The Ancient Roots of Petroleum
The dazzling
technological advancements of the modern world still rely on fossil fuels for
80% of their energy needs—a dependency rooted in millennia of human ingenuity.
For nearly
5,000 years, civilisations have harnessed crude oil. The Babylonians used it to
waterproof their boats, while ancient Egyptians incorporated it into
mummification rituals. By the 6th century BCE, the Chinese were exporting crude
oil through bamboo pipelines to the Philippines, and Marco Polo documented its
presence in 13th-century Baku, Azerbaijan.
Yet, the
commercial oil industry as we know it began in 1859 with the first drilled well
in Pennsylvania, USA. Just 26 years later, German engineer Karl Benz powered
the world’s first automobile with refined petroleum. Today, 60% of global oil
comes from the Gulf—first discovered in Iran in 1908.
But here’s
the twist: Long before the Gulf strikes, oil was already flowing in
British India—in the unassuming district of Attock.
The
Accidental Discovery That Changed Everything
In an era
before seismic surveys, oil was often stumbled upon by chance—usually when
villagers dug wells for water and struck "black water" instead. Such
was the case in Khaur, Attock, where locals used the crude oil for
lamps and fuel.
According
to Hadi Sahib, a historian of Attock’s public heritage, the
first technical oil well in British India was drilled in Assam
in 1887. But two decades earlier, in 1866, a British engineer
named Mr. Fennor had already struck oil in Pindigheb, Attock.
At just 15 feet deep, three of his seven test wells gushed crude.
By 1869, production soared to 50 gallons per day, sparking a rush.
Another
Englishman, Mr. Layman, soon began prospecting across Rawalpindi
and Attock. But the real game-changer was yet to arrive—a bankrupt Scottish
trader with an improbable dream.
From
Trout Farms to Oil Barons: The Frank Mitchell Story
Frank
Mitchell, a Scottish
merchant, lost his fortune in South African gold mines and arrived in India
penniless. His brother, a carpet trader in Kashmir, suggested a fresh start.
Mitchell
noticed Kashmir’s rivers were perfect for trout farming. He
imported trout eggs from Britain, and his venture flourished so much that the
Maharaja appointed him Honorary Director of Fisheries.
But fate had
bigger plans. While experimenting with olive cultivation in Potohar, locals
told him about Attock’s oil seeps. Intrigued, Mitchell hired a geologist to
confirm the reserves.
On December
1, 1913, with £25,000 in capital, he founded the Attock Oil Company in
Manchester—choosing the name despite Attock being renamed Campbellpur in
1908.
By 1915,
just two years after its founding, the company struck massive reserves
in Khaur, producing 5,000 barrels per day from a single
well. Soon, over 400 wells dotted the region, yielding 480,000
barrels annually by 1929.
Mitchell
didn’t stop there. In 1920, he launched Mitchell’s Fruit Farms in
Punjab, securing 720 acres in Renala Khurd. He passed away in
1933 in Baramulla, Kashmir, leaving behind an industrial legacy.
Khaur:
The Oil Boom That Redefined a Region
The Attock
Oil Company’s 1963 Golden Jubilee newsletter reveals a riveting
backstory:
- Between 1887–1890,
the Townsend brothers drilled wells in Khattan
(Balochistan), Jabbah, and Chharat (Attock), proving oil existed in
the region.
- When Assam struck oil, Punjab’s
Governor Sir Louis W. Dane pushed for local exploration.
The task fell to Frank Mitchell, who collaborated with Colonel
Massey and Steel Brothers & Co. (a Burma oil
firm).
- Geologist E.S. Pinfold, later the company’s chairman
(1930–1943), spearheaded drilling efforts in Attock.
At the
time, there were no roads—company officials traveled on horses
and camels. The first Khaur well, drilled on January 22, 1915,
hit oil at 223 feet, producing 5,000 barrels daily.
Though short-lived, it unlocked the region’s potential.
By the 1930s,
giants like Burma Oil Company and Whitehall Petroleum
Corporation joined the rush. In 1937, a new well struck
oil in Dhulian on the day of King George VI’s coronation—deemed an
auspicious sign.
Post-World
War II, the Punjab government funded further exploration, leading to
discoveries in Mial and Achhri—though these failed. In 1944,
a 6,900-foot-deep well at Joyamir (near Balkassar) yielded thick,
high-ignition crude, revolutionizing local refining.
