Jhelum

About Jhelum

Jhelum (also known as Jehlum) is a city on the western bank of the Jhelum River in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in northern Punjab, it is the capital of the Jhelum District. The city is nicknamed the "City of Soldiers" or "Land of Martyrs and Warriors" since many soldiers from the area served in the British Indian Army and later, the Pakistan Armed Forces, due to characterisation of Punjabi tribes as a 'martial race'.

Jhelum is several miles upstream from the site of the ancient Battle of the Hydaspes between the armies of Alexander III of Macedon and Porus. The location of the modern city of Jhelum could conceivably have been the site of the capital of Paurava. The name of the nearby city Bucephala commemorates the death of Alexander's horse, Bucephalus. Other notable areas nearby include the 16th-century Rohtas Fort and the Tilla Jogian complex of ancient temples. The ancient Grand Trunk Road passes through the city. According to the 2023 Pakistani census, the population of Jhelum was 312,426. Today, there are a number of industries in Jhelum, including a tobacco factory and wood, marble, glass and flour mills.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.