Bahawalpur is a city located in Punjab province of Pakistan. The city used to be the capital of the Bahawalpur princely state, now the Bahawalpur District. It is the 13th most populous metropolitan area of Pakistan.
History
The princely state of Bahawalpur was founded in 1802 by Nawab Mohammad Bahawal Khan II after the break-up of the Durrani Empire. The city is over 4.51 kilometres long. Nawab Mohammad Bahawal Khan III signed a treaty with the British on 22 February 1833, guaranteeing the independence of the Nawab. The state acceded to Pakistan on 7 October 1947 when Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V Bahadur[5] decided to join Pakistan fifty days after independence.
Bahawalpur Museum
The Bahawalpur Museum established in 1976, is a museum of archaeology, art, heritage, modern history and religion located in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. It comes under the control of Bahawalpur District Government. The current director of the museum is Hussain Ahmed Madni. The museum is open during 8:00 am to 4:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday, and from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm on Friday. The entrance fee is 10 Pakistani rupees per visitor.
The Bahawalpur Museum was established in 1974. this is a museum of archaeology,ethnology, art, heritage, of traditional and modern history. It is supervised by the local government of bahawalpur district. there are eight galleries in bahawalpur museum. ‘collection’
Noor Mahal
The Noor Mahal (Urdu: نور محل) is a palace in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. It was built in 1872 like an Italian chateau on neoclassical lines, at a time when modernism had set in. It belonged to the Nawab of Bahawalpur princely state, during British Raj.
There are various stories regarding its construction. According to one legend, Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan IV had the palace made for his wife; however, she was only there for one night, as she happened to see the adjoining graveyard from her balcony, and refused to spend another night there, and so it remained unused during his reign.
Noor Mehal is one of the hidden gems of Bahawalpur, due to the lack of publicity. The palace is open to public. It is currently in the possession of the Pakistan Army and is used as a state guest house for holding state durbars and meetings with foreign delegations.
Lal Suhanra National Park
Lal Suhanra is a national park of Pakistan situated in Bahawalpur district of Punjab province, which is one of the largest nationals parks in South Asia. It is also a UNESCO declared Biosphere Reserve. Lal Sohanra is spread over 162568 acres and is notable for the diversity of its landscape, which includes areas of desert, forest and wetland.
Derawar Fort
Derawar Fort is a large square fortress in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. The forty bastions of Derawar are visible for many miles in the Cholistan Desert. The walls have a perimeter of 1500 metres and stand up to thirty metres high.
Derawar fort was built by Rai Jajja Bhatti, a Rajput ruler of the Bhatti clan. The fort was built in the 9th century AD as a tribute to Rawal Deoraj Bhatti, a Rajput sovereign king of the Jaisalmer and Bahawalpur areas who had his capital at Lodhruva. The fort was initially known as Dera Rawal, and later referred to as Dera Rawar, which with the passage of time came to be pronounced Derawar, its present name.
