Chowk Azam
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Chowk Azam چوک اعظم | |
|---|---|
 Chowk Azam Minar | |
  Chowk Azam  Chowk Azam | |
| Coordinates: 30°57′53″N 71°13′01″E / 30.9647672°N 71.2169821°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| District | Layyah |
| Tehsil | Layyah |
| Population (2023) | 87,376 |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Calling code | 0606 |
Chowk Azam is a small city and a municipal committee in Layyah District of Punjab, Pakistan.[1][2] It is located 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Layyah, the headquarters of the Layyah District, on the Mianwali and Multan road (MM road).[3] According to 2023 Census of Pakistan, Chowk Azam has an estimated population of 87,376 people.[4] The city has many educational and vocational institutions, including Government Muslim High School, Divisional Public School, Government College for Boys and Government College for Girls. The campus of the Government College University Faisalabad and Bahauddin Zakariya University in Layyah and Government Graduate College[5] in Chowk Azam provide point services for the commuting of Chowk Azam students and others who live in the vicinity.
History
[edit] |
According to popular legend, the history of Chowk Azam dates back to the 14th century, when a conflict between the ruling king of Afghanistan and his brother arose over the throne. Taking with him a caravan of Muslim and Christian allies, the king's brother fled the country in the hope of receiving asylum from the rulers in India. He brought along his entire household, including courtesans, slaves, and cattle. Hearing of the exodus, the king of Afghanistan pursued the caravan with his armed forces. They attacked at the Sindharr clan's thatched house. The king's forces engulfed the departed caravan and slaughtered the men, women, children and cattle. It is claimed that the well in which they deposited the dismembered bodies of the dead was so full that blood gushed out of it, giving way to it being formally named "Khooni Chowk".
Later, when Colonel Muhammad Azam arrived, he purchased the land. He built a mosque that is the central mosque of the city today; the settlement was then name after Colonel Azam.
The city's inhabitants consist mainly of Punjabi, Saraiki, Pashtun, and Rohitky communities, with the majority being Punjabi. Punjabi people came to this region in the pre and post-partition era. Agricultural peasants migrated from upper and central Punjab, mainly from Sialkot, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Lahore, Faisalabad and Narowal, and settled in Chowk Azam to expand their businesses there.
Chowk Azam is located at a latitude of 30.9706551 and a longitude of 71.212303.
References
[edit]- ^ "MC Chowk Azam" (PDF). lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. Local Government & Community Development Department. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "District Profile - Layyah". layyah.punjab.gov.pk. Government of The Punjab. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Distance from Layyah". Google Maps.
- ^ "URBAN LOCALITIES BY POPULATION SIZE AND THEIR POPULATION BY SEX, ANNUAL GROWTH RATE AND HOUSEHOLD SIZE : CENSUS-2023" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "GC Chowk Azam". gcchowkazam.edu.pk. Retrieved 26 October 2024.