My visit to Khewra Salt Mines ' A wonder of the World'

Khewra Salt mine in Pakistan is the world's second greatest source of edible salt. " Wieliczka Salt mines" in Poland are suppose to be the world's first greatest salt mines.
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Khewra Salt Mine is one the most important salt range in the world. Here it is supposed to be twenty million and twenty lakh of tons of salt present .Khewra salt mine range started near Jhelum River and finish into Indus River in kala bagh. In north of the salt mines is situated Pothowar Region in Pakistan. Though these are the barren mountains yet with the abundance of minerals. Salt is the basic while Gipsum and coal is also available here.


An overview of Khewra Salt mine



Offices of British offeciers during British regime

I always wanted to visit Khewra mine and finally the day has arrived when i was there with my family. Some things and some places are worth waiting for. It was a bright sunny day of March, when the weather was moderate one. From Mardan it is situated about 297 km. It can be accessed by two routes on Peshawar Islamabad Motorway. One is via Kalar Kahar Interchange, which is a bit longer route, as here you have to cross Choa Seydan and then to reach salt mine. It is half plan and half hilly road.


While another route is via Lilia Interchange. From Lila Interchange, Khewra salt min are just at 24 km distance. First Pind Dadan Khan would come in the way and then you have to cross khewra's city main bazar and finally you would found yourself at the foot hills of salt mine.


HISTORICAL BACK GROUND OF KHEWRA SALT MINE.
In Khewra, salt is found in 326 BC. They are one of the natural wonders that have been discovered by the horses. Well joke apart but this is the fact that while Alaxander The Great was staying here with his army during his battle with Raja Poras on the bank of River Jhelum, and horses of his army soliders were grazing here and there on this land, and suddenly they were found licking the stones nearby. Later on it was discovered that they are salt mountains.

Khewra Salt mine is also been called as the 'Natural Museum on the Earth'. Total length of the mine is 300 km, width is from 8 to 30 km and height is 2200ft to4990ft.

In 1849, Britishers took its charge and started working here on scientific basis to get salt. In 1872, under the guidance of a famous British Mining Engenieer named Dr. Warth,  one of the biggest tunnel in Khewra Mine is digged in order to get an access to the rest of the mines inside.

Main entrance to the khewra mine

This time Khewra mine has 17 stories. Ground floor has been opened for the tourists.
According to scientific rules and regulations 50 % of the salt is taken from here for the consumption while the rest of 50 % of the salt is left over here so that it can work as a pillar to give a support to the mine range.

TIMINGS of the mine visiting are from 9am to 5pm, and there are no holidays except eid hoildays when the mine is closed otherwise it remained open every day including fridays and sundays.

It was such a wonderful experience for me. Though it was interesting yet a bit scary too because getting inside in to a long tunnel of mine which is about two km was a bit scary. It have recalled me the incident that was happened with 33 miners who were stucked inside the San Jose mine in Chilli.But receiving a lots of tourists and visitors on daily basis have make this mine tunnel much lively.

Any how fasten your seat belts and lets enjoy the trip to Khewra Mines. There is a miny trolly train that took the tourists inside the mine but if some people wanted to go by foot, then they are also allowed.

Inside the tunnels

After passing by a huge main tunnel inside the mine, we have reached to our destination where the guide took us first of all to a beautiful Mosque that is situated inside the mine and made of salt. Different lights bulb have been placed inside the rocks made of salt thus giving a very bright and golden shine to the Salt Mosque. Its really amazing and a work of appreciation.

Mosque made of Salt bricks

There were few rooms inside the mine which were suppose to be used as a post office during Bristish region.

An old post office

There was a Sheesh Mahal , where a shinny salt is discovered. Thats why they named that area and tunnel as Sheesh Mahal or "Palace of the Mirrors' . Though here no mirrors but the salt shine here like twinkling stars in to the sky thats why it is called as Sheesh Mahal.

Sheesh Mahal

These are certain other designes of salt on the walls of the mine that looks colorful while in light.

Impressive designes of salt rocks on the roof

 In the below picture the horizontal line is looking. According to the guide this line is made in order to pass  a wire of explosive material through it so that the required place can be blast with in seconds if needed. But this one is left here and didnt needed any explosion.



Charming Salty Cave

The shape of this heap of salt resembles to a fountain thats why it has been named as a Fountain of the Mine.

Salt fountain

This one is a monument made of salt . Its Minar e Pakistan in salt form.

Salty Minar e Pakistan Monument

 Salt Saturated Ponds or Perhaps the Dead Ponds" There were many saturated salty ponds inside the mine. Here are the pictures of salt saturated ponds. They are called as the dead ponds too because of high saturation of salt here. It is highly recommended here not to touch its water nor to go near this water. But it looks very mesmerizing. These ponds were giving a very distictive atmosphere to the Khewra Mine.


saturated salt pond

One of another lively feature of the khewra mine is a small shopping stalls along with some refreshment and a mini resturant inside the mine.

shopping stalls

mini resturant

Mini train service inside the khewra mine

There was ' Khewra Salt Mines Tourist Resort' too which was working under PMDC.

An overview of Khewra Salt mine

Here is an Asthema resort center for Asthema patients. As Salt therapy is considered to be benificial for Asthema patients and this process has been called as Halotherapy. Salt is used as a therapy in different types of respiratory diseases, allergies and Asthema