[Hometown] Mankera

[Aqeel]

In the middle of Thal (desert) Sagar exists a bustling little town of twenty thousand inhabitants, called Mankera and thats my Hometown .

"Country Side Scenes taken yesterday; there are patches of greenery but after April there you just see large sand-dunes."
Mankera is situated at a distance of about 320 kilometers from Lahore in the West. Mankera is the principal town of Bhakkar district. Bhakkar is the last District of Punjab Province and is located on the border of NWFP.The mighty Indus River flows on the Western side of the District which plays havoc during monson season and Jehlum and Chennab (the lovers river) both flows on the eastern side they also sometimes plays havoc during monson season. One third of the land is sandy of which small portion is irrigated by Thal canal. Rest of the sandy land is cultivated and is entirely dependent upon rains.
People mostly depend on agriculture which is highly dependent on rain falls. As such people are poor, backward and traditional. Education and health facilities are not adequately available.

Map of Mankrea.

"Local Crops"

Mankera looks no different from any other small town scattered throughout the country, but it holds in its bosom a history that has spanned across centuries. Mankera's recent claim to fame might be its elevation to a tehsil of Bhakkar district, but its glorious past belittles its present status. Tradition places its existence some one thousand years BC. It is believed that Mankera was christened as Malkherkot, founded by a Rajput called Mal Khera. There is evidence that suggests that a state by this name existed during Alexander's invasion of the sub-continent. The Arabs however called it Manker Kot, and during Mohammad Bin Qasim's rule in greater Sindh, the conquest of Mankera by one of his generals, Abul Asswad bin Zahar is recorded. The first Muslim governor of Mankera was Ahmed bin Khuzema who died in Mankera and is buried in Mankera fort.

Following the downfall of Arab rule in Sindh, the Hindu king of Kanuj took possession of Mankera followed by the Makens. Makens ruled Mankera for five hundred years. Their conversion to the faith is recorded during the time of Ghias-ud-din Balban, courtesy of Baba Farid Ganj Shakr. Towards the end of the fifteenth century, the Baloch from Makran flocked into the country in and around Mankera, and subsequently ruled this state for the next three hundred years. The Abdali kings annexed Mankera and the adjoining areas and the Baloch gave way to Saddo Zai Pathans. The Pathan rule of the state ended with the famous siege of Mankera by Ranjit Singh which resulted in the forfeiture of Nawab Surbuland's claim to Mankera and his retreat to Dera Ismail Khan.

Mankera fort, the principal feature of the town lies half a kilometer to the left of the Bhakkar highway. The fort was constructed in two phases. The initial construction of the brick fort was carried out during the time of the Baloch rule, and further fortification in the form of a thick mud wall was undertaken during the Pathan rule. Today the fort and its fortification is mostly in ruins. (Much to my surprise, Mankera's historical sites have never been considered worthy of any official recognition.) The major part of the mud wall still exists, however decay and neglect is abundantly clear. The main fort is mostly in ruins except for a well, a tomb, and a few signs of masonry. The outer walls of the citadel are however intact. During the dying days of the Mughal empire, Mankera's Saddo Zai rulers with the help of their Abdali benefactors emerged as a force to reckon with in this area. Mankera was the seat of their dominions.

The Sikh occupation of Mankera is abundantly evident. Next to the Jamia Masjid of Mankera are the ruins of a temple built during the Sikh rule, and even the tomb of Nawab Surbuland Khan, just outside the main citadel has a Hindu aura about its construction.

The Sikh annexation of this area began in 1821, and was completed with the fall of Mankera in the autumn of that year. Ranjit Singh personally led the troops that besieged Mankera. The siege lasted for twenty-two days and at a great cost to the invaders. Mankera, fortified by the brick wall had a distinct advantage of its position being in the middle of a desert. The besieging army had not only to deal with the gallant musketry of the Mankera troops but had to find out ways to deal with the natural difficulties as well. Water had to be carried for the troops from considerable distances. Ranjit Singh's ingenuity saved the day, as he ordered his army to dig several wells. Twelve such wells were dug.

The siege dragged on for twenty-two days during which time the Nawab held his own; however the desertions of his sardars and the demolition of one of the minarets of Jamia Masjid -- taken as a bad omen -- forced the Nawab to surrender the fort to the Sikhs. The iron ball shot from the big guns, including the Zam Zama employed by Ranjit Singh during the Mankera expedition is still preserved in the mosque's compound. Following the surrender, the Muslim population of Mankera was expelled and replaced by Sikhs and Hindus, and the area was put under the direct control of the Lahore empire. The Sikh rule of Mankera ended in 1847 and for the next one hundred and forty years Mankera existed as a non-entity.

