RAHIM YAR KHAN

The Rahim Yar Khan District is bounded on the north by Muzaffargarh District, on the east by Bahawalpur District, on the south by Jaisalmer (India) and Ghotki District of Sindh province and on the west by Rajanpur District.

This district is divided into three main physical features:
a) Riverside Area.
b) Canal-Irrigated Area.
c) Desert Area which is called Cholistan.

The Riverside area of the district lies close on the southern side of the Indus river mainly falling in the river bed. The canal-irrigated area lies on the south and is separated by main Minchan Bund. The approximate height of the irrigated area is 150 to 200 meters (490 to 655 ft) above sea level. The third part of the area called Cholistan, lies in the south of the irrigated tract up to the Indo-Pak border.T he surface of the desert consists of a succession of sand dunes rising at places to a height of 150 meters (492 ft) and covered with the vegetation peculiar to sandy tracts.

The climate of the district is hot and dry in the summer and cold and dry in the winter.The summer season is comparatively longer. It starts in April and continues until October. The winter season goes from November to March. However, the month of March and November are pleasant. Dust storms are frequent during the summer season. The average rain fall is about 100 millimeters.

Rohi, the Cholistan Desert remains in Punjab and is recognized as the most incredible desert on the Indian plateau. The desert extends over 10,000 square miles and is 20 miles from the city of Bahawalpur. 2.5 million people are living in the desert of Cholistan and leading a life of simplicity and hardship.

The Cholistan desert culture is indigenous, represented by beautiful dress codes of men wearing bright colored turbans and women wearing traditional clothes locally called Ghagra Choli embellished with very discreet embroidery, which is Cholistan’s specialty. Seraiki is the local language spoken there, which influences the languages of Lahnda.

There are currently 1.6 million cattle found in the region. They can easily be raised to a high standard if only the government makes specific efforts to boost this area’s productivity. When animals are less frequent in the winters, and the weather becomes cold, they turn to different artistic crafts such as weaving cloth, pottery, and leatherwork. Thanks to its rich soil and specific items such as pitchers, Surahies, glasses, and piyalas, the pottery industry is booming. In the country, a superior quality wool carpet is made. Out of it are rendered lovely rugs, carpets, and other winter pieces. As the temperature drops below up to the freezing mark, blankets are often designed to suit the need of cold winter. To obtain paid, the wool produced from sheep is sold. Different types of textile items are manufactured in the area, such as Khaddar fabrics and fine quality khaddar bedclothes.

Winter is the perfect season for this expedition if you’re looking to visit Cholistan. The desert is scorching during the summer. The chill season is the ideal time to prepare this trip to celebrate the historical sites of Cholistan and the culture of isolated regions there.

In Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan, Derawar Fort is a giant square fortress. The derawar fortress’s forty bastions can be seen in the Cholistan Desert from a distance. The walls, which are up to 30 m thick, are 1500 m in diameter. Rai Jajja Bhatti, a Rajput king of the Bhatti clan, founded the fortress.

It was founded as a tribute to Rawal Deoraj Bhatti, a Rajput king from the region around Jaisalmer and Bahawalpur, in the 9th century. Initially, the fortress was renamed DeraRawal and later DeraRawar, from which the present name Derawar originated.

One of the major attractions of the fort’s location is that the mysterious ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization stand right next to a dry river bed, which is home to hundreds of other archaeological sites. Derawar Fort is about 130 kilometers from Bahawalpur, a very famous town in Punjab. From Ahmedpur-Derawar Fort Road, the fort can be directly accessed.

The fort’s walls have a circumference of about 1500 meters and stand 30 meters high. Derawar Fort in the Cholistan Desert has a fascinating architecture with bastions extending over miles in the Cholistan Desert’s heart, making it a standout attraction in the area.

The Bhong Mosque, which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, is one of Rahim Yar Khan’s most popular places to visit and is globally renowned in Bhong, a town near Sadiqabad.

The construction of this mosque was started by Sardar Raees Ghazi Muhammad in 1932. He was also an honorary magistrate and member of the Bahawalpur Assembly, Raees Muhammad Ghazi. He led a pious life while possessing a lot of money. In 1932, Raees Ghazi Muhammad ordered the Bhong Mosque building near his family-like palace-house and given a large amount of money.

It was presented with the Aga Khan Award in architecture in 1986 because of its elegance and rarity. The government of Pakistan issued a stamp with an image of the mosque on May 12, 2004. The mosque astonishes guests with its stunning carvings, unusual floral arrangements, and exclusive crafts. The compound was planned and developed over almost 50 years by experts from all over Pakistan and India (master masons and painters from Karachi, artisans from Rajasthan, and calligraphers.

Even from neighboring Lahore and Iran, Spain, and Turkey, the builders imported stylistic elements and fused them with the Western colonial aspects of the 1940s. The products and crafts used vary from traditional to new and synthetic (teak, ivory, marble, colored glass, onyx, glazed tilework, fresco, mirror work, gilded tracery, ceramics, calligraphic work, and inlay) (marbleized industrial tile, artificial stone facing, terrazzo, colored cement tile, and wrought iron). For the mosque interiors, they used only conventional materials.

The Patan Minaret (Patan Minara) is another prominent tourist destination in Rahim Yar Khan, situated 8 km south of Rahim Yar Khan. The Patan Minaret was remembered as Patanpur. It is claimed to be a Buddhist temple, 5,000 years old, of which only one burnt sienna column remains today. The structure is still little known, but the general opinion is that it was constructed during the Mauryan age civilization of the Hakra valley (250 BC).

The minara is named after Pattan Pur, which is said to have once been a lush settlement, an offshoot of the Indus River, nestled on the Ghagra Riverbank. Therefore, Pattan Minara means ‘Tower on Ford’. In history, Patanpur was a famous core of Buddhism and Hinduism.

Some archaeologists claim that when he traveled through this region during his military expedition to India, Alexander the Great constructed the foundation. Alexander set up a cantonment here under a Greek governor, as was his tradition, and the tower helped keep a watchful eye on the nearby tribes. Behind it, there is a secret that the landmark house once concealed treasure.

The road to the back of a neighboring village is the Patan Minaret on the Hakra River banks in Rahim Yar Khan, now just a brick minaret that is about to collapse at any moment. There are old stairs in front, which lead to the top of the minaret when you approach the compound. A substantial portion of the minaret sank into the ground.

Formerly, Islamgarh Fort was known as Bhim War Fort. In 1665, on the outside of the entrance, Raja Rawal Bhim Singh founded the fort of Islamgarh. Construction materials and stones from the defense were loaded onto carts from the Jaisalmer state. The bricks were locally made.

His former name was Bheemwara. No organization has managed to save it despite being more than 100 years old. In height and scale, the towers built on its walls are different. From the top, the distance should be 10 to 12 feet.