Faisalabad lies 140 km west of Lahore. Known as the Manchester of Pakistan for its textile industry, its focal point is the Ghanta Ghar (clock tower) bazaar, from which eight bazaars radiate. Faisalabad is connected to the rest of the country by air, road and rail.
The city was founded by the British in the 1890s as Lyallpur, named after Sir James Lyall, Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab, at the center of the new canal colonies that turned the scrubland between the rivers into some of the most fertile farmland in the subcontinent. It was later renamed in honour of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia.
Today it is one of Pakistan’s largest cities and its main textile center, with spinning and weaving mills, cloth markets and a famous university of agriculture.
Places to see
Ghanta Ghar & the eight bazaars
The clock tower stands at the center of the old town, where eight bazaars meet in a pattern said to have been laid out after the Union Jack. Each bazaar has its own trade, from cloth to grain.
University of Agriculture
One of the oldest agricultural institutions in South Asia, founded in the early 20th century to serve the canal colonies.
Lyallpur Museum
A museum of the history and culture of the Faisalabad region, from the Indus civilization to the canal colonies.
Gatwala Wildlife Park
A forest park on the edge of the city with a lake, picnic areas and wildlife enclosures.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Faisalabad has an international airport, lies on the railway network, and is linked by motorway to Lahore, Islamabad and Multan.
- What to buy
- Cloth of every kind — cotton, lawn and printed fabrics — at the Clock Tower bazaars, often at mill prices.
- When to go
- October to March. Summers are very hot.
Header photo: The clock tower at night — Usman Nadeem, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons