History of Sialkot
History of Sialkot (; ), the capital of Sialkot District, is a city situated in the north-east of the Punjab province in Pakistan at the feet of the snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. Formerly, Sialkot has been the winter-capital of the State of Kashmir. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometres from Jammu in India. Sources. There are various sources tracing the origins of the city of Sialkot (ancient name:Sagala also spelt "Sakala") but the authenticity of many of these sources varies. The less-reliable historical  sources about the origins of the city have been derived from oral traditions. More reliable and validated historical references relating to the city date back to 327 BC in which it has been stated that the city is of Greek origin. Excavations throughout the area have revealed large amounts of Greek coins, ancient Zoroastrian temples and several Buddhist stupas. The antiquities of Sialkot have also been discussed by Sir Alexander Cunningham in his Archaeological Survey Reports, II, 21, 22, and XIV, 44 to 47. Mughal Era. Sialkot became a part of the Sultanate of Delhi when Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad  Ghauri conquered Punjab in 1185. He was unable to conquer Lahore but left a garrison in Sialkot. Later, Sultan Khusro Malik tried to capture the city but failed to do so. Sialkot then became a part of the Mughal Empire. The Mughal commander, Usman Ghani Raza, advanced towards Delhi by way of Sialkot which capitulated to his armies. In 'Babur Nama', Zaheer-ud-Din Muhammad Babur records: The last great Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb, appointed Ganga Dhar as "faujdar" of the city until 1654. Rahmat Khan was then placed in charge of the city, and would build a mosque in the  city. Under Aurangzeb's reign, Sialkot became known as a great centre of Islamic thought and scholarship, Modern era. During the Second Kashmir War in 1965, the Lahore-Sialkot region was attacked by the Indian Army which, despite overwhelming numerical superiority managed only to capture some outlying areas in the sector. The people of Sialkot came out in full force to support the troops of the Pakistan Army to repel the invasion by India. In fact, the armoured battles in the Sialkot sector (especially, the Battle of Chawinda), in 1965, were the most intense since the Second World War. In  1966, the Government of Pakistan awarded the "Hilal-i-Istaqlal" to the citizens of Sialkot, Lahore and Sargodha for their courage and bravery during the 1965 war between Pakistan and India.