Layyah
Layyah
ليّہ Leiah | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Layyah Railway Station in c. 2015 | |
  Layyah | |
| Coordinates: 30°57′55″N 70°56′38″E / 30.96528°N 70.94389°E | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| Division | Dera Ghazi Khan |
| District | Layyah |
| Area | |
| • Metro | 6,291 km2 (2,429 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 143 m (469 ft) |
| Population | |
• City | 151,274 |
| • Rank | 75th, Pakistan |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Postal code | 31200 |
| Calling code | 0606 |
| Number of towns | 1 |
| Number of Union councils | 36 |
| Website | layyah |
Layyah (Saraiki and Urdu: ليّہ), previously spelled as Leiah, is a city in Layyah District of Punjab province of Pakistan.[2] The city is the headquarter of Layyah District and Layyah Tehsil. It is the 75th most populous city of Pakistan.[3]
The main languages spoken in the city include Saraiki, Punjabi, and Urdu.
Geography
[edit]It lies between 30–45 to 31–24 degree north latitudes and 70–44 to 71–50 degree east longitudes. The area consists of a semi-rectangular block of sandy land between the Indus River and the Chenab River in Sindh Sagar Doab. Layyah is situated at an average elevation of 143 m above sea level. The total area covered by the district is 6,291 km2 with a width from east to west of 88 km and a length from north to south of 72 km.[citation needed]
History
[edit]The town was founded around 1550 by Kamal Khan Mirani, a member of Baloch Mirani dynasty and a direct descendant of Ghazi Khan Mirani, who laid the foundation of Dera Ghazi Khan.[4] The region was part of Multan province of Mughal Empire.[5] Around 1610, the town was taken from the Mirani rulers by the Jaskani Balochs, who held it until 1787. Abdun Nabi Sarai was appointed Governor by Timur Shah Durrani, but three years later, it was included in the Governorship of Muhammad Khan Sadozai, who transferred his seat of Government to Mankera.
In 1794, Humayun Shah, the rival claimant to the throne of Kabul, was captured near Layyah and brought into the town, where his eyes were gouged out by order of Zaman Shah. Under the Sikh Government, the town once more became the centre of administration for the neighbouring tract, and after the British occupation in 1849, was for a time the headquarters of a Civil Administrative Division. This administrative status of Layyah was short-lived and the British reduced it to the level of Tehsil headquarters, making it a part of Dera Ismail Khan. In 1901, Layyah was transferred to the new District of Mianwali. Later on, it was made part of the Muzaffargarh District. In 1982, Layyah Tehsil was upgraded to District headquarters comprising three Tehsils: Layyah, Karor and Chaubara. The municipality was created in 1875.[6]
In February 2025, a branch of Pak Tea House, a literary centre, was established in the city.[7]
Demographics
[edit]Population of Layyah city.[8]
| Census Year | Population |
| 1972 | 33,549 |
| 1981 | 51,482 |
| 1998 | 72,319 |
| 2017 | 126,055 |
| 2023 | 151,274 |
Notable people
[edit]- Lala Harkishen Lal (d. 1937), Indian industrialist and co-founder of Punjab National Bank
- Munir Malik (1934–2012), Pakistani cricketer
- Mahar Ijaz Ahmad Achlana (b. 1966), Pakistani politician and former member of Provincial Assembly of the Punjab
- Jalat Khan (b. 1999), Pakistani domestic cricketer
- Mehr Abdul Haq (1915–1995), Pakistani philologist
- Mohinder Pratap Chand (1935–2020), Indian writer and poet
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "PAKISTAN: Provinces and Major Cities". PAKISTAN: Provinces and Major Cities. citypopulation.de. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ Tehsils & Unions in the District of Layyah Archived 2011-08-07 at the Wayback Machine. National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan
- ^ "PAKISTAN: Provinces and Major Cities". PAKISTAN: Provinces and Major Cities. citypopulation.de. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ Nadiem, Ihsan H. (2005). Punjab: Land, History, People. Lahore: al-Faisal Publishers. p. 124. ISBN 978-969-503-434-7.
- ^ Dasti, Humaira Faiz (1998). Multan, a Province of the Mughal Empire, 1525-1751. Royal Book. ISBN 978-969-407-226-5.
- ^ History Layyah Archived 2019-04-05 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Hussain, Irshad (3 February 2025). "Layyah revives literary legacy with Pak Tea House". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
- ^ "Layyah (Layyah, Punjab, Pakistan) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map, Location, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
External links
[edit]- Layyah – Official website
- "Layyah – Government Government of Punjab". Archived from the original on 3 July 2020.
- Layyah Online
- District Courts of Layyah Archived 2021-01-21 at the Wayback Machine
- A Brief History of Layyah
- عطا, محمد صابر (15 August 2023). "لیہ میں تاریخی سرائے 'ہر جس گابہ' اور گابہ خاندان" [The historic inn 'Har Jas Gaba' in Layyah and the Gaba family]. Independent Urdu (in Urdu). Retrieved 6 February 2025.
