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Bahawalpur Cholistan Cholistan is locally known as Rohi. This famous desert is 30 Km from Bahawalpur and comprises of an area of 16,000 sq.km. which extends upto the Thar desert extending over to Sindh. The word Cholistan is derived from 'Cholna' which means moving. The people of Cholistan lead a semi-nomadic life, moving from one place to another in search of water and fodder for their animals. DERAWAR FORT: Derawar Fort is located 48 Km from Dera Nawab Sahib. It is still in a good condition. The rampart walls are intact and still guarded by the personal guards of the Amir of Bahawalpur. The tombs of the ex-rulers of Bahawalpur and their families are located in this fort. The tombs have nice glazed blue tile work. Prior permission of the senior Amir of Bahawalpur is required to enter the fort. The fort was built in 1733. The fort with decoratively carved sandstone walls, which take your breath away, as they rise magnificently from the flat desert wasteland like something so grand it's difficult to imagine.It is extremely photogenic, but is best seen in the morning or evening before or after the desert's midday sun takes hold.
1:Cholistan is in tact the biggest desert in Pakistan covering an area of 26.000 Sq.-Km. Its dunes as the name Cholistan signifies (Cholistan -derived from Cholna or walking) as they go on shifting with the tune of time and meteorology. The fascinating barren landscapes of the Cholistan desert covers 26.000 sq. km and extends into the Thar Desert in India. The whole area was once well watered by the river Ghaggar now called the Hakra in Pakistan and known in Vedic times as the Sarasvati. All along the 500-km of dried up river are over 400 archaeological sites, which date back to the Indus civilization 4500 years ago and are clustered around Derawar Fort. The only perennial water hole in the desert. The desert has an average rainfall of 5 inches a year and there is very little cultivation. 2: The origin of the Thar desert is a controversial subject. Some consider it to be only 4000 to 10,000 years old, whereas others state that aridity started in this region much earlier. Also known as The Great Indian Desert, it is spread over four states in India, namely Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, and two states in Pakistan and covers an area of about 4,46,000 square kilometres. Thar Desert, the huge unending expanse of burning hot sand is spread over four states in India, namely Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, and two states in Pakistan covering an area of about 446,000 square kilometres. Deriving its name from 'thul' denoting the sand ridges of the region, Thar stands divided between Sindh region in Pakistan and Rajasthan in India.
Makli Hills, or little Mecca is reputedly the largest neropolis in the world. With a million graves, tombs & mausoleums, it is an impressive & eerie place. For over ten centuries, the Sindhi People have held Makli sacred, & a spiritual atmosphere persists to this day. Atmosphere apart , Makli gives some idea of the self-importance & staggering wealth of the elite of nearby Thatta, capital of Lower Sindh(province) from the 14th to17th century, & a prosperous port & a great centre of Islamic learning. The larger tombgs belong to to royalty & militry commanders, Saints & Scholars, Philosophers & Poets, & were probably built to their occupants' own desings.The hill is long & low stretching for about five miles north to south & crossed in the middle by National Highway. The grave-stones and mausoleums at Makli are masterpieced in stone-carving and netted stone work, representing different eras and dynasties, distinguishable by the styles of their ornamentation, the mountains cover the Summa period (14th to 16th centuries). The Tarkhan & Arghun period (16th century). and the Moghal period (16 to 18th centures).Here in eternal sleep lie kings and queens saints and scholars philosophers and soldiers of a by-gone era-an-era renowned for its culture and learning.
The largest desert is found in western Balochistan. This is an area of inland drainage and dry lakes (hamuns), the largest of which is Hamun-i-Mashkhel, which is 54 miles long and 22 miles wide. The surface is littered with sun-cracked clay, oxidized pebbles, salty marshes and crescent-shaped moving sand dunes. The area is known particularly for its constant mirage and sudden severe sand-storms. Being outside the sphere of monsoon current, Balochistan receives scanty and irregular rainfall (4 inches); the temperature is very high in summer and very low in winter. The desert covers most of the Gawadar Area that's why its called Gawadar Desert as well. The people living in the deserts are very hospitial & friendly. You must arrange a Camel Safari to the desert. Uch Sharif is one of the beautiful historical sites in Pakistan,75 km away from Bahawalpur. Located at the confluence of the Sutlej and Chenab, Uch Sharif is a wonderful tourist destination.Some of the famous shrines in Uch Sharif include Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkh Bukhari, Makhdoom Jahanian Jahangasht, Hazrat Bahawal Haleem, Shaikh Saifuddin Ghazrooni and Bibi Jawandi. The tomb of Bibi Jawinidi is a wonderful monument that is beautifully designed and is covered in a number of tiny blue tiles that present wonderful sight when sunrays fall on them.one of the Uch's most famous tombs, Bibi Jalwindi (a noble woman who lived in the area a few centuries back).On the foreground is a fragment of a Muslim cemetry. Yes, these are graves also. Not so majestic as the tomb at the back.
Cholistan Desert - a sandy wasteland dotted with nomadic communities and wind-swept forts. Spread over an area of 15,000 acres, east of Bahawalpur, the desert extends into the Thar Desert of India. Cholistan was also called the land of forts because of approximately 400 forts in the area, some dating back to 1000 BC. The region was once watered by the Hakra River, known as the Saravati in Vedic times. Today the remains of Drawar Fort still remind the glory of old times. The chain of forts was built at 29 km intervals in three rows. The first line of forts began from Phulra and ended in Lera, the second from Rukhanpur to Islamgarh, and the third from Bilcaner to Kapoo. Ruins of some of these can still be found today. The local pastoral and nomadic populace is somewhat similar to those in Indian Rajasthan. Desert Jeep Rally: The most interesting event held annually the month ot March is the Cholistan's Desert Jeep Rally. it is held at famous Derawar Fort and vehicles covers the round about distance of 250 km. It includes the vehicles ranging from 1300 cc to 3000 cc plus. Thrillers gathers from all over the Pakistan to enjoy the spring in sand. The Cholistan 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.
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