Area guides / Punjab / Bahawalpur & Cholistan
Area guide
Bahawalpur & Cholistan
Nawabs' palaces, desert forts and the tombs of Uch
Region
Punjab
When to go
November to February only
Getting there
Bahawalpur is on the rail and road network of southern Punjab. Derawar is reached across the desert, where a sturdy vehicle helps; Uch Sharif is about 70 km south-west of Bahawalpur.
Spots
4 key places
Overview
About Bahawalpur & Cholistan
Bahawalpur, the city of the Nawabs whose palaces still stand, is the gateway to the Cholistan Desert, part of the Greater Thar known locally as Rohi. Out in the sands, Derawar Fort's forty bastions stand up to 30 m high; west of the city, Uch Sharif keeps a group of glazed-tile tombs.
Bahawalpur is on the rail and road network of southern Punjab. Derawar is reached across the desert, where a sturdy vehicle helps; Uch Sharif is about 70 km south-west of Bahawalpur.
Bahawalpur city
Noor Mahal, with its 32 rooms and five domes, and the Bahawalpur Museum are the city's two essential visits. Allow a full day before heading into the desert.
Into Cholistan
Derawar's walls have a perimeter of about 1,500 m and are visible for miles across the desert. Go in the cool season, with a local driver, water and a plan for the sandy final stretch.
Top sights in Bahawalpur & Cholistan
Region guide →
Field Guides
All places →Derawar and Cholistan Desert Forts
Derawar Fort is the great desert citadel of Cholistan, a square fortress of forty colossal bastions rising abruptly from the sands of the Bahawalpur desert, its 30-metre walls visible for miles across the emptiness. Originally a 9th-century fort and rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Nawabs of Bahawalpur, it is one of the most dramatic and photogenic monuments in Pakistan. Beside it stand a royal mosque modelled on Delhi's, and the marble necropolis of the Abbasi royal family.
Noor Mahal
Built in the 1870s for the Nawabs of Bahawalpur, Noor Mahal is an Italianate palace nicknamed the 'Palace of Light,' and remains one of Punjab's most photographed royal buildings. Its 32 rooms, five domes, gold-plated furniture, and vintage chandeliers survive largely intact, and the palace is now maintained and opened to visitors by the Pakistan Army.
Bahawalpur Museum
Established in 1976, the museum also features terracotta tablets, coins with Buddhist symbols, and inscriptions in Kharosthi and Brahmi scripts. These artifacts highlight the region’s importance as a center of Buddhist art during the Kushan Empire. While the museum spans multiple historical periods, its Buddhist collection is a key window into Pakistan's Buddhist heritage. It serves as a vital resource for researchers and visitors interested in ancient religious and artistic traditions.
Tomb of Bibi Jawindi
The sides have round tapered turrets surmounted with round pillars of the same style. Each octagon has an oblong framing with a border of glazed tiles and within this frame is an arched opening, recessed in three stages and faced with glazed brick-tiles. The floral design is composed of brick tiles of triangular shape. The south-west octagon had a flight of steps leading to the second storey. Similarly, the interior of the tomb has arched recess in three stages the soffits of which are covered with glazed tiles.
Resorts
All resorts →GreenPak stays in this area are listed on the region guide.