Dera Ghazi Khan (Urdu: ڈيره غازي خان), abbreviated as D. G. Khan, is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 19th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is the headquarters of the Dera Ghazi Khan District and Dera Ghazi Khan Division.
History
Foundation
Dera Ghazi Khan was founded in the end of 15th century and was named after Ghazi Khan Mirrani, son of Haji Khan Mirrani who was a powerful Baloch chieftain. 15 generations of Mirranis ruled the area.
Post Independence
After the success of the Pakistan Movement, which lead to the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while many Muslims refugees from India settled down in the Dera Ghazi Khan District. Many Hindus and Sikhs from Dera Ghazi Khan settled in Delhi found Derawal Nagar along with the migrants from Dera Ismail Khan.
Geography and Climate
Dera Ghazi Khan is located at 30’03” N and 70’38” E. The overall climate of the city is dry with little rainfall. The winter is mild, but it is very hot in summer. The average high temperature during summer is about 107 °F (42 °C), while during winter the average low is 40 °F (4 °C). The prevailing wind direction is North-South. Due to the barren mountains of Koh-Suleman (Sulaiman Mountains) and the sandy soil of the area, windstorms are common in the summer. During summer, the temperatures are generally amongst the highest in Pakistan. Fort Munro, located on the edge of Punjab Province, has relatively cooler weather. In winter, scattered snowfall has been reported.
Demographics
The majority of the population is poor but they have been ruled by the rich landlords and chiefs of Baloch tribes which played a significant role in the national and provincial politics. Some of these feudals use the title Sardar for themselves, including former President of Pakistan Farooq Leghari, Governors of Punjab Zulfiqar Ali Khosa, Sardar Akram Khan Malghani Sardar of the Malghani Balouch tribe and Latif Khosa, Chief Minister of Punjab Dost Muhammad Khosa, present Chief Secretary of Punjab, Nasir Mehmood Khosa, Former Inspector General Police of Punjab, Tariq Khosa, and present Supreme Court Judge Asif Khosa. The city is one of the oldest districts in South Asia. Dera Ghazi Khan did not develop like other cities in Punjab. Based on the surveys of 2004–2005, Dera Ghazi Khan district is considered as one of the twenty poorest districts of Pakistan with about 51% of its population living below the poverty line.
Transport
Air
Dera Ghazi Khan International Airport is 15 km (9.3 mi) from the city centre of Dera Ghazi Khan. It caters mainly to the population of Dera Ghazi Khan.
Culture
Fairs and festivals
Sangh Mela, is a Vaisakhi fair during March and April, and has been celebrated in Sakhi Sarwar by people coming from Jhang and Faisalabad for centuries. This festival is celebrated by Hindus and Muslims, especially at the time of wheat harvesting. In some places it is known as Basant. Throughout history, a large number of followers coming from different religions became the followers of Sakhi Sarwar. Max Arthur Macauliffe, a colonial office appointed in Punjab, observed in 1875 that not only Muslims but Hindus also visited the shrines during the [urs]. In the 1911 census of India, 79,085 Sikhs reported to be followers of Sakhi Sarwar.
Cuisine
Sohan Halwa is a traditional sweet made by boiling a mixture of water, sugar, milk and wheatflour (coarse pieces)/cornflour until it becomes solid.
Sources: Wikipedia