Khewra Salt Mine

Salt has been dug at Khewra since long before the British formalised the workings in the nineteenth century, and local tradition dates the discovery to Alexander's army noticing horses licking the rock. It is among the largest salt mines on earth and the source of the pink Himalayan salt sold worldwide. Visitors enter on a small electric railway that runs into the hillside, then walk galleries where the salt is banded pink, red and white, lit from behind so the walls glow. Miners have carved features over the years: a small mosque of salt bricks, a model of the Minar-e-Pakistan, salt pools of dense brine, and an assembly hall. A clinic operates inside for asthma patients, using the stable, allergen-free air. Only a fraction of the workings is open; the mine remains commercially active on other levels.

History

Tradition says the salt was found when the horses of Alexander the Great's army, crossing the region in 326 BC, were seen licking the rocks; in the Mughal era the salt was traded as far as Central Asia. The mine is also called the Mayo Salt Mine after Lord Mayo, who visited it as Viceroy, and its main tunnel at ground level was laid out by the mining engineer H. Warth in 1872 (Wikipedia, Khewra Salt Mine).

What to look for

• The electric train - the ride into the mountain through the main adit.
• Illuminated salt galleries - banded pink and white walls lit from within.
• The salt mosque - a small mosque built from salt bricks underground.
• Brine pools - dense saline pools reflecting the coloured lighting.

When to go

October to April is best for the drive and the surface heat, though the mine holds a constant cool temperature year-round. Weekends and school holidays bring long queues for the train. Weekday mornings are calm.

Before you go

The tour is short and firmly routed, with the lighting and models aimed at families rather than industrial heritage enthusiasts. Queues for the train can be long. Photography is difficult in the coloured lighting. The surrounding town has few facilities. Some visitors find the salt models kitsch.

Nearby

Katas Raj temples and Kallar Kahar are north in the same range.

Key facts