The day before yesterday i was watching a documentary on Chiniot. Chiniot is a city located in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The thing that caught my eye was the exquisite furniture made by the skilled artisans. The city is world renowned for its unique furniture. Not only their furniture is outclass, but the handicrafts made by wood are also a rare piece of art. They made furniture with Sheesham which is considered quite difficult to work with as it is very hard. But when it got into the hands of the craftsman it turned into wax and then they mold it into an intricate and delicate design.
It is said that in ancient times it was a passageway for Chinese merchants. After some researching i found that it was a trade route from Khyber pass to Delhi. Alexander the great entered subcontinent through this route. There is also a legend about the birth of the city. It says that there was a Hindu princess named Chandanvatti. Once she happened to visit the River Chenab. She got so impressed by its beauty that she decided to build a city there. It was called Chand Niyot which became the modern name now Chiniot.
Most of the houses are decorated with beautiful wood carvings but some of them are out of this world. Omar Hayat Palace, Badshahi Mosque, Sheesh Mahal are some of the examples that show the taste of art the dwellers of this city have.
Omar Hayat Palace also called Gulzar Manzil was built by a trader named Omar Hayat. Its constru
ction was started in 1923. It took 14 year to build the place. In 1935 just before its completion Omar Hayat died. Originally it was a six storey building but now only four storeys are remained. Now it has been under the supervision of government since 1990.
Badshahi Mosque
Badshahi Mosque Chiniot stands out for its magnitude, architecture and intricate floral patters. Its architectural design resembles Delhi’s Grand Shahi Mosque to some extent. Nothing is clearly known about the origins of Shahi Mosque. Although it is called “Shahi” but there is no clear evidence that it was constructed by orders of an emperor.
It is generally believed that the mosque was built by Nawab Saad Ullah Khan of Chiniot (Prime Minister in Emperor Shah Jahan’s court).
Recently my sister gave me a gift on my birthday. It was a folded basket made in Chiniot. You can see it in the pictures.
This is so unfortunate that this masque is not included in the 7 wonders of the world.
Keep on writing, great job!