Cities:: Bahawalpur

The founder of the state of Bahawalpur was Nawab Bahawal Khan Abbasi I. The abbasi family ruled over the state more than 200 years (1748 to 1954). During the rule of the last Nawab Sir Sadiq Khan Abbasi V, Bahawalpur State was merged with Pakistan in 1954. Bahawalpur was formerly the capital of the state and now is the District Divisional Headquarters of Bahawalpur division. It is an important marketing center for surrounding areas and is located on the crossroads between Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta and Karachi. Saraiki is the local language of the area. Urdu, Punjabi and English are also spoken and understood by most of the people.

What to see

Central Library: It is housed in a building having fine architectural value. The foundation stone of this building was laid by the then governor and viceroy of India Sir Rufus Danial Issacs on 8 March, 1924 to mark the installation of late Nawab of Bahawalpur Sir Sadiq Mohammad Khan Abbasi V. The central library was established in 1947 in this building. It has a vast collection of books and rare manuscripts. It is one of the best libraries in Pakistan and visited by students and scholars from within the country and abroad.

Bhawalpur Museum

Bahawalpur has a modest museum with a fine collection of coins, medals, postage stamps of former state of Bahawalpur, manuscripts, documents, inscriptions, wood carvings, camel skin paintings, historical models and stone carvings etc. of Islamic and pre-Islamic period. There is a complete set of models of all classes issued by the ex state to its military officers civilians and to other important citizens of the ex state.

Zoological Garden

The zoological garden of Bahawalpur is considered to be one of the best in the country. Spread over an area of 25acres of land, it has an interesting collection of 120 animals and 750 birds of tropical areas, particularly those found in this region. The zoo has the distinction of occasional breeding of lions and supply of beasts to other zoos in the country. It also has a aquarium and zoological museum with stuffed rare birds and animals.

Dring Stadium

Bahawalpur has one of the finest stadiums in the country having fine cricket grounds, two football grounds one basket ball court and lawn tennis courts and covered swimming pool. There is also a hockey stadium, which is considered to be the second best in the country after Karachi Stadium. It can accommodate 13000 people at a time.

Shrine of Muluk Shah

The shrine of Muluk Shah, a popular saint of his time, is located in the city and visited by devotees on every Thursday ashura and Eid days. A small fair is also held annually.

Jamia Masjid Al Sadiq

It was made by the Nawab Sadiq Mohammad Khan Abbasi V at the elevation of more than 12ft from earth. It can house 50,000 to 60,000 people at a time, during the Eid festivals. It is well-reputed mosque in Pakistan like other prominent mosques of Pakistan.

Uch Sharif

Uch, 75 km from Bahawalpur, is a very old town, it is believed that it existed even in 500 B.C. Some historians believe that Uch was there even before the advent of Bikramajit when Jains and Bhudhists ruled over sub continent. At the time of the invasion by Alexander the Great, Uch was under Hindu rule. Some historians say that Alexander came to Uch after conquering northern parts of India and spent over a fortnight in the city and renamed it Alexandariya. Some have mentioned Uch by the name of Sikandara or Iskalanda. They have decided it as the most flourishing and beautiful town perched upon the Plateau near the confluence of the Chanab and Rave rivers. Famous shrines existing at Uch include those of Hazrat Bahawal Haleem, Hazrat Jalal-ud-din Surkh Bokhari, Makhdoom Jahanian Jahangasht, Bibi Jawindi and Sheikh Saif-ud-din Ghazrooni etc.

Uch is a small town today and divided into three different quarters known as (i)Uch Bokhari, after Hazrat Syed Jalal-ud-din Bokhari Surkhposh, (ii) Uch Jilani (Bandagi), who came from Halab in 887A.H., and (iii) Uch Mughlan after the Mughal rulers.

Makhdoom Sahib of Uch Bokhari has some rare Islamic relics in his possession for example,

• Turban of Holy Prophet (PBUH),
• a mantle of the Prophet (PBUH)
• "Samsam" (sword) of Hazrat Imam Hasan,
• a cap and turbine of Hazrat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani of Baghdad and
• mantle of Hazrat Salman Farsi

Makhdoom Sahib Uch Jilani is the custodian of

• Holy Prophets footprints
• a few chapter of the Holy Quran written by Hazrat Imam Hussain and
• a tooth of Hazrat Awais Qarni

CHOOLISTAN DESERT

East of Bahawalpur is the Cholistan Desert, which covers an area of about 15,000, square km and extends into the Thar Desert of India. The region was once watered by the Hakra River, known as the Saravati in Vedic times. At one time there were 400 forts in the area and archaeological finds around the Darawar Fort, the only place with a perennial waterhole, indicate that it was contemporaneous with the Indus Valley Civilisation. The average annual rainfall is only 12 cm, and the little cultivation there is made possible by underground wells, drawn up by the camels. The water is stored in troughs, built by the tribes, between sand hills and din waterholes called tobas. The people are racially similar to those in Rajasthan - tall, with sharp features. They live in large, round, mud and grass huts, usually built on the top of sand hills. On the whole, they are pastoral and nomadic. The main tribes are the Chachar, Mehr, Lar, Paryar, Channar, Chandani and Bohar.

DRAWAR FORT

Drawar Fort, which lies in Cholistan Desert. This fort is thought by some to be the most impressive fort in this region. The actual age of the fort site is unknown but it has been built and destroyed several times. It is reputed to have been built by a Rawal Prince and later on it was taken over by the Bahawalpur Nawab (Ruler) who rebuilt it with backed bricks brought from Uch Sharif 40 miles away. The way these bricks were transported to Drawar is very interesting. A human line of men was made right from Uch Sharif to Drawar and the bricks handed from hand to hand. Where brought to Drawar by this conveyar belt. The fort is in good conditions from outside but inside most of the buildings have fallen down. Also worth visiting is the Drawar Mosque, which is a 100 years old, built with white marbel stone. Another interesting place of visit here is the Nawab Family buril ground where many of the old Nawab and their family are burried. The tomb here are attrective, built with marbel and decorated with blue glazed style which contrast beautifully Ochre land scape.