Chiniot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chiniot
چنیوٹ
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City
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Clockwise from top: Shah Burhan Shrine, exterior and interior views of Chiniot's Shahi Mosque, Omar Hayat Mahal
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 Chiniot
Location in Punjab, Pakistan
Chiniot
Location in Pakistan
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| Country |  Pakistan |
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| Province |  Punjab |
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| Division | Faisalabad | |
| District | Chiniot | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Municipal Committee | |
| Elevation | 179 m (587 ft) | |
| Population
(2023 census)
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| • City | 318,165 | |
| • Rank | 28th, Pakistan | |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+6 (PDT) | |
| Postal code |
35400
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| Dialling code | 047 | |
| Distance(s) |
From
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Chiniot is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the main city of the Chiniot District. The city sits on the banks of the Chenab River. It is one of the largest cities in Pakistan.
Chiniot is famous for its beautiful wooden furniture. It also has unique architecture and many mosques. The well-known Omar Hayat Mahal is located here.
Contents
History of Chiniot
How Chiniot Began
The exact start of Chiniot is not fully known. Some stories say a princess named Chandan founded it. She loved the area while hunting and built a settlement called Chandaniot. This name later became Chiniot.
Chiniot in Mughal Times
During the Mughal Empire, Chiniot was part of the Lahore province. The city was at its best during the rule of Emperor Shah Jahan. Nawab Sadullah Khan was the governor from 1640 to 1656. He helped build the famous Shahi Mosque in Chiniot.
Chiniot's skilled workers were very famous back then. They even helped decorate the Taj Mahal and Wazir Khan Mosque in Lahore.
Later Rulers and British Rule
After the Mughal Empire weakened, local tribes took control. The city faced attacks during this time. Later, Sikh leaders took over Chiniot. In 1803, Ranjit Singh captured the city, making it part of the Sikh Empire.
In 1849, the British took control of Chiniot. They made it a municipality in 1862. During British rule, many canals were built to water the land. This helped farming in the area. The famous Omar Hayat Mahal was built between 1923 and 1935.
Where is Chiniot?
Location and Surroundings
Chiniot is located where the roads connecting Faisalabad and Sargodha meet. It is also on the road between Lahore and Jhang. The city is about 158 kilometers (98 miles) northwest of Lahore. It is 38 kilometers (24 miles) north of Faisalabad.
The city covers about 10 square kilometers (3.9 sq mi). It sits on a small rocky hill by the Chenab River. The area around it is mostly flat plains. There are also some rocky hills made of slate and sandstone. These hills can be as tall as 120 meters (400 feet).
On the other side of the Chenab River is Rabwah city. In the middle of the river, there is a special worship place for the Sufi saint Bu Ali Shah Qalandar.
Weather in Chiniot
Chiniot has a hot, semi-dry climate. The weather can change a lot. Summers are very hot, and winters are mild. The city gets most of its rain during the monsoon season.
| Climate data for Chiniot (1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19 (66) |
22 (72) |
27 (81) |
33 (91) |
39 (102) |
39 (102) |
35 (95) |
35 (95) |
34 (93) |
32 (90) |
27 (81) |
21 (70) |
30 (87) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8 (46) |
11 (52) |
16 (61) |
20 (68) |
25 (77) |
28 (82) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
25 (77) |
20 (68) |
14 (57) |
9 (48) |
19 (67) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 18 (0.7) |
35 (1.4) |
24 (0.9) |
13 (0.5) |
17 (0.7) |
48 (1.9) |
82 (3.2) |
87 (3.4) |
43 (1.7) |
9 (0.4) |
11 (0.4) |
12 (0.5) |
399 (15.7) |
| Source: My Weather | |||||||||||||
People of Chiniot
In 2017, the city of Chiniot had a population of about 278,747 people. The main language spoken here is Punjabi.
Chiniot's Economy
Chiniot is known for many products. These include silk, cotton, wheat, sugar, rice, and milk. The city is also famous for its pottery and wooden furniture.
Farming is a big part of the economy. This is thanks to the large network of canals built during British rule. These canals help water the fields.
Famous Furniture and Crafts
Chiniot is especially famous for its wooden furniture. Wood from Kashmir used to float down the Chenab River to Chiniot. This made it a great place for woodworking.
Chiniot's craftspeople are very skilled. They have carved beautiful flowers and patterns for centuries. Masons from Chiniot are believed to have worked on the Taj Mahal and the Golden Temple.
The city's metalworkers were also considered the best in Punjab during the British period. Their designs were thought to be better than those from other cities.
Education in Chiniot
Chiniot has many schools and colleges. Some of them include:
- Allama Iqbal Model School, Chiniot
- Chenab College, Chiniot
- Govt Al Islah High School, Chiniot
- Govt Islamia College, Chiniot
- Govt Islamia High School, Chiniot
- Govt Primary School, Shareen Awan Chiniot
- Superior Group of Colleges Chiniot Campus
- Khatam e Nabuwat Institute of Modern Sciences (KIMS) College, Chiniot
- Masoomeen School and College, Chiniot
- National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NUCES)
- Punjab College, Chiniot
- Tips College, Chiniot
Libraries
After Sheikh Omar Hayat passed away, his palace, the Omar Hayat Mahal, was turned into a library. The Government of Pakistan made it a public library.
Getting Around Chiniot
Chiniot is connected to other parts of Pakistan by a main highway and a train line. The closest international airport is Faisalabad International Airport. It is about 48.5 kilometers (30 miles) away from Chiniot.
Culture and Traditions
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Islamic Celebrations
People in Chiniot celebrate Islamic events with great enthusiasm. For example, on the 1440th birthday of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, people in Chiniot made a huge cake. It weighed 63 maunds (about 2,300 kg or 5,000 lbs), making it one of the largest cakes in the world!
Sports
Cricket is the most popular sport in Chiniot. Football is also played here. Other popular sports include hockey, volleyball, basketball, badminton, tennis, kabbadi, and horse racing.
Famous People from Chiniot
- Ilyas Chinioti, a politician
- Manzoor Ahmad Chinioti, father of Ilyas Chinioti
- Nasir Chinyoti, a well-known comedy actor
- Saadullah Khan, a powerful minister in the Mughal Empire
- Wazir Khan, a doctor in the Mughal Empire, famous for the Wazir Khan Mosque
- Mian Muhammad Mansha, a very successful businessman
- Syed Hassan Murtaza, a politician
- Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, a politician and former head of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry
