[5] In the northern parts of the district, the Sandal Bar "rises abruptly from the Utar, and the summit of the dividing ledge is from 10 to 30 feet above the plain below.

[5] The quality of the soil generally decreases towards the south, with Kallar plains more frequent, and the better types of grass such as dhaman also become rarer.

[5] The Thal is an elevated plateau like the Bars but with one major difference — it is almost completely covered in sand dunes, and the underlying soil only pokes out in patches.

[5] These are interspersed with occasional patches of good soil studded with pilu bushes, which along with some trees form just about the only greenery in sight.

[5] Towards the southern end of the district, good grassland becomes less common, and trees become mostly absent except in some depressions where water collects when it rains.

[5] At the far southern end of the district is a distinct area formed by relatively recent river activity; the soil here is light and sandy, and the water table is very high and close to the surface.

[5] Further west, in the Shah Jiwana taluka, the landscape changes to become either partially covered by sparse sar grass or otherwise bare kallar plains.

[5] The lowest part of the triangle between the Jhelum and the Chenab is called the Vichanh, which "may be described as a dorsal ridge, covered with efflorescent saltpetre, between the fertile low-lying alluvial lands of the two rivers.

[5] The Utar between the Jhelum and the Kirana Bar, in the area around Kot Isa Shah, is arguably the most fertile part of the district.

[5] The upper Chenab, before receiving the waters of the Jhelum at the Domel, is "a broad shallow stream, with a sluggish current and a licentious course.

[5] The zone on the banks of the Jhelum is "fertile, well wooded, densely cultivated, and supports a larger population than any other portion of the district.

[5] The soil in this zone ranges from stiff clay to sand, but usually tends to be a light loam, "easily worked and retentive of moisture.

"[5] Below Shorkot, the Utar recedes, and instead of a relatively narrow band of Hithar lowlands, there is a wide floodplain with many channels that carry floodwaters inland.

A sea of yellow grass rippling in the breeze, edged on the west by a silver ribbon of river, are the features that first strike the eye.

[5] At the start of June, the weather becomes intensely hot, and the kikar and ber trees lose all their leaves due to the heat.

[5] The rains bring a drop in temperature, and the lack of muggy weather makes Jhang District more pleasant during this period than some other areas.

[5] When the cold weather begins depends on the amount of rainfall during August and September: if there is no rain, then the cooling happens more gradually and people stop using pankhas around early-mid October.

[5] Like in the rest of Punjab, cold weather in Jhang District is characterised by crisp, fresh mornings; cool, bright days; and frosty nights.

[5] The most common tree in Jhang District is the kikar (Acacia arabica), especially in the Hithar zone along the Jhelum and Chenab rivers.

[5] The shisham (Dalbergia sissu), also called the tahli, is found wherever there is cultivated land, but since its roots need to get down to water for it to thrive, it is most abundant in the Hithar lowlands along the rivers.

[5] The jand (Acacia leucophelea) is usually encountered as a stunted bush or shrub, but in more conducive conditions it can grow into a large tree.

[5] The jal (Salvadora oleoides), also called the wan or pilu, is very common throughout the district, with the largest trees generally being found in the Kachhi and the Bars.

[5] Cobras especially like to hide under the jal tree's roots, and camels like to eat its leaves during the first part of the hot season.

[5] The jal does not make good firewood — it produces "an enormous quantity of ash", it stinks when burned, and it doesn't give off much heat.

[5] Babur does not mention the Sials at all in the early-16th-century Baburnama, although he does refer to the regions of Bhera, Khushab, Chiniot, Chenab, and (possibly) Shorkot.

[5] Various independent branches of the Sials existed up until the reign of Walidad Khan in the early 18th century (the exact date is not clear).

[5] Other independent rulers included the Mahnis of Khiwa, the Sayyids of Shah Jiwana, the Rihans of Kalowal, and the Kharals of Kamalia.

[5] Inayatullah Khan was also skilled as an administrator and military leader, but the ascendant Sikh Confederacy was beginning to impose its authority over this region.

[5] Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire, captured Chiniot from the Bhangis in 1803 and intended to attack Jhang, but the reigning Sial leader Ahmad Khan agreed to become his tributary before he did so.

[5] Instead of having a single village site, landlords and their tenants would have houses around individual wells in small hamlets, along with a shopkeeper and a few Kamins (craftsmen, service providers, and other specialists).