Sialkot is believed to be the successor city ofSagala, the capital of theMadra kingdom which was destroyed byAlexander the Great in 326 BCE. It was made capital of theIndo-Greek kingdom byMenander I in the 2nd century BCE — a time during which the city greatly prospered as a major center for trade and Buddhist thought.[8] In the 6th century CE, it again become capital of theTaank Kingdom, which ruled Punjab for the next two centuries. Sialkot continued to be a major political center until it was eclipsed byLahore around the turn of the first millennium CE.[9] Sialkot was the capital of thePunjabi Muslim rulerJasrat Khokhar who reigned over most of Punjab and Jammu in the early 15th century.[10][11] Under theMughal Empire, especiallyMughal emperor,Aurangzeb's reign, Sialkot became known as a great centre ofIslamic scholarship and thought,[12] and attracted scholars because of the widespread availability of paper in the city.[13]
Sialkot city was the birthplace of the poet and philosopherMuhammad Iqbal, a leading figure of thePakistan Movement.[14][15][16] The city has been noted for its entrepreneurial spirit and productive business climate which have made Sialkot an example of a small Pakistani city that has emerged as a "world-class manufacturing hub."[17] The relatively small city exported approximately $2.5 billion worth of goods in 2017, or about 10% of Pakistan's total exports.[17][18] The city has been labeled as theFootball manufacturing capital of the World,[19] as it produces over 70% of allfootballs manufactured in the world.[20]Sialkot International Airport; Pakistan's first privately owned public airport is located 14km west of Sialkot.[17][21][22]
Sialkot was the likely capital of theMadra kingdomSagala, Sakala (Sanskrit:साकला), or Sangala (Ancient Greek:Σάγγαλα) mentioned in theMahabharata, a Sanskrit epic of ancient India, as occupying a similar area as Greek accounts of Sagala.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] The city may have been inhabited by theSaka, orScythians, fromCentral Asia who had migrated into the Subcontinent.[31] The region was noted in theMahabharata for the "loose and Bacchanalian" women who lived in the woods there.[32] The city was said to have been located in theSakaladvipa region between theChenab andRavi rivers, now known as theRechna Doab.
TheAnabasis of Alexander, written by the Roman-Greek historianArrian, recorded that Alexander the Great capturedancient Sialkot, recorded asSagala, from theCathaeans, who had entrenched themselves there.[33][34][30] The city had been home to 80,000 residents on the eve of Alexander's invasion,[34] but was razed as a warning against any other nearby cities that might resist his invasion.[34]
Menander I, founder of the Indo-Greek kingdom, with his capital in Sagala.
The ancient city was rebuilt, and made capital by theIndo-Greek kingMenander I of theEuthydemid dynasty, in the 2nd century BCE.[35] The rebuilt city was shifted slightly from the older city, as rebuilding on exactly the same spot was considered inauspicious.[36]
Under Menander's rule, the city greatly prospered as a major trading centre renowned for its silk.[37][30] Menander embraced Buddhism in Sagala, after an extensive debating with the Buddhist monkNagasena, as recorded in the Buddhist textMilinda Panha.[26][38] the text offers an early description of the city's cityscape and status as a prosperous trade centre with numerous green spaces.[39] Following his conversion, Sialkot developed as a major centre for Buddhist thought.[40]
Around 460 CE, theAlchon Huns invaded the region from Central Asia,[43] forcing the ruling family of nearbyTaxila to seek refuge in Sialkot.[44] Sialkot itself was soon captured, and the city was made a significant centre of the Alchon Huns around 515,[45] during the reign ofToramana.[46] During the reign of his son,Mihirakula, the empire reached its zenith.[47] The Alchon Huns were defeated in 528 by a coalition of princes led byPrince Yashodharman[46]
