Gujrat

Gujrat, city, northeastern Punjab province, Pakistan. The city lies just north of the Chenab River and is connected with Lahore and Peshawar via the Grand Trunk Road. The present city, which lies on the site of a succession of earlier cities, developed around the fort built by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1580. In 1867 it was incorporated as a municipality. It has two hospitals and several colleges affiliated with the University of the Punjab. Manufactures include furniture, pottery, electric fans, cotton goods, footwear, brass ware, and carpets. A battle fought there in 1849 broke Sikh power and permitted British annexation of the Punjab.

The area in which Gujrat is situated lies between the Chenab and Jhelum rivers and marks the northern limits of the Punjab plains. The Lower Jhelum Canal irrigates some 1,250 square miles (3,200 square km) under wheat, millet, and legume cultivation. A mound at Mung (Mong) has been identified as the site of Alexandria Nicaea, the city built by Alexander the Great on the field of his victory over Porus in the 4th century bce. Pop. (1998) 250,121.