Testimonials For Salt Lamps

I ordered 4 salt lamps from you guys a few months ago, and they are awesome.  They give a lovely warm feeling to my room.  My cats seem to really enjoy them also! I always leave at least one switched on at floor level because my cats seem to like to sleep near them!  Here's a picture I took 5 minutes ago! Enjoy, Meghan

Hi there! I received my salt lamp today 1/12/07 just hours ago... I have had this thing on for only about 1.5 hours and OMG! I am giddy happy, ear to ear... those negative ions from the lamp have put me in the best mood... my nose has cleared up and my chest and lungs are already clearing up. I have just ordered another because I cannot wait to feel what these lamps do for my overall health. I always wanted one and they are so expensive any place else... but your customer service, quality and pricing is awesome... and I am a customer for life. When my health is good because of a small salt lamp... My gosh that is a miracle, when I have spent hundreds on ozone ionizers that nearly killed me, and dehumidifiers that never worked and made me more ill. Something as nurturing and healing and relaxing like this lamp is a miracle! I am so grateful to you! I am truly a customer for life! I can breath and my body feels like it is renewing.. I have tried all supplements, everything and nothing would put me in a good mood. I tried positive prayer and book therapy and the molds up here in the mountains made me very ill... This is working! Thank you SOOOO much! You are wonderful. I cannot wait to buy more! Have a spectacular day! Peace always - Amy Atkinson from Los Gatos, CA

I ordered four of the medium Himalayan salt crystal lamps, I am just so impressed.  I found my first lamp at Springfest in Ocean City, MD.  I love it, but yours are much better.  The base is attached, which I love.  They were packaged so safely.  You let me know when my request was received, when it shipped out, and when I would receive it!  I wish I had ordered more (which I am sure I will again).    I have just been diagnosed with Asthma.  I can tell you since using the salt crystal in my room (leaving it lit 24-7)  I notice such a difference in my breathing.  I also am a light sleeper, not with this lamp, I sleep like a baby.  THAT is a miracle!  I will probably be your best advertisement!! Thank you so much,    - Ellen Merritt

Dear Mustansar, I received my lamp order yesterday and was pleased as usual.  Thank you for the prompt service and dependability.  I have placed three orders over the past year because every time friends come to our home they fall in love with the lamps and their health benefits.  The first time was elderly friends of my mother and they don't know how to order things like this so I handled it for them. I want to thank you again and have to say the only disappointment was that I didn't receive the free gifts.   I was so hoping I would receive them so I could try new products and possibly order something different.   Thanks again and God Bless You. - Kathy Carnes

It was "Love At First Site!"  My lamp is so beautiful I do not want to turn it off.  Even my little dog loves it.  She has been resting by it for hours.  I put it on the bed side table.  Almost immediately she got very close to it.  Apparently she finds it  soothing as she is not well.  I would have ordered one sooner but was afraid it would melt in this extremely humid climate.  Now I am so glad I did.   Was also very pleased with the Salt Crystals.  Will be doing Brine Water in the A.M.  I have been searching for years for a natural source of minerals.  Success at last!!   Also, I want to commend Gamma on the excellent service.   In short, Gamma is a Class act!!!  Will be ordering again. Thanks, thanks, thanks.   - Claire Janefrom Walker, LA

Dear Asgar, Hello. I just wanted you to know that the natural salt votive candle holders I'd ordered arrived on Wednesday, December 11, as you'd estimated. They are in great shape and extremely beautiful. Considering the great price, wonderful product and free shipping, combined with the fact that your company's shipping time was very fast, I will definitely be ordering from your company again in the future. Blessings on you and your company's excellent efforts,   - Anita Runions

Hey.  You guys are awesome.  I just got in my third salt lamp from you, and it looks just as amazing as the other two.  I sooo appreciate you being so helpful and nice.  The first one you sent was for the girl I am madly in love with and she loves it immensely.  The next two have been for myself, and they both look fantastic.   I have spoken with you both on a few different occasions and you were both very friendly, helpful and courteous.  I have already recommended you to friends and family and will continue to do so, but I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate how good you have been to me.  Not like most online companies that I have dealt with. Thanks again,     - Jack Gleghorn

