Rabwah

Chiniot, Pakistan

Rabwah is a city in Punjab in Chiniot district. Rabwah (Urdu: ربوہ) also known as "Chenab Nagar", is a city of Ex Jhang / Chiniot District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located near to the historic city of Chiniot. The city with a population of 70,000 (2003) has been the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community since September 20, 1948 - after the original headquarters of Qadian went to India following partition in 1947; as a result the vast majority of the inhabitants are refugees who fled the violence in East Punjab and later settled the area. In 1998, following the passage of a resolution in the Punjab Assembly, the Government of Punjab changed the name of town to Chenab Nagar against the wishes of extremist Khatam-e-Nabuwat community.[2]More than 97% of its residents belong to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community community. It is located at 31°45′N, 72°52′E. In Arabic it means a high place. It is a small city surrounded by Hill and the Chenab River near Chiniot. This city is about 24² miles in size. The landscape is composed of bare sedimentary mountains.The city is connected to the rest of the country by a large train service which goes from the city all the way south to Karachi.This deserted area was first called Chak Digiyaan. It was then given a name Rabwah in 1948 when it took the shape of a town, a year after the country (Pakistan) was divided from India. The town was primarily established by the Ahmadiyya community. The area used to be a desert and the first residents lived in tents. Over the years offices, schools and colleges have been built. Also various departments have been re-established and re-organised. The office buildings include banks and Press & Publications office which prints numerous books and newspapers such as Daily Al-Fazl which is an international newspaper produced daily. A children magazine called Tashheeez-ul-Azhan is one of the many other informative magazines published in Rabwah. Alfazal and Tasheez can be viewd at Periodicals. Rabwah has produced some great international players of Basketball, Swimming, Hockey and Football.