The city was visited by the Chinese travellerXuanzang in 633,[48] who recorded the city's name theShe-kie-lo.[49] Xuanzang reported that the city had been rebuilt approximately 15li, or 2.5 miles, away from the city ruined by Alexander the Great.[50] During this time, Sialkot served as the political nucleus of the NorthPunjab region.[51] The city was then invaded in 643 by princes fromJammu, who held the city until the Muslim invasions during the medieval era.[52]
Around the year 1000, Sialkot began to decline in importance as the nearby city of Lahore rose to prominence.[9] Following the fall ofLahore to theGhaznavid Empire in the early 11th century, the capital of theHindu Shahi empire was shifted from Lahore to Sialkot.[53] Ghaznavid expansion in northern Punjab encouraged localKhokhar tribes to stop paying tribute to the Rajas of Jammu.[54]
Sialkot became a part of the medievalSultanate of Delhi afterMuhammad of Ghor conqueredPunjab in 1185.[51] Ghauri was unable to conquer the larger city ofLahore, but deemed Sialkot important enough to warrant a garrison.[55][30] He also extensively repaired theSialkot Fort around the time of his conquest of Punjab,[54] and left the region in charge of Hussain Churmali while he returned toGhazni.[56] Sialkot was then quickly laid siege to by Khokhar tribesmen,[57] andKhusrau Malik,[55] the last Ghaznavid sultan, though he was defeated during Ghauri's return to Punjab in 1186.[56][57]
In the 1200s, Sialkot was the only area of western Punjab that was ruled by theMamluk Sultanate in Delhi.[58] The area had been captured by theGhauri princeTaj al-Din Yildiz, but was recaptured by SultanIltutmish in 1217.[58] Around 1223,Jalal al-Din Mangburni, the last king of theAnushtegin dynasty of Central Asia that had fled invasion ofGenghis Khan there, briefly captured Sialkot and Lahore,[59] before being driven out by Iltutmish's forces towardsUch Sharif.[60] During the 13th century,Imam Ali-ul-Haq, Sialkot's most reveredSufi warrior-saint,[61] arrived fromArabia, and began his missionary work in the region that successfully converted large numbers of Hindus to Islam, thereby transforming Sialkot into a largely Muslim city.[62] The saint later died in battle, and is revered as a martyr.[63]
Sialkot became capital of Punjabi warlord and rulerJasrat Khokhar's kingdom in the early 15th century.[11][64] Jasrat Khokhar conquered most of Punjab from the Delhi sultanate in a series of campaigns between 1421 and 1442. He also conqueredJammu after defeating its ruler Bhim Dev in 1423.[11] This was the golden period of Sialkot. Later, SultanBahlul Khan Lodi captured the city after Jasrat Khokhar's death and granted custodianship of the city to Jammu's Raja Biram Dev, after he helped Bahlol in defeating theKhokhars.[64] Sialkot was sacked byMalik Tazi Bhat of Kashmir, who attacked Sialkot after the governor of Punjab, Tatar Khan, had left the city undefended during one of his military campaigns.[65]
Sialkot was captured by the armies of Babur in 1520,[66] when the Mughal commander Usman Ghani Raza advanced towards Delhi during the initial conquest ofBabur. Babur recorded a battle withGujjar raiders, who had attacked Sialkot, and allegedly mistreated its inhabitants.[67] In 1525–1526, Alam Khan, uncle of SultanIbrahim Lodi, invaded from Afghanistan and was able to capture Sialkot with the aid of Mongol forces.[68]
During the early Mughal era, Sialkot was made part of thesubah, or "province", of Lahore.[52] According to Sikh tradition,Guru Nanak, the founder ofSikhism, visited the city[73] sometime in the early 16th century. He is said to have met Hamza Ghaus, a prominent Sufi mystic based in Sialkot, at a site now commemorated by the city'sGurdwara Beri Sahib.
During theAkbar era, Sialkot'spargana territory was placed in thejagircustodianship ofRaja Man Singh, who would repair the city's fort, and sought to increase its population and develop its economy.[74] In 1580,Yousuf Shah Chak ofKashmir sought refuge in the city during his exile from the Valley of Kashmir.[75] Paper-makers from Kashmir migrated to the city during the Akbar period,[76] and Sialkot later became renowned as the source of the prized MughalHariri paper – known for its brilliant whiteness and strength.[63] The city's metalworkers also provided the Mughal crown with much of its weaponry.[77]
During the reign ofJahangir, the post was given to Safdar Khan, who rebuilt the city's fort, and oversaw a further increase in Sialkot's prosperity.[63] Numerous fine houses and gardens were built in the city during the Jehangir period.[78] During theShah Jahan period, the city was placed under the rule ofAli Mardan Khan.[79]
The last Mughal emperor,Aurangzeb, appointed Ganga Dhar asfaujdar of the city until 1654.[80] Rahmat Khan was then placed in charge of the city, and would build a mosque in the city.[81] Under Aurangzeb's reign, Sialkot became known as a great centre of Islamic thought and scholarship,[82][83] and attracted scholars because of the widespread availability of paper in the city.[84]
Following the decline of the Mughal empire after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707, Sialkot and its outlying districts were left undefended and forced to defend itself. In 1739, the city was captured byNader Shah of Persia duringhis invasion of the Mughal Empire.[85] The city was placed under the governorship ofZakariya Khan, the Mughal Viceroy of Lahore, who in return for the city promised to pay tribute to thePersian crown.[85] After thatNader Shah went toIndia where inKarnal, Rao Bal Kishan fought against him with their 5000 soldiers who hailed fromAhirwal on 24, February 1739. Witnessing this,Nader Shah was shocked but impressed by Rao Bal Kishan's fighting skills. Later when Nadir Shah reached Delhi he told Muhammad Shah about Rao Bal Kishan's[86] bravery, on whichMuhammad Shah ordered to make a "Chhatri" to honour Rao Bal Kishan at Karnal which still can be found.[87]In the wake of the Persian invasion, Sialkot fell under the control of Pashtun powerful families fromMultan andAfghanistan – theKakazai andSherwanis.[79] Sialkot was crept upon by Ranjit Deo ofJammu, who pledged nominal allegiance to the Mughal crown in Delhi.[79] Ranjit Deo did not conquer Sialkot city from the Pashtun families which held the city, but switched allegiance to the Pashtun rulerAhmed Shah Durrani in 1748,[79] effectively ending Mughal influence in Sialkot. The city and three nearby districts were amalgamated into theDurrani Empire.[52]
Sikh chieftains of theBhangiMisl state encroached upon Sialkot, and had gained full control of the Sialkot region by 1786,[79][64] Sialkot was portioned into 4 quarters, under the control of Sardar Jiwan Singh, Natha Singh, Sahib Singh, and Mohar Singh, who invited the city's dispersed residents back to the city.[64]
The Bhangi rulers engaged in feuds with the neighbouringSukerchakiaMisl state by 1791,[79] and would eventually lose control of the city. TheSikh Empire ofRanjit Singh captured Sialkot from Sardar Jiwan Singh in 1808.[85] Sikh forces then occupied Sialkot until the arrival of the British in 1849.[88]
Sialkot, along with Punjab as a whole, was captured by the British following their victory over the Sikhs at theBattle of Gujrat in February 1849. During the British period, an official known as The Resident who would, in theory, advise the Maharaja ofKashmir would reside in Sialkot during the wintertime.[89]
During theSepoy Mutiny of 1857, the two Bengal regiments based in Sialkot rebelled against theEast India Company,[90] while their native servants also took up arms against the British.[91]
Sialkot's modern prosperity began during the colonial era.[100] The city had been known for its paper making and ironworks prior to the colonial era,[100] and became a centre of metalwork in the 1890s. Surgical instruments were being manufactured in Sialkot for use throughoutBritish India by the 1920s. The city also became a centre for sports goods manufacturing for British troops stationed along with theNorth West Frontier due to the availability of nearby timber reserves.[100]
As a result of the city's prosperity, large numbers of migrants fromJammu region ofJammu and Kashmir came to the city in search of employment.[100] At the end ofWorld War II, the city was considered the second most industrialised inBritish Punjab, after Amritsar.[100] Much of the city's infrastructure was paid for by local taxes,[100] and the city was one of the few in British India to have its own electric utility company.[100]
The first communal riots between Hindus/Sikhs and Muslims took place on 24 June 1946,[105] a day after the resolution calling for the establishment of Pakistan as a separate state. Sialkot remained peaceful for several months while communal riots had erupted inLahore,Amritsar,Ludhiana, andRawalpindi.[105] The predominantly Muslim population supported theMuslim League and thePakistan Movement.