I had ordered the medium crystal lamp and it was a gift that I had your company ship directly to the recipient. He got the lamp today and loved it. I had him send me a picture of it and its awesome! I was so worried ordering online something, especially as a gift and unseen by me. But I am so happy I went with your company. I will definately do business with you again. Great service. Thanks so much. You guys are the best! - Denise Thank you very much. I have just received my order today, and all I can say is WOW!!! You guys are the best in everyway, Product, Customer Service, and Professionals for sure. I will be sure to spread the word that the place to get Himalayan Salt is from you. Thanks again for everything especially the very quick delivery. Very Best, - Laurie Dear Asgar, Today, I got the crystal salt lamp that I have ordered. I actually ordered for my mom as a gift for her birthday. I knew she wanted it so I got it. She really loved it. I was impressed with the careful packaging and the lamp itself is absolutely fabulous. I guess I will be ordering more soon not just for myself but for my sister and brother in law as a gift for their new doctor's office grand opening. I am also a certified Feng Shui consultant so I will be spreading my word out as well. Thank you again for making my mom smile! It was truly worth it. - Victoria I received my very first order from Gamma today. The lamps are beautiful! I am impressed with my entire experience with your company. First, my order was shipped immediately via UPS at my request complete with tracking number, so I knew exactly what day my shipment was coming so I could be home when it arrived. My items were very well packaged. The one time I called to ask a question about a particular item, the person I spoke with was not only professional, but very warm & friendly as well. Thank you for such beautiful products & wonderful customer service too. I will definitely be doing business with you again! — Julie - Mount Vernon, Ohio Dear Usman & Brother's, Thank you so much for my lamp. It just arrived and I LOVE IT!! Thank you for the great service too! Kind Regards — K. Pinder Just wanted to say thanks for the lamp and 2 candleholders I received yesterday, couldn't be happier. They are of superior quality compared to the others, look forward to placing more orders in the future... Thanks. Best Regards, — Mark Rogers - Canton, GA All of my friends are totally fascinated with my new salt lamp. They are constantly attracted to its radiating beauty when they are in my home. My really close friends are going to find a salt lamp under their Christmas tree. I think they will be very pleased. — Mrs. Gaye B. – St. Louis, MO

I received my salt lamps yesterday..the sphere shape...they're absolutely BEAUTIFUL...they look like little planets...so atmospheric...the air even smells cleaner...thank you so much. - Susan Young, Lucerne Valley, California Dear Mustansar, Received my order promptly and how beautiful each lamp was. I was really impressed with the quality and colors of each lamp. The tags on each lamp were a bonus. I was also impressed with your business manners as well as how informative you are with the product and also in helping me order fitting my needs. Looking forward to our next order. Sincerely, - L.N. Asgar, Just wanted to let you know that I received my order yesterday and am THRILLED with the quality of the products and your delivery services. Undoubtedly, I will order again from you in the future. I am very pleased with the quality of the products I received, as well as the promptness of order processing (I anticipated lengthy delays as a result of an international order, ie customs processes). Everything was handled exceptionally and professionally. Additionally... thank you for the added gift of Essential Oil to my shipment, much appreciated. I just thought I would send you this note of appreciation, because all too frequently in this world that we live in we do not take time to acknowledge what we appreciate. Thanks again, - Cindy I just wanted to let your company know that I have been very impressed with your business. I ordered from you for the first time not too long ago after finding a link for you through Google. I was impressed when I ordered, the payment info was on a secure site. I liked getting email confirmations and delivery confirmations. When the package arrived, it was well protected and had further invoices, all marked paid, etc. I also ordered product to go to another family member and again, no hassles. To further seal the deal, I wanted another specific shape of lamp, so I did quite a bit more research to find other companies through internet searches, eBay, etc. Again, your company seemed the best in price and quality not to mention sound business practices. So, I just wanted to let you know. I feel confident in ordering from your company, not to mention that the quality of the products we have received so far are outstanding. Keep up the good job! I've got more ordering to do! Regards, — Bozena Havro-Buckley I just wanted to let you know that your "mission statement" touched my heart. You are blessed in your service to others as I am. Please convey to your fellow workers in the light, that I will keep them in my heart and as I benefit from their toil, send them blessings of love, because I know I am blessed by the talent provided to them and the creation provided by them. As we may be separated by many miles, know that we are connected by and through the spirit of love, and we are brothers and sisters, as one nation under God. I bid you blessings of peace, harmony and wisdom. — I am Dennis -Brandon, Florida

