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Jhelum is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the west bank of the Jhelum River, famous for the UNESCO-listed Rohtas Fort, the Khewra Salt Mine and the hills of the Salt Range. The district has given many soldiers to the army over the centuries, and near here Alexander the Great fought King Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC.
The city itself is a busy cantonment town on the Grand Trunk Road, with the Victorian St. John's Church on the riverbank, the Major Akram Shaheed Memorial Park and a colonial-era railway station. A short drive northwest leads to Rohtas Fort, the vast 16th century stronghold of Sher Shah Suri, with its great gates and the Mughal pavilion of Haveli Man Singh on the heights.
To the south rise the Salt Range hills, home to the glowing tunnels of Khewra, the old monastery of Tilla Jogian and the ruined hill fort of Nandana, while to the northeast the huge reservoir of Mangla Dam fills the valley. The cooler months from October to March are best for exploring.
Rohtas Fort near Jhelum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a huge 16th century fortress built by Sher Shah Suri after 1541 to block the Mughal emperor Humayun. Its walls run for about four kilometres over the hills, with 68 bastions and 12 gates, and give wide views over the Kahan River valley.
Sohail Gate is the ceremonial main entrance of Rohtas Fort near Jhelum, a massive stone gateway about 21 metres high with some of the finest masonry of the Sur Empire and floral carving on its outer face. It is named after the local saint Sohail Bukhari, who is buried in the gate.
Haveli Man Singh stands on the highest point of Rohtas Fort near Jhelum, a small brick pavilion built by the Mughal general Raja Man Singh in the late 16th century. It is one of the few buildings left inside the walls; from its terrace you can see the whole fort, the river and the Salt Range hills.
Shah Chandwali Gate links the main fort with the inner citadel of Rohtas Fort near Jhelum, and is named after a saint who, as local tradition tells, worked on its building without pay and was buried beside it. His small shrine is still visited, and the gate is among the best preserved in the fort.
St. John's Church Jhelum is a Victorian church on the bank of the Jhelum River in the cantonment, completed in 1860. Its tall spire is a city landmark, and inside a marble lectern names the 35 British soldiers killed in Jhelum in 1857. Ask the caretaker before entering.
The Jhelum River, the ancient Hydaspes, flows past Jhelum city on its way from Kashmir to the plains of Punjab. Near here Alexander the Great fought King Porus in the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC. Evening walks along the banks and the bridges give the best views of the wide river at sunset.
Major Akram Shaheed Memorial Park in Jhelum honours Major Muhammad Akram, awarded the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan's highest military honour, after he fell in the 1971 war. Its white monument stands among flowering shrubs, lawns and paths, and local families come here in the evenings.
Jhelum Railway Station is a stop on the main line between Lahore and Rawalpindi, with a long white colonial-era building beside the platforms. It still bustles with travellers, and trains from here make an easy, cheap way to reach Lahore or Rawalpindi or to head on to Peshawar.
Khewra Salt Mine in Jhelum District is one of the largest and oldest salt mines in the world. A small train carries visitors into tunnels where pink rock salt glows under coloured lights, past a salt mosque and salt brick models, and the cool air inside offers relief in summer.
Tilla Jogian is the highest peak of the eastern Salt Range near Jhelum, crowned by the ruins of an ancient monastery of Hindu yogis once visited by Guru Nanak. The rough drive or hike to the top is rewarded with temples, ponds and sweeping views of the Jhelum River plains.
Nandana Fort in Jhelum District is a ruined hilltop fort and Hindu temple in the Salt Range, on an old pass between the hills and the plains. In the 11th century the scholar al-Biruni used the hill here to measure the radius of the Earth. The steep walk up passes old walls to wide views.
Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River near Jhelum city is a vast earth-fill dam built in the 1960s, and its blue reservoir stretches far into the hills of Mirpur in Azad Kashmir. The lakeside offers boating, fishing and picnic spots, and the old Mangla Fort stands at the mouth of the dam.
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