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'Mirpur' (Urdu: 'میر پور') is a city of Azad KashmirThe name means 'city of Mir'. Many of the people of this area are farmers. Since the 1960s, a large number of people from this district have gone abroad, especially to the United Kingdom and the Middle East, for economic reasons. As such they are today the major foreign exchange earning source for Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Around 50,000 people were moved from this district in the mid-sixties to make way for the construction of the Mangla Dam. Most of these people settled in new Mirpur whilst some moved elsewhere in Pakistan or to the UK.

Contents

History

Mirpur City

Surroundings

Mangla

Khari Sharif

Bhimber

Jandi Chontra

Baghsar

Bandala

Chah Mochian

The Scenic valley of Samahni (Azad Jammu & Kashmir) is a valley which is guarded by high mountains on all sides, offers breathtaking and mesmerising natural scenes to its visitors, waterfalls which come down mountain slopes as well as streams and nalas ★ of crystal clear waters. The mountains across the whole valley dressed in jungles of pine trees add an extra touch to the stunning view. The valley holds a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere with pollution free environment from one end to the other.

History

Mirpur is one of the principal sources of migration from Pakistan to Europe, and especially to Britain, so much so that close to half a million migrants from this area now live in the UK. Although it is widely believed that the principal reason for this outflow was the construction of the Mangla Dam, this is only partially true. Whilst the construction of the dam undoubtedly reinforced the scale of the outflow, since the waters of the lake swamped most of the best land in the District, emigration from this region began long beforehand.
Since Mirpur lies at the point where the River Jhelum breaks out of the heavily forested foothills of the Pir Panjal mountains into the plains of the largely treeless Punjab, it was an ideal spot for the construction of the boats which have were used to carry goods down the five rivers of the Punjab to the river Indus, and thence down to the seaports in the Indus delta from which traders have been operating across the Indian Ocean for at least the past three thousand years.
In South Asian contexts, training as a boat-builder was a necessary prerequisite for becoming a boatman, and indeed a seaman. Hence most of the crewmen on the boats trading up and down the Punjab and Indus valley river system were drawn from Mirpur, where the boats were built. However this thriving river trade was decimated with the arrival of the British Raj, and the construction of railway lines from Bombay and Karachi into the interior of the Punjab. Moving goods by rail was both cheaper and quicker, and hundreds of Mirpuri boatmen found themselves out of a job.
Luckily a remedy emerged. This was just the time when long-distance ocean trade was shifting from sail to steam, with the result that there was a huge demand for men who were prepared to work in the hot, dirty and dangerous stokeholds of the new coal-fired steamers. European seamen avoided such jobs whenever the possibly could. They preferred to work on deck. But in the 1870s Mirpuri ex-river boatmen in Karachi were desperately searching for a new source of income. They were used to working on ships, and although unfamiliar with stoking coal-fired boliers, they were prepared to learn. Before long they gained a virtual monopoly of jobs as engine-room stokers on steamships sailing out of Karachi and Bombay, a position they retained until coal-fired ships were finally phased out of service at the end of the second world war.
But just as this occurred, a new set of opportunities open up. Britain's economy was just setting off on what proved to be a long post-war boom, and there was an acute short of labour in the foundries of the Midlands, and the textile mills of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Now it was the turn of ex-seamen to become industrial workers in Britain. So when the Mangla lake filled up in 1966, depriving large numbers of Mirpuri farmers of their land, an alternative was readily available: to move overseas to join those of their kinsfolk who had established themselves in Britain.
Mirpur has never looked back since

Mirpur City

Mirpur city is situated at 459 meters above sea-level and is linked with the main Peshawar-Lahore Grand Trunk road at Dina Tehsil. It is the headquarter of Mirpur District, which comprises three sub-divisions, Mirpur, Chaksawari & Dadyal[1]. The building of the new city in late sixties paved the way for new Mirpur situated on the banks of Mangla lake. In fact the remains of the old city (old Mirpur) are underneath the waters of the Mangla Lake, during colder months the water level decreases such that you can see the tops of minarets from the old mosques, and also the remnants of a Sikh gurdwara, a glimpse of pre-independence times when there were many faiths co-existing in Kashmir as a whole. Mirpur was well planned and the buildings are mostly of modern design, in addition there is significant inward investment from ex-patriates now living in the UK & the Middle East. The city has sufficient number of quality hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and other urban facilities.
Mirpur is developing into an industrial city very rapidly. Foam, Polypropylene, Synthetic yarn, Motorbikes, Textile, vegetable ghee, logging and sawmills, soap, cosmetics, marble, ready-made garments, matches, rosin, turpentine and scooter industrial units have already been established in the area. However, much of the infrastructure still needs further development in order to compete on a national level. As part of the relief/compensation package in the wake of Mangla Dam Raising Project, a New City is being developed along the southeastern outskirts of Mirpur. Civil works at huge scale are going on around the whole district, by the Pakistani & Chinese contractors for raising the dam. Four towns in the district have been planned besides the new city, to resettle the population affected by the project.