Recently I ordered ten Salt Crystal Lamps from Usman & Brother's Ltd.  I had done my research and knew that these negative-ion generating Himalayan Lamps were state-of-the-art health-promoting "devices" (able to produce healthful negative ions without, thank goodness, involving ozone!) and that Usman & Brother was able to offer these beauties at an astoundingly low price, especially if bought in multiples of ten. Several years earlier, I had come upon an exhibitor's booth at a health fair that had had some of these amazing lamps on display; and, although they were rather expensive, I had found myself so drawn to them that I had finally decided to go for it, carefully selecting for myself the lamp I found the most compelling (although it was a hard choice to make because all the lamps were so magically sublime). Understandably, I was a little concerned, when I phoned in my order for ten, sight-unseen Salt Crystal Lamps from Usman & Brother , that I might not be quite as satisfied with the lamps that they would be selecting for me as I had been with the one I had selected for myself. So you can imagine my surprise and my delight when I discovered, upon opening each carefully wrapped parcel, an extraordinary array of ten lamps, every one unique, all absolutely gorgeous (except for one, which I found a little less appealing and will present to a friend as a special Christmas gift!). I have now placed a lamp in every single room in our house (plus the basement!); they draw very little electricity and we keep them on all the time, except for the one in our bedroom -- which we reluctantly turn off when we sleep (so as not to interfere with the body's production of melatonin, the sleep hormone). The soft light they emit is warm, inviting, and relaxing, even as it energizes, enlivens, and focuses.  These Usman & Brother's Salt Crystal Lamps are one of the best purchases we have ever made.  And it's amazing to us that something this beautiful and this good-for-you would be simply a phone call away and so affordably priced! Treat yourself right. Buy one, buy ten!! You will not be disappointed!!! And they will last you a lifetime, a long, healthy lifetime... - Martha Stark MD Faculty, Harvard Medical School

Khewra Salt Mines

History:

Geologists put the age of rock-salt found in Khewra at about 600 million years. In geological timescale this time period is calledPrecambrian. It is said that discovery of rock salt in Khewra area dates back to as early as circa 326 BC. According to a legend, the army of Alexander the great was resting in Khewra area after a battle with Raja Porus. Some horses ofAlexander‘s army were then seen licking rock salt in the area. Somebody from Alexander‘s army noted down the incident in his ledger or diary and hence?we came to know that salt was discovered?here circa 326 BC.?History is however silent?on which language this incident was recorded in (Greek?) or where is that diary now. But since those days people in the area continued to collect salt from the out crops of salt seams that were exposed at the hill surface.

It is said that the chiefs of‘Janjua-Raja’ tribe were the first to initiate the standard mining practices here in the13th Century. However, a chronology of the Mughal Rule in the Sub-Continent says that when the Mughals emerged supreme in the Punjab, they took over the mine from the local tribal chiefs and, thereafter, started to work on it until Punjab came under the Sikhs. Under Sikh rule the mine came up to be known as ‘Khewra Salt Mine’. The British ousted the Sikhs and annexed Punjab in 1849 and renamed the mine as the‘May Mine’ in 1870.

In 1872, Dr. H. Warth, a renowned British Mining Engineer, laid out the main tunnel at ground level. He proposed that only 50% of salt be excavated from the working seam while the remaining 50% be left as pillars. 155 years later this same methodlogy called the ‘room and pillar’ method is still being used in Khewra mining operation.

..Photo to the left shows rail tracks in the main tunnel of the mine. Can you also see some ghosts walking in the tunnel….

To make salt from Khewra mines accessible to rest of India, British laid a railway line which was opened as a meter-gauge on January 1, 1883. It was later converted to a siding and a broad gauge line was laid which is operational to date.

