Elegant House, Sialkot, Pakistan, ca.1900

Exterior view of a large ornate domestic residence. Several individuals stand on the roof balcony. ❧ Sialkot became a frontier military station, having been annexed by the British in 1849. Situated on the fertile plains at the base of the Himalayan range by the Chenab River the city has a long history of occupation. When the Church of Scotland chose it as the base for their missionary work in the Punjab in 1857, they sent Thomas Hunter (1827-1857) who was murdered with his family during the Indian Mutiny that same year. His successors, John Taylor (1837-1868) and Robert Paterson, would not arrive in Sialkot until 1860 and rapidly expand the field. The mission would open orphanages, girl’s schools, women’s hospitals and do zenana work in Sialkot and throughout the Punjab. Murray College is perhaps the most important remnant of the Scottish Missions in the city