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Alexandria (Uch)
Unless otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes, but you have to acknowledge Livius.
The Chenab, the ancient river Acesines, near Uch. Photo Marco Prins. In 325, Alexander the Great founded one of his Alexandrias, at the "Head of the Punjab", the place where, back then, the rivers Chenab Acesines and Indus came together. Today, this confluence has moved to the west; on the other hand, the confluence of the Chenab and Sutlej has come closer to the site of this Alexandria, which is now called Uch or Uch Sharif.
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Approaching Uch. Photo Marco Prins. When you approach Uch from the west (which is the best way to do it), you will be passing through a cultivated, green country. Then, all of a sudden, you will see the remains of the citadel of Uch.
The citadel of Uch. Photo Marco Prins. The citadel. When Alexander founded the city, it was considerably larger, but when the Chenab shifted its course, it took away nearly half the citadel. The location of the lower city of Alexandria is not known; it may be beneath modern Uch, in which case it may perhaps one day be excavated; or it may be to the west of the citadel, in which case the river has destroyed the site.
One of the mausoleums on top of the citadel of Uch. Photo Marco Prins. One of the mausoleums on top of the citadel of Uch, dedicated to Bibi Jalwindi, which dates back to 1494.
The mausoleums on top of the citadel of Uch. Photo Marco Prins. The three mausoleums on top of the citadel of Uch. It is easy to imagine how much of the Macedonian town was destroyed by the Chenab.
One of the mausoleums on top of the citadel of Uch. Photo Marco Prins. The mausoleum of Bibi Jalwindi, even as a ruin a splendid sight. When Alexander founded the city, he was recovering from the nearly mortal wound he had received during the siege of a large city in the country of the Mallians, which may or may not be identical to modern Multan. When the news of his wound had reached Gandara and Sogdia, the Greek colonists that Alexander had settled in those satrapies revolted against their Macedonian lords. This caused tensions in Alexander's army as well, and the king decided not to leave Macedonians and Greeks behind in the new city. The settlers were, therefore, Thracians. The town flourished; in Buddhist texts, it is called Askandra.

A satellite photo can be found here.

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