Salient Features:

Khewra salt mines are the second largest salt mines in the world, outdone only by Wielicza salt mine in Krakow, Poland.

At present the Khewra Salt Mine is in the control of a federally controlled corporation i.e. Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC).

.. Photo to the right is the main entrance. The date written on top-middle of this arched gate is 1916-17. The Urdu sign reads ‘Salt Mine Khewra’ which is literal translation of English text to the left. Until few years ago the sign in Urdu had Persian influence and it used to say ‘kaan-e-namak Khewra’. Sign of changing times!!…

Ok. Get ready to digest some numbers in this paragraph. There are19 levels (similar to stories in a building) in the mine. Seven levels are above ground and twelve are underground. There is a clearence of 50ft of salt/rock between each level. Annual extraction of salt here is around 315000 tonnes (in 2003-04). The mine is 350m above sea level and goes 730m deep into the mountain. The cumulative length of tunneling which is done inside the mine is more than 40 km. Inside the mine there are seven rock salt seams with an accumulated thickness of 150 metres.

In spots the rock salt is 99% pure. Some people say salt or no salt, it is hard to find anything so pure outside the mine these days. The average purity however is around 96%. According to PMDC website the salt deposits here are 6.687 billion tonnes. It was difficult for me to imagine how much salt is that but at another website I read this is enough deposit for 400 years (unconfirmed). It must also depend on how much salt is extracted every year.

What to See:

Since 2002, the main tunnel of the mine has been converted into a tourist attraction. Some of the websites we consulted claim 35000-40000 visitors come here every year. In 2003 a major restoration work was carried out at the mines to make it a prime tourist destination. Decorative light-work was done to make portions of mine a walk through the glittering stars. The salt crystal found here is translucent?which means it absorbs some light and reflects some.

..Photo to the right shows a wall made of salt bricks. Notice the different shades of rock salt under light..

Depending upon the thickness (among other properties), the salt rock glows when lit in many different shades.

The tourist attractions inside the mine include:

(1) Assembly Hall: It is the name given to?a large chamber in the mine. It measures about 75m in height and fascinates tourists because stairs go circling around the hall to the top.

(2) pul-saraat: This is a Salt Bridge called the Pul-saraat. It?has no pillars whatsoever to support it. It is just a narrow strip of pure rock salt 20 to 25 feet in length and 5 feet thick with 80 feet deep ponds of brine (Saltish Water) on both sides. Those who know the meanings of real pul-saraat must be enjoying the creativity of people who thought about naming this salt bridge as such.

(3) Indoor Brine Ponds:

Inside the mine there are certain chambers filled with saturated brine solution. The salty water seeps through mine walls and roof and collects into these chambers overtime. There are several such water-filled chambers in the mine but they are very difficult to see in the dark. Only two such ponds have been illuminated for tourism purposes. One such pond is shown in the photo to the left.

(4) Badshahi Mosque: There is a mosque built inside the main tunnel of the mine. It is called the ‘badshahi masjid’. To beautify the mosque different colours of salt bricks have been used. Red, Pink and White are the major shades of salt bricks. Between the Bricks space has been provided for the electric bulbs to lit the mosque.

..Photo to the right shows Badshahi mosque inside the main tunnel of Khewra Salt Mine..

(5) Sheesh Mahal:?The word Sheesh Mahal means ‘Palace of Mirrors’. There is an area called Sheesh Mahal in the mine named such for?colorfully reflecting salt bricks. The salt here is of light pink color and glows in many different shades under light.

(6) The Great Wall of China, The Mall, Shimla Hill andMeenar-i-Pakistan:

The salt walls of the main tunnel has carvings of some famous structures which glow under light in beautiful shades. These wall carvings include models of the Great Wall of China, the Mall road of Murree, Lahore’s Shimla hill, Minar-e-Pakistan Lahore etc. All these structures are made of Salt that emit pink, white and red lights when lit up.

