Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi (PMAS-Arid University) is in
Rawalpindi, Punjab
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Paki ...
, Pakistan. It is named after
Pir Meher Ali Shah
Meher Ali Shah ( ur, پیر مہر على شاه; 14 April 1859 – May 1937), was a Sufi scholar and a mystic Punjabi poet from Punjab, British India (present-day Pakistan) belonging to the Chishti order. He is known as a Hanafi scholar ...
, a known
Hanafi
The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named a ...
scholar.
The university is ranked at No. 2 in Agriculture/Veterinary category as per the
Higher Education Commission of Pakistan
The Higher Education Commission (colloquially known as HEC) is a statutory body formed by the Government of Pakistan which was established in 2002 under the Chairmanship of Atta-ur-Rahman. Its main functions are funding, overseeing, regulatin ...
and 7th overall in ranking of universities in Pakistan.
Arid Agriculture University offers degree programmes leading to Bachelor, Master and Ph.D. in disciplines including Food Science & Technology, Computer Sciences, Management Sciences, Pure Sciences, Agriculture,Agricultural Engineering, Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Social Sciences and other Arts and Fine Arts programs.
History
In the 1970s, the government of Punjab established an agricultural college in Rawalpindi for the development of rain-fed agriculture. The college was upgraded to the level of university in 1994.
The Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University is named after
Chishti
The Chishtī Order ( fa, ''chishtī'') is a tariqa, an order or school within the mystic Sufi tradition of Sunni Islam. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. It began with Abu Ishaq Shami in Chisht, a ...
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
saint
Pir Mehr Ali Shah.
The University is now working on two mega projects titled DDSDP and ENCIB. There is a centre for precision agriculture and national centre for industrial biotechnology. The VC Prof. Qamar uz zaman is a visionary leader having special interests on commercialization of developed research projects for the benefit of the country.
Academics
AAUR teaches courses in five faculties, six institutes and one National center (as well as joint programs with other institutions):
* Faculty of Crop and Food Sciences
*Institute of Food and Nutritional Sciences
* Faculty of Sciences
* Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology
* Faculty of Social Sciences
* Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (with departments in Animal Sciences, Veterinary Basic Science, Patho-Biology, Clinical Studies and Poultry Science) 85 students
* Institute of Education and Research
* University Institute of Management Sciences
* University Institute of Information Technology
* University Institute of Biochemistry & Biotechnology (UIBB)
* Faculty of Agriculture Engineering
* Institute of Geo-informatics and Earth Observation (IGEO)
* Institute of Soil and Environmental Sciences (ISES)
See also
*
arid-zone agriculture
Dryland farming and dry farming encompass specific agricultural techniques for the non-irrigated cultivation of crops. Dryland farming is associated with drylands, areas characterized by a cool wet season (which charges the soil with virtual ...
*
*
xeriscaping
Xeriscaping is the process of Garden design, landscaping, or gardening, that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation. It is promoted in regions that do not have accessible, plentiful, or reliable supplies of fresh water and has gained accep ...
*
xerophyte
A xerophyte (from Ancient Greek language, Greek ξηρός ''xeros'' 'dry' + φυτόν ''phuton'' 'plant') is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water, such as a desert such as the Sahara or pl ...
*
Barani Institute of Information Technology
Barani Institute of Information Technology (BIIT) was established at the Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University and is located in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan The institute is a self-financed/ self-funded project and was established as ...
*
Barani Institute of Sciences
The Barani Institute of Sciences (Urdu: ), or BIS is a private institute having its campuses in Sahiwal and Burewala in Punjab, Pakistan. It is affiliated with Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi.
History
Barani Instit ...
References
External links
University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindiwebsite
{{Coord, 33.647, 73.083, type:edu_region:PK, display=title
Universities and colleges in Rawalpindi District
Educational institutions established in 1994
1994 establishments in Pakistan
Public universities and colleges in Punjab, Pakistan
Agricultural universities and colleges in Pakistan