Shekhupura, also known as Qila Sheikhupura (Urdu: شیخُوپُورہ , Punjabi: شیخُوپُور), is a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Founded by the Mughal Emperor Jehangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the 16th largest city of Pakistan by population and is the headquarters of the Sheikhupura District. The city is an industrial center, and satellite town, located about 38 km northwest of Lahore.
History
The region around Sheikhupura was previously known as Virk Garh, or “Virk Fort”, in reference to the Jat tribe that inhabited the area. The city, founded in 1607, was named by Mughal Emperor Jehangir himself – the city’s first name is recorded in the Emperor’s autobiography, the Tuzk-e-Jahangiri, in which he refers to the town as Jehangirabad. The city then came to be known by its current name, which derives from Jehangir’s nickname Shekhu that was given to him by his mother, wife of Akbar the Great.
Demographics
According to the 1998 Pakistan Census, the population of Sheikhupura city was recorded as 280,263. As per 2017 Census of Pakistan, the population of city was recorded as 473,129 with an increase of 68.82% in just 19 years.
Industry
Quaid-e-Azam Business Park Sheikhupura and Rachna Industrial Park are two industrial areas under development in Sheikhupura. The former industrial area is declared a special economic zone by the government of Pakistan.
Modern neighborhood of city
Sheikhupura is an old city having pre-British history however keeping in view of industrialization & growth, several housing societies & towns have been built in & around the city boundaries. Few prominent towns are e community housing society, new civil lines & WAPDA Town Sheikhupura.