Khewra Salt Mine

Working Salt Mine Run By The Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, Often Described As The Second Largest Salt Mine In The World; Main Tunnel Laid Out 1872 · Khewra, Punjab

Khewra is one of the oldest and largest salt mines in the world, often described as the second-largest, cut into the Salt Range hills and still worked today. Local tradition says the salt was found when Alexander the Great's horses were seen licking the rocks here in 326 BCE; salt was traded from here under the Mughals, and the British laid out the main tunnel in 1872 on a system of chambers and pillars still used now. The pink Himalayan salt sold in shops across the world comes from mines like this one. A tourist section runs a short way into the mountain, reached on foot or on a little electric train, and it is cheerfully kitsch: a mosque built of salt bricks lit from within, a salt model of Minar-e-Pakistan, glowing salt walls, and pools of brine so dense you could float in them if they were allowed. The air is dry and steady in temperature all year, and there is a respiratory clinic inside. It is Pakistan's most popular underground attraction, busy with school trips and families, and easily combined with the Katas Raj Temples nearby.

Khewra, Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil, Jhelum District, Salt Range, Khewra, Punjab, Pakistan

The tourist section is open daily from morning to late afternoon; tickets are bought at the entrance, with a separate much higher foreigners' rate, and the train ride may cost extra. Visits are self-guided or with a mine guide. Khewra is about two and a half hours from Islamabad and three from Lahore via the M-2 motorway. Weekends and school holidays are crowded.

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