Salt Range, Mountain range in Punjab, Pakistan
The Salt Range spreads across roughly 300 kilometers between the Indus and Jhelum rivers with two parallel ridges creating different slopes on each side. The southern face drops sharply while the northern side rises more gradually.
Salt extraction here began around 320 BC during the Mauryan Empire, making it one of the oldest continuous mining sites in South Asia. People have been working these deposits for more than 2,000 years.
Several ethnic communities maintain villages throughout these mountains and continue salt mining and farming methods passed down through their families. These traditions shape how people live and work in the settlements scattered across the range today.
Khewra Salt Mine is the main site to visit with guided tours through tunnel networks and salt formations underground. Wear sturdy shoes because the paths are uneven and sometimes wet from underground moisture.
The salt deposits here reach thicknesses exceeding 490 meters in places, ranking among the thickest rock salt layers on Earth. This concentration makes the geology here truly rare on a global scale.
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