While Muslim refugees had poured into the city, escaping riots elsewhere, Sialkot's Hindu and Sikh communities began fleeing in the opposite direction towards India.[105] They initially congregated in fields outside the city, where some of Sialkot's Muslims would bid farewell to departing friends.[105] Hindu and Sikh refugees were unable to exit Pakistan towards Jammu on account of the conflict in Kashmir, and were instead required to transit via Lahore.[105]
After independence in 1947, theHindu and Sikh minorities migrated to India, while Muslim refugees from India settled in Sialkot. The city had suffered significant losses as a result of communal rioting that erupted following the Partition.[106] 80% of Sialkot's industry had been destroyed or abandoned, and the working capital fell by an estimated 90%.[106] The city was further stressed by the arrival of 200,000 migrants, mostly fromJammu,[106] who had arrived in the city.[106]
Following the demise of industry in the city, the government ofWest Pakistan prioritised the re-establishment of Punjab's decimated industrial base.[106] The province lead infrastructure projects in the area, and allotted abandoned properties to newly arrived refugees.[106] Local entrepreneurs also rose to fill the vacuum created by the departure of Hindu and Sikh businessmen.[106] By the 1960s, the provincial government has laid extensive new roadways in the district, connecting it to trunk roads that eventually linked the region to the seaport inKarachi.[106]
During theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965, when Pakistani troops arrived in Kashmir, the Indian Army counterattacked in the Sialkot Sector. The Pakistan Army successfully defended the city, and the people of Sialkot came out in full force to support the troops.[107] In 1966, theGovernment of Pakistan awarded a special flag ofHilal-e-Istaqlal to Sialkot, along with the cities ofLahore andSargodha, for their brave resistance against the opposing armed forces.[108] Historians estimate that the armored battles in theSialkot sector, such as theBattle of Chawinda, were among the largest tank battles in the entire history, outmatched only by a fewWorld War II tank battles, including theBattle of Kursk.[109][110]
Sialkot features ahumid subtropical climate (Cwa) under theKöppen climate classification, characterized by four different seasons. The post-monsoon season from mid-September to mid-November remains relatively hot during the daytime, but nights are considerably cooler, with low humidity. In the winter, from mid-November to March, daytime temperatures vary from mild to warm, accompanied by occasional heavy rainfalls. Furthermore, temperatures in winter may drop to 0 °C or 32 °F, but maxima are very rarely less than 15 °C or 59 °F.
Sialkot's core is composed of the densely populated old city, while north of the city lies the vast colonial eraSialkot Cantonment – characterised by wide streets and large lawns. The city's industries have evolved in a "ribbon-like" pattern along the cities main arteries,[106] and are almost entirely dedicated to export.[106] The city's sporting good firms are not concentrated in any part of the city, but are instead spread throughout Sialkot.[106] Despite the city's overall prosperity, the local government has failed to meet Sialkot's basic infrastructure needs.[114]
Sialkot is a religiously homogenous city with 96 percent of its population beingMuslim and followingIslam. The principal minority is Christians who make up 3.77 percent of the population.[118] During the 13th century,Imam Ali-ul-Haq, Sialkot's most reveredSufi warrior-saint,[119] arrived fromArabia, and began hisDawah in the region that successfully converted large numbers of the native population to Islam, thereby transforming Sialkot into a largely Muslim city.[120] The saint later died in battle, and is revered as aShahid by the locals.[121]
Sialkot is a wealthy city relative to the rest of Pakistan, with a GDP (nominal) of $13 Billions and a per capita income in 2021 estimated at $18500.[106] The city was considered to be one ofBritish India's most industrialised cities,[106] though its economy would later be largely decimated by violence and capital flight following thePartition.[106] The city's economy rebounded, and Sialkot now forms part of the relatively industrialised region of northern Punjab that is sometimes referred to as theGolden Triangle.[21]
Sialkot has been noted by Britain'sThe Economist magazine as a "world-class manufacturing hub" with strong export industries.[17] As of 2017, Sialkot exported US$2.5 billion worth of goods which is equal to 10% of Pakistan's total exports (US$25 billion).[134] 250,000 residents are employed in Sialkot's industries,[106] with most enterprises in the city being small and funded by family savings.[114] Sialkot's Chamber of Commerce had over 6,500 members in 2010, with most active in theleather, sporting goods, and surgical instruments industry.[114] TheSialkot Dry Port offers local producers quick access to Pakistani Customs, as well as to logistics and transportation.[17]
Sialkot Gate
Despite being cut off from its historic economic heartland inKashmir, Sialkot has managed to position itself into one of Pakistan's most prosperous cities, exporting up to 10% of all Pakistani exports.[17] Its sporting goods firms have been particularly successful, and have produced items for global brands such asNike,Adidas,Reebok, andPuma.[106] Balls for the2014 FIFA World Cup,2018 FIFA World Cup and2022 FIFA World Cup were made byForward Sports, a Sialkot-based company.[135] The city has been labeled as theFootball manufacturing capital of the World,[136] as it produces over 70% of allfootballs manufactured in the world.[137]
Sialkot's business community has joined with the local government to maintain the city's infrastructure, as the local government has limited capacity to fund such maintenance.[106] The business community was instrumental in the establishment of Sialkot's Dry Port in 1985,[114] and further helped re-pave the city's roads.[17] Sialkot's business community also largely funded theSialkot International Airport—opened in 2011 as Pakistan's first privately owned public airport.[17]
Sialkot is also the only city in Pakistan to have its very own commercial airline,Airsial. This airline is managed by the business community of Sialkot based at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industries and offers direct flights from Sialkot toBahrain,Oman,Qatar,Saudi Arabia, and theUnited Arab Emirates.[138]
Sialkot is the world's largest producer of hand-sewnfootballs, with local factories manufacturing 40–60 million footballs a year, amounting to roughly 60% of world production.[139] Since the2014 FIFA World Cup, footballs for the official matches are being made byForward Sports, a company based in Sialkot.[135] Clustering of sports goods industrial units has allowed for firms in Sialkot to become highly specialised, and to benefit from joint action and external economies.[140] There is a well-applied child labour ban, theAtlanta Agreement, in the industry since a 1997 outcry,[141] and the local industry now funds the Independent Monitoring Association for Child Labour to regulate factories.[114]
Sialkot is also the world's largest centre of surgical instrument manufacturing.[142] Sialkot was first noted to be a centre of metalwork in the 1890s, and the city's association with surgical instruments came from the need to repair, and subsequently manufacture, surgical instruments for the nearby Mission hospital. By the 1920s, surgical instruments were being manufactured for use throughoutBritish India, with demand boosted by further byWorld War II.[143]
The city's surgical instrument manufacturing industry benefits from a clustering effect, in which larger manufacturers remain in close contact with smaller and specialised industries that can efficiently perform contracted work.[143] The industry is made up of a few hundred small and medium size enterprises, supported by thousands of subcontractors, suppliers, and those providing other ancillary services. The bulk of exports are destined for the United States andEuropean Union.[143]
Sialkot first became a centre for sporting goods manufacturing during the colonial era. Enterprises were initially inaugurated for the recreation of British troops stationed along theNorth West Frontier.[106] Nearby timber reserves served to initially allure the industry to Sialkot.[106] The city's Muslim craftsmen generally manufactured the goods, while Sikh and Hindu merchants of the SindhiBania,Arora, and PunjabiKhatri castes acted like middle men to bring goods to market.[106] Sialkot now produces a wide array of sporting goods, including footballs and hockey sticks, cricket gear, gloves that are used in international games comprising the Olympics and World Cups.[144][17]
Sialkot is also noted for its leather goods. Leather for footballs is sourced from nearby farms,[114] while Sialkot's leather workers craft some of Germany's most prized leatherlederhosen trousers.[17]
Sialkot also has a large share in the agricultural sector. It predominantly producesBasmati rice varieties,wheat andsugarcane. Its area is 3,015 km2 (1,164 sq mi), at least 642,624 acres (260,061 ha) are under cultivation. Potato and sunflower were evident among the minor crops of the district.[145]
Sialkot has a productive relationship between the civic administration and the city's entrepreneurs,[146] that dates to the colonial era. Sialkot's infrastructure was paid for by local taxes on industry,[106] and the city was one of the few in British Raj to have its own electric utility company.[106]
Modern Sialkot's business community has assumed responsibility for developing infrastructure when the civic administration is unable to deliver requested services.[17] The city's Chamber of Commerce established theSialkot Dry Port, the country's first dry-port in 1985 to reduce transit times by offering faster customs services.[17] Members of the Chamber of Commerce allowed paid fees to help resurface the city's streets.[17] TheSialkot International Airport was established by the local businesses community, is the only private airport in Pakistan.[134]
^1881-1941: Data for the entirety of the town of Sialkot, which included Sialkot Municipality and Sialkot Cantonment.[122]: 32 . 2017-2023: Urban population of Sialkot Tehsil.
