt bricks about fifty years ago. Other artistic carvings in the mine include a replica of Minar-e-Pakistan, a statue of Allama Iqbal, an accumulation of crystals that form the name of Muhammad in Urdu script, a model of the Great Wall of China and another of the Mall Road of Murree. In 2003 two phases of development of tourist facilities and attractions were carried out, at a total cost of 9 million rupees. A clinical ward with 20 beds was established in 2007, costing 10 million rupees, for the treatment of asthma and other respiratory diseases using salt therapy. The "Visit Pakistan Year 2007" event included a train safari visit of Khewra Salt Mine. In February 2011 Pakistan railways started operating special trains for tourists from Lahore and Rawalpindi to Khewra. For this purpose the railway station of Khewra was refurbished with the help of a private firm.

Other visitor attractions in the mine include the 75-meter-high (245 feet) Assembly Hall; Pul-Saraat, a salt bridge with no pillars over a 25-meters-deep (80-foot-deep) brine pond; Sheesh Mahal (Palace of Mirrors), where salt crystals are light pink; and a cafe.

There are following Visiting point inside the mine:

1. Badshahi Mosque (salt mosque)

2. Asthma Resort/Small Dispensary

3. Cannon

4. Chaghi Mountain

5.Salt Tower/Angoori Bagh

6. Minare-e-Pakistan

7.Water pools/Brine Solution Pools

8. Cristal Vally

9. Fawara Chowk

10. Salty Waterfall

11. Mughal Cave

12.Salt Palace/Sheesh Mahal

13.Pull-Saraat

14.Wish Wall

15.Leak Saif -ul -Malook

1. Badshahi Mosque (Salt Mosque)

The Underground Salt's City of Pakistan. A small mosque ( The Badshahi Mosque) made of salt bricks inside the Khewra salt mine tourist resort. The Badshahi Mosque was built in the mining tunnels with multi-coloured salt bricks about fifty years ago. This mosque is specially construct for "Khewra Salt Mines" Tourists and Works for offering the prayer during the working hours. "Khewra Salt Mine" is a Pakistan's Biggest Tourist Resort whose having more than 10,000 to 20,000 visitors per day.

2. Asthma Resort/Small Dispensary

A centuries-old salt mine is offering experimental asthma therapy, attracting patients from all over the world. Khewra salt is 160 kms southeast of Islamabad, reported as the world's second largest salt mine, has for centuries extracted the crucial mineral for export and has become a tourist attraction complete with a salt mosque and an electric train. Now, the mine is cashing in on salt therapy, an experimental treatment for asthma. The mine, located 160km south of Islamabad, was discovered in 320 BC by Alexander’s troops and first developed by British colonial rulers in 1872, mine officials say. Located deep underground in the mine, the asthma clinic resembles an up market guesthouse, with 12 beds covered in white sheets and red blankets in six independent cabins separated with salt bricks and softly lit by lamps

A salt mine in Pakistan is pioneering experimental treatment of asthma therapy, there is no needs of medicines, Inhalers and injections in this underground hospital, the mine is treating particular kind of asthma which is caused by dust, pollen and other allergens. People from around the world are coming here for asthma treatment. Patients breath crystal clear air in this mine for eleven hour a day to treat their asthma, one such patient said

“ That when he came here was unable to breath properly due to which he was unable to talk continuous even for 5 minutes now after spending few days here he is able to breathe normal and his lungs are functioning properly, he says he feels more energy inside him and his life appears to change and he is very happy for his treatment”.

This clinic was opened in the year 2007 and till now it has treated 500 asthma sufferers. The head of this hospital claims that the patients who were treated in Khewra mine 80 percent of them improved their asthma symptoms to a considerable amount and they are very happy with this natural treatment. The doctor at khewra mine said that when an asthma patient spends 110 hours here and he or she breathe air from this mine their lungs get cleans from the toxic substance by the electric fields which is contained in this salt mine air which goes inside the lungs of the patients with their breathing and hence cleaning their lungs which relives them from the asthma without taking any medicines or inhalers.

But some doctors says that it is the clean air inside this salt mine which helps relieves symptoms of asthma but when the patients goes outside of this mine their lungs again bombarded by the allergens which are present in the air and hence they once again develop asthma because the air inside the khewra mine does not improve the immune system of the patients it just cleans the lungs from the toxic substance which help relieve the symptoms.

Doctor outside of mine who treat asthma says that patients immune system can only be increased by taking vitamin E,C,D .
Pakistan is one of the handful of few countries which offering treatment of asthma natural treatment at this Khewra mine.
The cost of this treatment is very nominal i.e. $62 for spending 11 days at the khewra mine, Authorities are still accessing the success of this asthma clinic and they are considering expanding asthma hospital from 12 to 100 beds.

3. Cannon

A Historic Canon displayed in Khewra Salt Mines. Used in old times to shoot the hanging loose salt pieces.

4. Chaghi Mountain

There is a beautiful mountain inside the mine which is called Chaghi Mountain. Because this mountain looks like Chaghi mountain. It’s a beautiful visiting point inside the mine.

This point is built after one by one salty water dripping within 75 years. Scientifically the upper side salty water dripping is called “stalactites” and its deposit is called “stalagmites “.

5. Salt Tower/Angoori Bagh

This point also built after one by one salty water dripping within 50 years. this point look like a view of garden like branches of tree hanging down. The upper side salty water dripping scientifically known as "STALACTITES”. When the saturated brine comes down to the floor becomes solid and start to build "STALAGMITES”. The drops coming down from STALACTITES are called "ASHAK-E-NAMAK"(TEAR OF SALT).

The mountain rising from the floor as a result of these drops is called "AAH-E-NAMAK"(sigh of salt).

The separation between ASHK-E-NAMAK and AAH-E-NAMAK is "FIRAQ-E-NAMAK".

6. Minar-e-Pakistan

Replica of Minar-e-Pakistan of different shades of hollow rock salt bricks has been constructed inside the Khewra Mine.When lighted it gives a beautiful look.
(Minar-e-Pakistan in the lqbal Park, Lahore was constructed to commemorate the famous Lahore Resolution which on 23 March 1940, in which Pakistan Muslim League, the single representative political party of all Muslims of the India in its historic 34 annual session unanimously demanded the creation of a separate homeland for the Muslims of this sub-continent. The Minar is a blend of Mughal and modern architecture and has been very boldly designed. The foundation stone was laid on 23 March 1960 by the governor West Pakistan Mr Akhtar Hussain in the Minto Park, which was later renamed as Iqbal Park, after poet Dr Iqbal who first gave the idea of a separate Muslim country for the Muslims of the British India)

7. Water pools/Brine Solution Pools

The chambers and veins of salt are reflected in the perfectly still brine water pools of Khewra Salt Mine. (Above the middle line is salt and below the middle line is water where one can see the reflection.)

8. Crystal Valley

for more than 20 years this area remained a pond of water.
crystallization of brine(solution of salt) resulted into this special area.
like pearls fixed on a sheet.
two types of crystals.
cubic crystals,because of sodium chloride.
needle crystal,because of Gypsum(Calcium Sulfate).
further pumping of water will result into more fine crystals like diamonds.

9. Fawara Chowk

This visiting point is recent development.Here lights fixed into the artificial flowers which is an amazing view. Visitors enjoyed this development. And appreciate it.

10. Salty Waterfall

Here is a waterfall inside the mine.

Basically this is a natural ventilator which is open on the top of this mountain from there fresh air come and people feel relax in the mine.like this there a 12 ventilator in whole mine.some are natural and some are mechanical.