Ahmadpur East

 city, cantonment, former national capital, army base

 Upload a photo

Tehsil Ahmadpur East or Ahmadpur Sharqia (Punjabi, Saraiki, Urdu: تحصِيل احمدپُور شرقیہ‎) is one of the five tehsils, or administrative subdivisions, of Bahawalpur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Its capital is Ahmadpur East.

The main language spoken in the region is Saraiki. Urdu, Pujabi and Hindi are also spoken.

Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Geography and climate
3 Economy
4 Culture
5 The saints of Ahmadpur Tehsil
6 See also
7 References
History[edit]
Ahmedpur East was once the Capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. Ahmed Khan son of Ghappa Khan Parjani was the first cousin of Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan I. On the invitation of Nawab Mubarak Khan, the dwelling where Ahmed Khan along with his family, tribe and supporters made their permanent abode was named Ahmed Pur." "Buildings, places built by the former Rulers of Ex-Bahawalpur State have prime importance for Ahmadpur City. Sadiq Garh Palace, Qadeem Mahal and Jamia Masjid Chowk Bazar and many more are remarkable in these buildings. Saraiki is the local language, while Urdu and English are official languages used in various educational and government institutions."

Geography and climate[edit]
The City lies just south east of the Head Panjnad. It is situated 50 km from Bahawalpur, 470 km from Lahore, 15 km from Uch Shareef, 60 km from Yazman, 320 km from Faisalabad and about 750 km from the national capital, Islamabad. The west region of the city is called the Sindh. The chief crops are wheat, gram, cotton, sugarcane, and dates. Sheep and cattle are raised for export of wool and hides. It is chiefly desert irrigated by the Sutlej inundation canals and yields crops of wheat, cotton, and sugarcane. Farther south, the Cholistan, is a barren desert tract, bounded on the north and west by the Hakra depression with mound ruins of old settlements along its high banks; it is still inhabited by nomads. The climate is mainly hot and dry. In summer's the temperature reaches high forties degrees Celsius during the day and the nights slightly cooler. Since the city is located in a desert environment there is little rainfall. The weather conditions in reach extremes in both summer and winter. Average temperature in summer is 33c and 18c in winter. Rainfall is very scarce and scanty. The average rainfall is 20 to 25 cm annually

Economy[edit]
Ahmedpur East is also an important agricultural training and educational center. Soapmaking and cotton ginning are important enterprises; cotton, silk, embroidery, carpets, and extraordinarily delicate pottery are produced. Factories producing cottonseed oil and cottonseed cake were built in the 1970s. It is an important marketing center for the surrounding areas and is located on the crossroads between Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta and Karachi. Ahmedpur East is also known for its distinctly embroidered khusa and pottery which is made here. The surrounding area is mostly agricultural, which allows agricultural exports in many parts of the world. There is also a large market town for mangoes, dates, wheat, sugarcane, and cotton that bring in continuous demand all year round. In addition, it has soap making and cotton spinning factories".

Culture[edit]
The city of Ahmedpur East is a tourist destination for not only locals but provides an important hotspot for historians and archeologists due to its rich heritage. Ahmedpur East is known for its cotton, silk, embroidery, carpets, and extraordinarily delicate pottery.[1]

The saints of Ahmadpur Tehsil[edit]

It has been suggested that this section be merged into List of people from Ahmedpur East. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2015.
(1) Syed Mohammad Abdullah Shah Madni Jilani: He was the son of the Syed Abdul Rehman Jilani Dehlvi. Hence, he was a descendents of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani. Bornand raised in Medina, he walked miles between Mecca and Madina, in the heat. He then spent least 12 years of service at the Masjid-e-Nabwi and then had a dream where Mohammad ordered him to find his murshid Sultan Bahu. He met Sultan Bahu on the 12th Rabi' al-awwal. During the reign of Nawab Bahawal Khan III, he migrated from Medina to Ahmadpur East for a permanent residence from 29th Ramazan 1241 H/6 May 1826 AD. He died on Friday of 29th Ramazan 1276 H/20 April 1860. His shrine is situated at Fatani Chowk, Fatani Street, Ahmadpur East. He was the 26th Shaikh of the Sarwari Qadri Order.[2]

(2) Makhdoom Bahaudin Akbar: He belongs to Bahaudin Zikarya’s 18th generation of descendants. He migrated from Multan to Ahmadpur East. He died in 26 Ramazan 1267/24 January 1851. He belongs to the Suhrawardiyya Order.

(3) Azmat Sultan Rehmat-ul-Allah Alayh: He belongs to the progeny of Sultan Bahu. His father, Sultan Mohammad Hussain was a Sufi dervish. Azmat Sultan migrated to Ahmadpur East along with his family and resided there. It was here that he died and his shrine is also located here.

(4) Abdul Asad Khan Afghan: There is a khanqah by the name of Abdul Asad Khan in Ahmadpur East. He is known as being the khalifah of Khawaja Aaqil Mohammad.

(5) Noor Shah Bukhari: In Ahmadpur Sharqia, his shrine is located near Qilla Tehsil. He is from the progeny of Syed Jalal Bukhari. He spent most of his time in the Zikr of Allah. The order of his followers initiated at the desert area. (6) Molvi Hakeem Gul Mohammad: His khanqah exists in Ahmadpur East. His family was prominent for its knowledge and herbal tips. The shrines of his ancestors still exist in Multan and Uch, Pakistan. He was the khalifah and a disciple of Aaqil Mohammad. His family lineage and biography is preserved in his writing Takmala Sharif.[3][4]