Khewra Salt Mine – “A wonder of the World”
Every
summer, I always plan with my family to visit a tourist as well as historical
places in the world. This summer we planned to visit a very remarkable place
called “Kewera salt Mine”. I always wanted to visit Khewra mine
and finally, the day arrived when I was there with my family. Some things and
some places are worth waiting for. It was a bright sunny hot day in June.
Kewera is 180km far from Islamabad. It can be accessed by two routes one
from Islamabad Motorway (M1 via Kalar Kahar Interchange, which is a bit longer
route, as here you have to cross Choa Seydan Shah and then reach the salt mine.
It is a half-plane and half-hilly road. While another route is via Liyya
Interchange. From Lilla Interchange, the Khewra salt mine is just 42 km
distance. This is far shorter and better than the Kaler Kahar interchange.
The weather was a little bit hot but
we were excited to visit the salt mine. So, we started our trip at 7:00 AM
and reached the salt mine around 9:00 AM. When we reached there I
realize that this is not a good place to visit because there is no tree or
shade to park our vehicle or to relax. All around us, there are big mountains
with no greenery. The weather was also hot as compared to our city.
The Khewra
Salt Mines is located in Khewra, north of a small city called Pind Dadan
Khan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's largest and oldest salt mine
and the world's second-largest mine. It is also called the world’s
largest edible pink salt mine. This salt range started near the Jhelum
River and finish at the Indus River in Kala Bagh District Minawali.
We bought
3 tickets for around Rs. 700- for
entrance and train ride. The train took us into the mine. It is around a 1.5
KM / 1-mile long tunnel. The weather inside the tunnel was cold as
compared to the outside. I feel very pleasant and my mind is changed about this
place. After passing by a huge main tunnel inside the mine, we reached our
destination where the guide took us first all to a beautiful Mosque
that is situated inside the mine and made of salt. Different light bulbs have
been placed inside the rocks made of salt thus giving a very bright and golden
shine to the Salt Mosque. It’s really amazing and a work of appreciation.
Everything
in the tunnel was made up of pink and white salt. The tour guide told us
about the historical background of the mine. He told that, In 1849, Brits took charge and started working here on a scientific basis
to get salt. In 1872, under the guidance of a famous British Mining
Engineer named Dr. Warth. He further told that the Khewra salt mine is also been called
the 'Natural Museum on the
Earth'. There were
a few rooms inside the mine which were supposed to be used as a post office
during the British regime.
The Total
length of the mine is 300 km, the width is from 8 to 30 km and the height
is 2200ft to 4990ft. Khewra mine has 17 stories. Only the
ground floor has been opened for tourists. According to scientific rules and regulations,
50% of the salt is taken from here for consumption while the rest of 50% of the
salt is left over here so that it can work as a pillar to give support to
the mine range.
In Khewra
mine different kinds of souvenirs are available and are they all made of salt. There are many different designs of lamps
that look unique in themselves. There is a very nice restaurant with desi food
and some shops are located in the mine. We eat lunch and buy some decoration
pieces. In the evening around 7:00 PM, we came back home.
At last, I
must say that if anyone gets a chance then must visit this unique piece of art. The entire
salt range is pink and desolate. The mine is famous for its production
of Pink Khewra Salt, often marketed as Himalayan salt. Must take
some water and food items with you because there are few restaurants and shops
at the site.
