Khewra Salt Mine

Located about 200 kilometers from Islamabad, in the famous, time-old salt range region, lies a strikingly scenic place which is both a geographical rarity and an economic treasure trove. I'm referring to the salt mine at Khewra, reportedly the largest rock salt deposit on the Asian continent and the world's second biggest salt mine. The discovery of salt here extends back in time to 326 B.C. when the horses of the army of the Macedonian General Alexander the Great were observed licking the ground. The local tribes mined the salt for centuries thereafter but it was under British colonial rule that modern mining techniques were introduced by the mining engineer Dr. H. Warth, who made the first tunnel at the ground level in 1872. A railway line was also laid to the nearby town of Jhelum to transport salt rocks. Today, salt is mined on 17 or 19 levels but only the ground level is open to tourists. At the present rate of mining, there is sufficient salt to last for another 350 years. Most of the current salt production of approximately 325,000 tonnes is used in industrial production (with the Imperial Chemical Industries Soda Ash Khewra absorbing about 200,000 tonnes of the total output), some is exported for personal consumption in the Pakistani and overseas (especially Indian) markets, or used to make lamps and decorative objects. 

I visited Khewra four times: Once back in 1994, then on April 9th 2006, subsequently with my parents on May 6th 2007, and, last on June 3rd 2007 with two friends and our hired driver. I snapped hundreds of photos with my digital cameras during my second, third and fourth visits. My first two visits were organized by the Asian Study Group, the third and fourth were privately arranged.

The mine, which is owned and operated by the state-owned Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, can be reached easily by road. In 1994, our group travelled there from Islamabad by coach via the Grand Trunk road. On my recent fourth visit my friends and I took the same route. In my second and third visits to the mine earlier in 2007, we used the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway, turning off at the exit at Lilla (160 kilometers from Islamabad) in the direction of Pind Dadan Khan and following the road to Khewra for another 30 kilometers distant (after about 20 kilometers from the Lilla exit turn left at the T-intersection towards Khewra). The Pind Dadan Khan road is, unlike the excellent motorway, in a lousy shape and heavily pot-holed at places. But the view of the surrounding flatland with hills in the horizon is spectacular :0) The last stretch of road which passes through Khewra town is in an awful condition and if you own a rickety vehicle in its terminal stage of life, maybe you should reconsider using it to travel to the mine! Doing so, though, is really an experience of a lifetime.

To reach its core, visitors can walk a kilometer or so through the shaft or they can take a five-minute ride in a rickety electric train (probably also from ancient times!) whose noise level is so thunderous that you'd best carry ear plugs to prevent your eardrums from bursting, and which is also so bumpy that you feel like you're on the rodeo! Once inside the mine, you'll find that everything it has to offer is impressive.  The ceilung of the famous assembly hall stands about 75 metres above the floor. Miners have constructed a small mosque and post office from pink and white salt rocks formed into bricks. Reproductions of major architectural landmarks in Pakistan, such as the Minar-i-Pakistan in Lahore, have also been constructed from salt bricks over this past year. Lights placed inside these structures cause them to glow beautifully. The guide may show you the magnificent "diamond alley" whose walls and ceiling are encrusted with white and pink salt crystals which scintillate like jewels when illuminated with light. There is also a lovely place called the "Sheesh Mahal" whose pinkish walls and ceilings convey an almost surreal impression. I was told that some movies were filmed here. And the mine contains several lakes so saturated with brine that any object which falls in them will float on the water surface. These lakes, some spanned by bridges, are amazing to look at. The pinkish cavern ceilings just a few meters above are reflected by the water in a manner which is so deceiving, that the visitor gets the impression that the uneven surfaces of these ceilings are really the surfaces of the bottom of the lakes! Therefore, the lakes appear to be quite shallow, whereas in reality they may be quite deep. The temperature in the mine stays constant around 18 degrees centigrade throughout the year.      

On my first visit to the mine, there weren't many vistors around. Things have changed a lot ever since. In 2002, the management of the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation launched the "Khewra Salt Mines Resort Development Project" to promote tourism. Nowadays, every year the mine attracts about around 40,000 tourists - both Pakistanis and foreigners. Whole busloads of people, mostly a younger crowd, descended on the mine on April 9th, 2006. I suppose they do so on most days. A few shops have sprung up inside the mine as well as many outside it. I recommend a visit to the souvenir shop near the ticket counter where animals, lamps and other objects made of rock salt can be purchased. There are a number of such shops and street vendors in proximity of the mine. 

If you're spending time in this region of Pakistan, the salt mine at Khewra is one place which MUST be on your tour itinerary. Visiting the mine is truly an experience of a lifetime and everything about is inspiring. The mine is open throughout the week (including Sundays and holidays) from 9 AM to 6 PM. The entrance ticket in April 2006 cost Pak. Rupees 30 (adults) and Rupees 15 (students); for our foreign group members, it was USD 6 (adults) and USD 3 (students). There was also a nominal charge of Rupees 10 for car parking and a seperate fee for using the electric train. Unfortunately, on my third visit to the mine on May 6th, 2007, I discovered that the cost had risen quite substantially. For three persons (my parents and myself), I paid for each of us Rupees 60 (entrance ticket), Rupees 25 (for car parking) and Rupees 400 (for use of the electric train). However, the price includes the services of a guide who meets the guests when the train arrives inside the mine and stops by the salt mosque. I also noticed on this recent visit that there fewer people about, possibly because of the cost, but maybe also because of the searing summer heat outside which was around 40 degrees centigrade.

These four photos are of the salt range region in which the Khewra Salt Mines are located. The hills contrast greatly with the flat plains of the Punjab. On the right is Khewra town.

These three photos were taken inside the Khewra Salt Mines. I didn't take many photos at the time because my camera was inappropriate for the darkness inside. The photo on the extreme left shows the mosque constructed enturely of salt bricks and illuminated. In the photo in the middle, the guide is explaining to our group members and the photo on the right shows a very large salt rock.

Two photos of me standing in front of the entrance to the Khewra Salt Mines. The photo on the left was taken on my first visit there in 1994. The photo on the right was taken on my second visit on 9th April 2006. Have I and the mine entrance changed much in those twelve years?

Our guide informed us that the temperature in the mine is a constant 18 degrees celsius throughout the year.

In the second photo on the right, you see me standing and looking directly at the camera while visitors mill around the place.

Our guide, Adalat Khan, poses in the first photo on the right.

After our memorable tour was over, and we emerged from the mine in that train again and walked down the path to the parking lot where our coaster was standing, we chanced across these vendors selling salt rocks and bricks. I bought one pinkish brick for ten Rupees (about thirteen Euro cents).

More rail tracks can be seen in the photo on the left. Then we proceeded down the road which took us to the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway. The views of the surrounding countryside from this road were very pretty indeed, especially when we were driving towards Khewra in the morning. From my seat behind the driver, I had a good opportunity to take snapshots like I did of these passing camels.

Some more snapshots of the thirty-five kilometer long road between the salt mine and the Motorway. Note the vast flat terrain between the road and the hills. There are small settlements, roaming cattle and the occasional graves (see second photo on the left). The photo on the right was taken on the Motorway en route to Islamabad.

The five photos below were taken on the short path that leads away from the mosque towards the salt mound and the recently (from salt constructed) minar-i-Pakistan.

A small shed and a children's playground can be seen in the photos on the right.

The two photos on the right show the administrative area again in front of the ticket counter. Note the colourful covering over the tables and seats.

Finally, after the shopping we embarked on our journey in our rent-a-car back to Islamabad via the motorway.

Since May 20th, 2006, you are visitor number

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