Bahawalpur (Urdu, Punjabi: بہاولپور), located in Punjab, is the twelfth largest city in Pakistan. The city was once the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The city was home to various Nawabs (rulers) and counted as part of the Rajputana states (now Rajasthan, India). The city is known for its famous palaces such as the Noor Mahal, Sadiq Ghar Palace, and Darbar Mahal, as well as the ancient fort of Derawar in the Cholistan Desert bordering India. The city is located near the historical and ancient cities of Uch and Harappa, which were once a stronghold of the Delhi Sultanate and Indus Valley Civilisation. The city is home to one of the few natural safari parks in Pakistan, Lal Suhanra National Park.
Main crops: cotton, sugarcane, wheat, sunflower seeds, rape/mustard seed and rice. Bahawalpur mangoes, citrus, dates and guavas are some of the fruits exported out of the country. Vegetables include onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes and carrots. Being an expanding industrial city, the government has revolutionised and libertised various markets, allowing the caustic soda, cotton ginning and pressing, flour mills, fruit juices, general engineering, iron and steel re-rolling mills, looms, oil mills, poultry feed, sugar, textile spinning, textile weaving, vegetable ghee and cooking oil industries to flourish.
Darbar Mahal, a former palace of the Nawabs of Bahawalpur
Irrigation from canals such as this provides the city with fertile soil for crop production.
The Cholistan Jeep Rally is held in the city every year in the Cholistan desert
Derawar Fort is on the outskirts of the city in the Cholistan Desert
Noor Mahal lit at night after being newly renovated
Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur designed by A. R. Hye
Daewoo Terminal Bahawalpur
