Sahiwal
Pakistan · Asia
About Sahiwal
Sahiwal, formerly known as Montgomery in British India, is a city in central Punjab, Pakistan.
It is the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. It is the 19th most populous city of Pakistan, according to the 2023 census. Sahiwal is located approximately 180 km from the major city Lahore and 100 km from Faisalabad and lies between Lahore and Multan.
Sahiwal is approximately 152 meters above the sea level.
The ancient city of Harappa, one of the major Indus Valley Civilisation sites, is located just 24 kilometers (15 miles) west of Sahiwal.
The city lies in a densely populated region between the Sutlej and Ravi rivers. The principal crops are wheat, cotton, tobacco, legumes, potato and oil seeds. Cotton goods and lacquered woodwork are manufactured.
The modern-day city of Sahiwal was founded in 1865 when a train station was built at the site of a small village on the Karachi-Lahore railway line. The site was named Montgomery for Sir Robert Montgomery, then lieutenant governor of the Punjab and it replaced Gogera as the capital...
Sahiwal travel guide
Getting there
Located on the main Lahore–Karachi railway, Sahiwal is well connected by rail. There are direct train connections to Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Samasata and Madina-tul-Hajjaj.
1 Sahiwal railway station (ساہیوال ریلوے اسٹیشن). (updated Aug 2023) Bus connections are also frequent and run to and from most larger towns in Punjab, including Lahore (Rs 120, 3 hours) and Bahawalpur. There are three best approaches to reach Sahiwal:
First approach is from Lahore. Sahiwal is about 170 km from Lahore, it takes you about 2 hr 18 min to reach Sahiwal on car. You can reach Sahiwal by landing at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore and then take bus or train to reach Sahiwal. The road from Lahore to Sahiwal is dual carriageway with 2 lanes in each direction with central barrier so this is safer approach. Second approach is from Multan. Sahiwal is about 177 km from Multan, it takes you about 2 hr 24 min to reach Sahiwal on car. Foreigners can reach Sahiwal by landing at Multan International Airport of Multan and then take bus to reach Sahiwal. The road from Multan to Sahiwal is dual carriageway with 2 lanes in each direction with central barrier so this is safer approach. Third approach is from Faisalabad. Sahiwal is about 94 km from Faisalabad, it takes you about 1 hr 56 min to reach Sahiwal on bus. Foreigners can reach Sahiwal by landing at Faisalabad International Airport of Faisalabad and then take bus to reach Sahiwal. This road is single carriageway with 2 lanes but without any central barrier, so it is not as safe as the roads from Lahore and Multan.
See
About 24 km (15 mi) west of Sahiwal city are the archeological remains of Harappa, an ancient city dated 3000 to 5000 BC. This was one of the main centres of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, which is also called the Harappan Civilisation. Sahiwal serves as the main hub for visitors to Harappa, which is about 45 minutes' drive away. Buses (Rs 15) leave every 30 minutes and minibuses are available too for slightly more (Rs 20). Alternatively, you can rent a private autorickshaw for about Rs 350 (one way) or Rs 500 (return, with 2 hours waiting time).
1 Ruins of Harappa. (updated Aug 2023)
Sleep
All foreigners who stay the night in hotel or guest house in Sahiwal must go register with the friendly men who work at the District Foreigner Security Cell in the DPO Office Sahiwal. Registration takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Your guest house manager should arrange to take you to the DPO Office.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.