Dera Ghazi Khan

Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan

Dera Ghazi Khan, town, Punjab province, central Pakistan, in the floodplain of the Indus River. The town was founded by Ghāzī Khān, son of a Baloch chieftain and vassal of the Langah sultans of Multan. Incorporated as a municipality in 1867, the town was partially destroyed by a flood of the Indus in 1908–09. The new town (founded 1911) is connected with Multan by road over the Taunsa Barrage and with Ghazi Ghat and Muzaffargarh by a bridge of boats over the Indus at low water. Rug and carpet weaving and the production of wooden toys are traditional industries; newer industries include rice and flour milling, cotton textiles, and rope and fiber products. The town has a hospital and a college affiliated with the University of the Punjab. Wheat, millet, and dates are the chief crops grown in the surrounding area, and cattle breeding is widespread. Pop. (1981) 102,007; (1998) 188,149; (2023) 494,464.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Mindy Johnston.