Mankera's other claim to fame is the incident, which took place in 1794 when Prince Hummayun, son of Taimur Shah, the Abdali King and a claimant to the throne of Kabul made a vain attempt to overthrow his brother, Zaman Shah. His brother comprehensively defeated him and Hummayun fled to Thal Sagar. The Saddo Zai Nawab of Mankera, Nawab Mohammad Khan apprehended him at Leaih. Hummayun's son was killed in the scuffle that followed his arrest, and at the behest of Zaman Shah, Nawab had Hummayun's eyes put out. Hummayun spent the rest of his life imprisoned in Mankera fort. A tomb in the middle of the fort is believed to be that of Prince Hummayun, and is considered a minor saint by the locals. On the other hand, the Nawab received the title of Surbuland Khan and the territory of Dera Ismail Khan from the King. It was the same Surbuland Khan who had to surrender to Ranjit Singh some twenty-and-seven years later, and retreat to Dera Ismail Khan.

Mankera today is a neat little town. Its main bazaar (market) has neat rows of shops on either side. The town has four schools -- one high school and one primary school each for boys and girls. The first primary school has been in existence for over a hundred years now, a special school for disable children and the addition of an intermediate college & a Commerce College provides the town with ample resources to educate its youth. A forty- bed hospital caters for the health needs of the populace. The famous Jamia Masjid is mostly intact but disrepair and neglect is evident. The streets are paved and wide, and the people congenial and hospitable.

We have a rich Indo-Islamic Culture, which is known as 'the colorful culture'

The next time you are looking for an adventure, Mankera should be on your list of probables.

'The Colorful Culture' Clay made pots and a village house made of mud

How to get there?
From Islamabad daily flight takes off in the morning and reaches Dera Ismail Khan within 1 ½ hour via Peshawar. From Dera Ismail Khan, Mankera is at a distance of 1 ½ hour by road.
From Lahore two flights operate on weekly basis. By road it is accessible from Multan, Faisalabad and Sargodha. Travelling time is 3 to 4 hours from all these places.

[sarahtowny]

Thanks Aqeel, what an amazing insight you gave me to your hometown.

The history etc was extremely interesting, you must have taken hours on this.

I must admit I love the idea of going around the bazaar (I know girls and shopping hey!), but thanks again a really great post.

1 rep point to Aqeel!

[RabidKitten]

Aqeel, now, I've seen pictures of you in your surroundings and I've always said they were gorgeous, but really...this is great to read!

Really amazing to put together, and heh...believe me, those pots are beautiful *wink*

A school separate for boys and girls? How interesting *tilt* I'd be curious what the difference in the two was. Unless I'm just reading that wrong, which at 7 am could very well be *laughs*

Either way, great job, this was a great read.

+Rep

[Aqeel]

Originally Posted by sarahtowny

Thanks Aqeel, what an amazing insight you gave me to your hometown.

The history etc was extremely interesting, you must have taken hours on this.

I must admit I love the idea of going around the bazaar (I know girls and shopping hey!), but thanks again a really great post.

1 rep point to Aqeel!

Thanks Sarah Yes, it was a hard task but finally I did it. Yesterday, accidently the camera I was using lost all the pictures of fort, Nawab Sar Buland Khan's tomb, Prince Humayun's tomb etc and all that made me sick . To shot these pictures I climbed up many dangerous places in fort but all that in vain
....But finally I decided to do a website project of the town and this all is just because of that Hometown entry, thanks Sarah for your appreciation and rep
I think these Hometown entries will bring us closer (BBB members) and serve to better understand eachother.

Originally Posted by RabidKitten

Aqeel, now, I've seen pictures of you in your surroundings and I've always said they were gorgeous, but really...this is great to read!

Really amazing to put together, and heh...believe me, those pots are beautiful *wink*

A school separate for boys and girls? How interesting *tilt* I'd be curious what the difference in the two was. Unless I'm just reading that wrong, which at 7 am could very well be *laughs*

Either way, great job, this was a great read.

+Rep

Thanks Sam Yes, Sam you are right and your mind is working properly We have seprate schools, there are many education systems in our country like Oxford, Cambridge, Public, Islamic, Goverment. I presonally studied Oxford syllabus and they have different prefrences. The Government Schools and Colleges are separate for boys and girls. Here in Islambad we also have a 'Khawateen University' a separate University for women, 'The Women Bank' is the bank for womens, run be womens.
Well, if any of the BBB members ever visits Mankera, you'll be warmly welcomed here

[Amin Shah]

Aqeel thats what you were talking about, Hometown entry. Its great boy You have done a superb job.

[Oreo]

This is a GREAT hometown entry! WOW! What a hometown!!! Thank you so much for sharing that!!

[Aqeel]

Originally Posted by Oreo

This is a GREAT hometown entry! WOW! What a hometown!!! Thank you so much for sharing that!!

Thanks for that appreciation