.. Photo to the?left above?is a carving of meenar-e-Pakistan made by salt bricks. The dimensional?scaling of this model as compared to the real meenar-e-Pakistan is extremely violated here but we should not keep it against the artists?of Khewra mines…

(7) Narrow Gauge Electric Railway:

A narrow gauge electric train transports visitors from the visitors gate to a track juncture some 500m inside the tunnel. Outside the tunnel one can also see abandoned rails and small train wagons that were used here for salt extraction since1930s.

..Photo of this train is given to the right.

The fare structure for this train is expensive and kind of complicated. Fare for a ride is Rs. 250. Twelve people of a group can ride in this fare. For any person more than a group of 12, the fare is Rs 20 each…e.g. 13 people in a?group will pay Rs 270 and so on..

(8) Pakistan Post Office, Khewra Salt Mine. Postal Code 48530

There is a fully functional Post Office made of salt bricks inside the Mine. One can send postal mail all over the World from here.

..A photo of this post office inside the mine built from Salt bricks is shown to the right..

There is a full time postal employee stationed here.

(9) Salt Crystal Formations

Such formations are abundant in the mine and are a big tourist attraction. Some of them seem to grow upwards from the ground while others hang from the roof. One such formation takes many decades to form therefore it is of utmost importance that tourists don’t touch or break them

..photo to the left shows crystal formation on the mine roof.

(10) Old Mining Machinery

Though not very well kept, one can spot old mining machinery as well as bits and pieces of old railway lying around here and there.

.. photo to the?right is of abandoned old rolling-stock which was in works circa 1930s..

There is also a briefing room for visitors as well as a sovenier shop located here. The mine is open 9 am to 6 pm all year round.

Chronology of Khewra Salt Mines:

326BC: Khewra salt deposits are discovered by the troops of Alexander’s army whose horses were seen licking rock-salt in the area.

13th Century AD: Janjua-Raja tribe extracts salt from the area.

1500: Mughals control the salt removal from the area

1809: Sikhs take over the control of mines from the Mughals

1849: British take over the control of mines from the Sikhs.

..photo to the right is a historical marker written in Pinglish inside the Khewra Salt Mine…

1850: British reports reveal that about 534512 tonnes of fine rock Salt had been extracted up to then.

1853: Drinkable water spring is discovered in the mine. Waterworks are built in the form of wooden pipe to transpost this water to Khewra village of that time.

1856: The metalled road between Khewra and Pind Dadan Khan is destroyed because of floods.

1870: British renamed the mines as ‘May Mines’.

1872: Dr H. Warth, the chief mining engineer at Khewra?designs the main tunnel at ground level and establishes 50-50 room and pillar rule of salt extraction.

1878: Dr H. Warth leaves the Khewra Mine Project.

January 1, 1883: Meter-gauge railway was opened from Chalisa to Khewra.

1886-87: Queen Victoria Railway Bridge over River Jhelum is completed. This connects Khewra to Malakwal Jn and hence to?all of India by rail.

1889-90:Salt production crosses 50000 metric tonnes for?the first time.

1902: A hospital is established to provide medical facilities to miners and their families.

March 1923: the production obtained from Khewra Salt Mines was 4971420 tonnes

1938: ICI Soda Ash Khewra Plant established.

1947: Government of Pakistan takes over the mine operation.

1974: Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) established.

2002: Khewra Salt Mines Resort Development Project launched by the PMDC Management.

How to get there:

Motorway M2:The fastest way to reach Khewra mines is via motorway M2. The mines are located 30km east of Lilla interchange towards Pind Dadan Khan. Road signs are quite visible.

Highway N5: A slower but scenic approach is also available from GT road?from Mandra.?Distances?from Mandra (0km)are:?Chakwal (63km), Choa Saidan Shah (93km) and Khewra (103km).

Pakistan Railway:

I will not recommend train link to Khewra unless you are a die-hard train fan. There are two trains daily between Malakwal Jn and Khewra which cover 27km distance in exact 1 hour. You have to change trains at Malakwal Jn which is connected to Lala Musa Jn on mainline at one end and Sargodha Jn at other. There are 6 daily trains on this Lala Musa – Malakwal – Sargodha route.

..photo to the left above is Khewra Railway station building..