The story
What it is
Nearly every “Himalayan salt lamp” sold in the world is made from salt mined in Pakistan’s Salt Range, and most of it from the area around Khewra. Blocks are cut in the mine, carved or left rough, drilled for a bulb and fitted to a wooden base.
Lit from inside, the salt glows warm orange and pink. People buy them for that light. Claims about cleaning the air or producing healthy ions have no good scientific support, so we do not repeat them.
Where it comes from
Salt has been mined in the Salt Range for centuries; the Khewra mine was developed on a large scale under British rule in the 1870s. Carved salt lamps and ornaments became a big export only in the last few decades, as their glow caught on in homes abroad.
