City · Punjab

Bahawalpur

Bahawalpur is a city in southern Punjab and the former capital of the princely state of Bahawalpur, which existed from 1748 until it acceded to Pakistan in 1947 and was merged into the province in 1955. Its Nawabi palaces include Noor Mahal, completed in 1875, and it is the gateway to the Cholistan desert.

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The story of Bahawalpur

The state's rulers built a series of palaces around the city, among them Noor Mahal, Darbar Mahal and Sadiq Garh in nearby Dera Nawab Sahib. The Bahawalpur Museum and the Central Library date from the same period of state patronage. South of the city, the Cholistan desert holds Derawar Fort and the seasonal course of the ancient Hakra river, and Lal Suhanra National Park lies about 35 kilometres east.

What to see in Bahawalpur

Noor Mahal
Italianate palace of the Nawabs, built 1872 to 1875.
Darbar Mahal
State palace with Mughal-influenced detailing.
Sadiq Garh Palace
The largest of the family palaces, at Dera Nawab Sahib.
Lal Suhanra National Park
Biosphere reserve with blackbuck breeding enclosures.

Landscape of Bahawalpur

The canal belt

Wheat, rice, cotton and sugarcane across the doabs between the rivers.

Cholistan

Roughly 26,000 km² of desert with the dry bed of the Hakra river beneath it.

Salt Range

Low hills holding Khewra, the world's second-largest salt mine.

Rivers and lakes of Bahawalpur

Ravi

Lahore's river, and the boundary of the old Mughal city.

Chenab

The river of the Heer Ranjha and Sohni Mahiwal folk tales.

Head works

Barrages at Marala, Trimmu and Panjnad steer the canal system.

Food of Bahawalpur

Nihari

Simmered overnight; a Lahore breakfast with naan and ginger.

Lahore street food

Phajja's paye, Gawalmandi chaat and charcoal-grilled kebabs.

Sohan halwa

Multan's dense saffron and nut sweet, sold in tins.

Heritage of Bahawalpur

Noor Mahal

An 1875 Italianate palace built for the Nawab.

Sadiq Garh Palace

The 1882 Nawabi seat at Dera Nawab Sahib.

Derawar Fort

Forty bastions rising 30 m out of the Cholistan sand.

Culture and crafts of Bahawalpur

Truck art

Workshops in Rawalpindi and Lahore paint the country's fleet.

Sufi music

Qawwali at the shrines of Data Darbar and Baba Bulleh Shah in Kasur.

Basant

The spring kite festival, long identified with the Walled City.

Wildlife of Bahawalpur

Houbara bustard

A winter migrant across the Cholistan scrub.

Best time to visit

November to February; the Cholistan Jeep Rally is held in February.

Getting there

Bahawalpur airport, the M-5 motorway from Multan, and the main railway line.

Nearby places

Questions about Bahawalpur

When was Noor Mahal built?+

It was built between 1872 and 1875 for the Nawab of Bahawalpur.

Is Bahawalpur near the Cholistan desert?+

Yes. Cholistan begins south of the city, with Derawar Fort about 100 kilometres away.

Photographs of Bahawalpur

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