The city lies in a densely populated region between the Sutlej and Ravi rivers. The principal crops are wheat, cotton, tobacco,[6] legumes, potato[7] and oil seeds. Cotton goods and lacquered woodwork are manufactured.[8][9]
Following the Ummayad Arab conquest of the Punjab cities of Uch and Multan, led by Muhammad bin Qasim, Arabs of the Emirate of Multan ruled the region of Sahiwal for a few centuries. Then Sahiwal remained part of the Multan province of the Mamluk dynasty. Sahiwal also remained associated with the historic city of Depalpur.[10]
The modern-day city of Sahiwal was founded in 1865 when a train station was built at the site of a small village on the Karachi-Lahore railway line. The site was named Montgomery for Sir Robert Montgomery, then lieutenant governor of the Punjab and it replaced Gogera as the capital of the recently created Montgomery district.[11] Two years later in 1867, it was constituted a municipality.[12]
In 1914 construction began of the Lower Bari Doab Canal which now irrigates both the city and the wider region.[12]
During the Partition of India in 1947 the city, being part of Montgomery district, was allocated to Pakistan by the Punjab Boundary Commission. This was on the basis of being a Muslim-majority area, despite claims from the Indian National Congress and Sikh groups on the basis of greater property ownership and revenues paid to the state.[13]
Climate
The climate of Sahiwal district is hot semi arid, reaching 47 °C in summer, and down to 5 °C in winter. The soil of the district is very fertile. The average rainfall is about 585 mm.[14]
Sahiwal is twinned with the town of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, England. Approximately eight per cent of Rochdale's population is of Asian origin, most of whom have links with Pakistan. The twinning arrangement was agreed between Rochdale and Sahiwal in 1998.[17][18]