^abLelyveld, David (2004),"Muhammad Iqbal", in Martin, Richard C. (ed.),Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World: A-L, Macmillan, p. 356,ISBN978-0-02-865604-5,Muhammad Iqbal, South Asian poet and ideological innovator, wrote poetry in Urdu and Persian and discursive prose, primarily in English, of particular significance in the formulation of a national ethos for Pakistan.
^abSevea, Iqbal Singh (2012),The Political Philosophy of Muhammad Iqbal: Islam and Nationalism in Late Colonial India, Cambridge University Press, pp. 14–,ISBN978-1-107-00886-1,In 1930, he presided over the meeting of the All-India Muslim League in Allahabad. It was here that he delivered his famous address in which he outlined his vision of a cultural and political framework that would ensure the fullest development of the Muslims of India.
^Kumar, Rakesh (2000).Ancient India and World. Classical Publishing Company. p. 68.
^Rapson, Edward James (1960).Ancient India: From the Earliest Times to the First Century A. D. Susil Gupta. p. 88.Sakala, the modern Sialkot in the Lahore Division of the Punjab, was the capital of the Madras who are known in the later Vedic period (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad).
29th December: We dismounted at Sialkot. If one enters Hindustan theJats andGujjars always pour down in countless hordes from hill and plain for loot of bullocks and buffalo. These ill-omened peoples are senseless oppressors. Previously, their deeds did not concern us because the territory was an enemy's. But they did the same senseless deeds after we had captured it. When we reached Sialkot, they swooped on the poor and needy folk who were coming out of the town to our camp and stripped them bare. I had the witless brigands apprehended, and ordered a few of them to be cut to pieces.Babur Nama page 250 published by Penguin
^Zutshi, Chitralekha (2003),Language of belonging: Islam, regional identity, and the making of Kashmir, Oxford University Press/Permanent Black. Pp. 359,ISBN978-0-19-521939-5
^Iqbal, Sir Muhammad;Zakaria, Rafiq (1981),Shikwa and Jawab-i-shikwa (in English and Urdu), translated by Singh, Khushwant, Oxford University Press,ISBN978-0-19-561324-7,"Iqbal it is true, is essentially a poet of Islam" (from the foreword by Rafiq Zakaria, p. 9)
^Robinson, Francis (1996),The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Islamic World, Cambridge University Press, pp. 283–,ISBN978-0-521-66993-1,In India, the ghazal and mathnawi forms were adapted in Urdu to express new social and ideological concerns, beginning in the work of the poet Altaf Husayn Hali (1837–1914) and continuing in the poetry of Muhammad Iqbal (1877–1938). In the poetry of Iqbal, which he wrote in Persian, to speak to a wider Muslim audience, as well as Urdu, a memory of the past achievements of Islam is combined with a plea for reform. He is considered the greatest Urdu poet of the twentieth century.
^Sheikh, Naveed Shahzad (2007).The New Politics of Islam: Pan-Islamic Foreign Policy in a World of States. Routledge. p. 83.ISBN978-0-415-44453-8.
^"Sialkot Climate Normals 1991–2020".World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved17 September 2023.
^abcdefDinh, Hinh (2011).Tales from the Development Frontier: How China and Other Countries Harness Light Manufacturing to Create Jobs and Prosperity. World Bank.ISBN9780821399897.
^abc"Surgical Goods".Emerging Pakistan, Government of Pakistan website. 19 December 2017. Archived fromthe original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved30 January 2022.
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