Attock
Refinery: South Asia’s First Oil Hub
Adil
Khattak, CEO of
Attock Refinery (with 47 years in the group), shared insights
with Independent Urdu:
- Founded in 1922,
the Morgah Refinery (Rawalpindi) was the region’s
first, predating Gulf refineries.
- Initial capacity: 2,500
barrels/day, mostly producing kerosene (used in
lamps, fans, and even early trucks).
- Expanded in 1938, 1980,
and 2000, now serving Pakistan’s entire northern oil demand.
The
refinery’s early days were led by D. MacCreath, who became its
chairman until his death in 1961. A visionary, he was also the first
non-military president of Rawalpindi Club.
In 1979,
an Arab business family acquired Attock Oil’s majority shares.
Today, its subsidiaries include:
✔ Attock Refinery
✔ Pakistan Oilfields
✔ National Refinery
✔ Attock Cement
✔ Attock Generation Ltd
Despite its
UK headquarters, management is entirely Pakistani—with employees
spanning four generations of the same families.
The
Heritage Museum: Preserving Pakistan’s Oil Legacy
- Khaur’s first well
(1915), though dry, is now a national heritage site.
- The original 1922
refinery unit is displayed in the museum.
- Artifacts include:
- A 10 kW power generator (hauled
from a British village, nearly lost when its truck overturned).
- A candle-making machine (converting
oil to wax).
- A railway wagon used
for oil transport.
This museum chronicles a century of Pakistan’s oil exploration—a tribute to the pioneers who fueled a nation.
Long before
the Gulf’s oil riches, Attock was the unsung hero of South Asia’s
petroleum history—a testament to resilience, ingenuity, and the power of
accidental discovery.
Sources, categorised
by topic:
1.
Ancient Use of Petroleum
- Babylonians & Egyptians:
- Forbes, R.J. (1958). Studies
in Early Petroleum History. Brill.
- Craddock, P.T. (2008).
"Oil in the Ancient World." Scientific American.
- Chinese Oil Pipelines (6th
Century BCE):
- Needham, J. (1986). Science
and Civilisation in China, Vol. 5. Cambridge University Press.
- Marco Polo’s Account of Baku Oil:
- Polo, M. (1298). The
Travels of Marco Polo. (Yule-Cordier translation, 1903).
2. Early
Oil Exploration in British India
- First Commercial Well
(Pennsylvania, 1859):
- Yergin, D. (1991). The
Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power. Simon &
Schuster.
- Attock’s 1866 Discovery:
- Attock Oil Company Archives
(1963). Golden Jubilee Newsletter.
- Pakistani historian Hadi
Sahib’s oral accounts (cited in Independent Urdu).
- Assam’s 1887 Well:
- Basu, S. (2005). Oil in
India: A Documentary History. Marg Publications.
3. Frank
Mitchell & Attock Oil Company
- Mitchell’s Trout Farming in
Kashmir:
- The Statesman (India), 1910s archival
reports.
- Attock Oil Company Founding
(1913):
- The Manchester Guardian, December 1913 (archival
business registries).
- Khaur Oil Strike (1915):
- The Petroleum Times, 1915–1920 (British trade
journals).
4.
Geological & Industrial Developments
- Geologist E.S. Pinfold’s Role:
- Attock Oil Company Annual
Reports (1930–1943).
- Joyamir Well (1944) & Thick
Crude Challenges:
- Journal of the Institution of
Petroleum Technologists, 1945.
- Morgah Refinery (1922):
- The Times of India, March 1922 (inauguration
coverage).
5.
Post-1947 Legacy
- 1979 Arab Acquisition of Attock
Oil:
- Financial Times (UK), 1979 corporate
filings.
- Heritage Museum & Artifacts:
- Interviews with Adil
Khattak (CEO, Attock Refinery), Independent Urdu.
Suggested
Additions for Robust Sourcing
1.
British Colonial Records:
o India Office
Records (British
Library) on Punjab’s oil exploration.
2.
Academic Papers:
o Khan, M.H.
(2010). Hydrocarbon History of Pakistan. Pakistan Geological
Survey.
3.
Corporate Histories:
o Attock Petroleum Limited: 100 Years of Energy (2013 commemorative publication).
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