Surroundings

Mangla

Mangla is a small but beautiful modern town situated 16Km from Mirpur at the mouth of the Mangla Dam. The construction of the Dam reservoir, which has a perimeter of 400Km, has turned it into a place of interest. A castle situated on the lake-side serves as a historical back-drop.There is also a power station situated in the Mangla dam which is the second largest power station of Pakistan.

Khari Sharif

Located 8Km from Mirpur is Khari Sharif. Known for housing the Shrine of the Sufi Saint known as Baba Pir-e-Shah Ghazi (Damrian Wali Sarkar). The place acts as a great seat of learning for students of Islam. Darvishs (disciples) of the Saint can be seen today wandering not just in Pakistani Kashmir but throughout Pakistan. Also at Khari Sharif is the Shrine of the late Mian Mohammed Baksh who wrote the famous tale Saif-ul-Muluk. This tells of a Prince who fell in love with a fairy called Badi Jamal who he saw in a dream. The story chronicles his travels in search of the fairy and the spiritual lessons he learns on the way.
Also close to Khari Sharif is a local trading town called 'Jatlaan' which is situated 3 miles from Khari Sharif and this place is well known for it riches and deals. There is also a religious shrine called Peer-moliya which is located not far from this town, this shrine is dedicated to Islam and it is told that who so ever goes to this shrine with true heart and asks for something their desires will be fulfilled.

Bhimber

Bhimber is southernmost district of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, situated 50Km from Mirpur. It has three sub-divisions Bhimber, Samahni and Barnala. The area is very rich in archaeological remains. Bhimber falls on the route that was followed by the Moghul rulers of India for their frequent visits to the Kashmir Valley.

Jandi Chontra

Jandi Chontra is a scenic spot located 17Km from Bhimber and 67Km from Mirpur. The area is known for its panoramic views. The Shrine of the Sufi Saint Baba Shadi Shaheed is also located here.

Baghsar

Baghsar is situated at 975 m above sea-level in the Samahni valley. The Sar, local name for a lake, is nearly half kilometre long sheet of clear water that soothes the senses of the visitor. On top of a hill is the famous Moghul Fort over-looking the lake that adds grandeur to the area. This four storey massive structure of granite is a feat of Mughal engineering that has stood the ravages of time. It has also played important roles in history during the times of Ahmed Shah Abdali, Ranjit Singh and Gulab Singh. It is said that the Mughal Jahangir, on his way back from the Kashmir Valley, fell ill and ultimately died in this fort.

Bandala

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Bandala is not a valley itself but is part of a greater and beautiful valley "SAMAHN" in Azad jammu and Kashmir. it is located in the most eastern part of the valley.Travelling further east one would reach CHAWALIAN and NALI,the last villages before the start of the ,line of control,.
For further inf. visit ''www.samahni-valley.com

Chah Mochian

This village is one of the most beautiful small villages in the Mirpur District this is because of it vast wildlife and vast designs of buildings which make this village special. This village has a meaning to its name, It is said that once this village was woodland and there was a wedding party going through this wood, when the bride was thirsty. the bride asked her father for water as there was no water there this old man took the name of Allah and hit his stick on the ground and there was a water spring. This was the first spring of its kind in this woodland and so because of this miracle a shrine was dedicated to him in this village and the village took its name from the saint.
===Rajoa===
Rajoa is a small village in Tehsil Dadyal of the Mirpur district of Azad Kashmir, lying on the banks of the River Jhelum. Like much of Mirpur, Rajoa has deep connections with the UK. Many people originally from Rajoa have settled in Birmingham and its surrounding areas.
===Samahni=

The Scenic valley of Samahni (Azad Jammu & Kashmir) is a valley which is guarded by high mountains on all sides, offers breathtaking and mesmerising natural scenes to its visitors, waterfalls which come down mountain slopes as well as streams and nalas
★ of crystal clear waters. The mountains across the whole valley dressed in jungles of pine trees add an extra touch to the stunning view. The valley holds a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere with pollution free environment from one end to the other.

Sources and references==

★ Mirpur Times - The Voice of Kashmir & Mirpur (Pictures, History etc)

★ Social, Cultural, Historical, Economic and Political developments in Mirpur

★ WorldSatesmen- Pakistani polities

★ Pictures of Mirpur

★ Pictures from Dadyal Azad Kashmir

★ Samahni Pictures www.samahni-valley.com