Rahim Yar Khan

Rahim Yar Khan district is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan, the city of Rahim Yar Khan is the capital. The district lies between 27.40′ – 29.16′ north latitudes and 60.45′ – 70.01′ east longitudes. The Indus flows on the northern outskirts of the districts of Dera Ghazi Khan and Muzaffargarh. There is no other river, Nullah or lake in this district.
Location:

Rahim Yar Khan 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.

Administrative divisions

The district has an area of 11,880 square kilometres and comprises four Tehsils

1. Khanpur
2. Liaquatpur
3. Rahim Yar Khan
4. Sadiqabad

Rahim Yar Khan Places of interest

Rahim yar khan city

Rahim Yar Khan city is situated in the centre of the district. It is a prominent railway junction, on the main line of Pakistan Railways, between Lahore and Karachi . It is at a distance of 634 kilometres from Karachi, 566 kilometres from Lahore and 176 kilometres from Bahawalpur . Shahi Road, Railway road, Colony Gulberg road and Hospital road are the important roads in the city. Zaffar Market, New Sadiq Bazaar, Sadar Bazaar and Grain Market are the shopping centres in the city. A stadium known as Mahmud Stadium is situated at a distance of one kilometre from the city. It has a seating capacity for 15,000 persons and contains grounds for cricket, football, hockey and volley ball. There is Sadiq Club, which is located in Officers Colony and have spacious games. It has a swimming pool and vast halls. There are spacious grounds for various games. It has a swimming pool and vast halls. There are three swimming pools in the city.

UniLever Unilever, The international manufacturers of most famous brands of world like Sunsilk, Walls, Lux etc. has one of their major factories of Pakistan in Rahim Yar khan. It is located right in the city centre beside Railway Station.

Bagh-I-Bahisht. (The Garden of Heaven).

It is one of the most beautiful and biggest gardens of this area. It is 5 km far from SADIQ Abad. Its 1st owner was Meer Syed Abid Hussain Esq. who had built this garden. The garden consists upon more than 75 acres (300,000 m2). After his death, his only son MEER SYED Zahid Hussain Esq. reconstructed it with his full zeal and zest and brought the each and every plant from all over the world and made it the beautiful lest one of this area. After his death in 2003, his only son Meer Syed Fazal Ellahi Fazli is maintaining it with the same spirit of his father and grandfather and still improving. This garden is, although, the private but also open for the public at prescribed hours and days.

Meer Syed Zahid Hussain’s Library.

Late Meer Syed Zahid Hussain Esq. created the biggest personal library of this area which has very antique collection of books on many topics. Some books including Quran Shareef are old and hand written scripts which are very prestigious back ground. Now, his only son Meer Syed Fazal Ellahi Fazli is maintaining this library. This library is also open for public.

Fauji Fertilizer Factory, Machi Goth.

This factory is 5 km far from Sadiqabad and one of the biggest fertilizer factories in Asia . It was built by Fauji Foundation which serves retired army personnel. It was constructed in 1974 and was completed in 1979. Later on one more plant was established along with the previous one to increase the production capacity . Now Fauji Foundation owns two more plants in Karachi (Known as FFBL) and Mir pur Mathelo (known as FFC -III ).

Bhutta Wahan

It is situated at a distance of 16 kilometres in the North of Rahim Yar Khan, on the lost river Hakra. The village is said to be named after the name of Raja Bhutta who captured this locality after Raja Dahir. This village is also claimed to be the birth place of Sassi, the renowned heroine of Sassi-Pannun and of Ab-ul-Fazal and Fiazi, sons of Mullah Mubarik.

Baghla Fort

Remnants and ruins of this fort are about 34 kilometres in the south of Rahim Yar Khan city, in Cholistan area. In 1767 A.D., Ali Murad Pirjani, founder of Trinda Ali Murad Khan (a village in Thesil Rahim Yar Khan ) built this fort.

Islam Garh Fort

Islam Garh ,the old Bhinwar Fort, was built by Rawal Bhim Singh in Samabat in 1665, as the following inscription on its gate in Babri character proves “Samabat 1665 Asuj Wadi 2, Maharaj Rawal Siri Bhim Singh ji Maharaj”. The Fort is situated in the Cholistan area of Tehsil Khanpur. It is 46 kilometres south east of Baghla Fort. The fort is in a dilapidated state.

Khair Garh Fort

Remnants and ruins of this fort are located, about 40 kilometres south of Khanpur Town, in the Cholistan area. In 1189 A.H. Haji Khan, son of Ikhtiar Khan built it and named it Khair Garh.

Mau Mubarik Fort

According to Tarikh-e-Murad, a fort was built by Raj Sahanas Kharor in the time of Christ as a residence for his mother. The word Mau refers to mother in local language, and the word Mubarik is attached due to the shrine of Sheikh Hakim. The fort was taken by Shah Arghun in 1525. and was also laid siege to by Mahmood of Ghazni on his way to Somnat. It was one of the six fortresses of Raj Sahasi 11. It had 20 bastions and Towers. The ramparts were about 549 meters in circumference and the walls very strongly and thickly built. Here the shrine of a saint Sheikh Hakim is of great importance, where a Hindu jogi converted to Islam at the hands of Sheikh Hakim. The descendants of both Sheikh Hakim and the Jogi are still present in the area.

Pattan Minarah

The ruins of Pattan Minar are located at a distance of about 8 kilometres in east south of Rahim Yar Khan city. It has variously been described as the remains of Asahoka period, who built it in 250 B.C. or a Buddhist monastery. Nearby the minar, remains of a fort, a mosque and some tunnels are also visible. About 110 years ago Colonel Minchin a political agent of Ex-Bahawalpur state started the excavation of these tunnels but discontinued digging for some reasons or other. According to Colonel Toy it was the capital of the Hindu kingdom in 10CE. In the mid of the 18th century Fazal Elahi Khan Halani a Daupauta chief destroyed it and used its materials in the construction of Baghla and Dingar Fort.

Mosque of Bhong
Bhong Mosque

It is situated in the village Bhong at a distance of 28 kilometres from Sadiqabad and 53 kilometres from Rahim Yar Khan. It was constructed by Rias Ghazi Muhammad, a big landlord of Bhong. It has beautiful design of arts and crafts, with marble stones of various kinds and colours. It is well electrified with chandeliers of different kinds. It is a beautiful piece of architecture. Being a worth seeing religious place, tourists from far off places visit it frequently.

Palace Sultan of Abu Dhabi

It is built by Shiekh Zayad- Bin-Sultan, ruler of Abu Dhabi. It is situated in sandy desert of Cholistan at a distance of 18 kilometres south-east from Rahim Yar Khan. It has large and spacious buildings having two separate portions for ladies and gentlemen. Each portion contains rooms and chambers. There are beautiful lawns in it having different beds of flowers along the well-shaped roads. Many domestic birds like peacocks are also kept there. Sultan of Abu Dhabi visits this district for hunting and stays in this palace.

Sports and festivals

Kabaddi is liked and played almost in all urban and rural areas of the districts. Besides, hockey, badminton, football, tennis, cricket, lawn tennis are played. Wrestlers of the district have position among wrestlers of the province. There is a Sports Committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner for the Organizing various Tournaments in the district. A District Sports Organizer also assist the Deputy Commissioner as Secretary of the Sports Committee in this respect. Twenty Sports Associations are working for promoting various sports in the district with the idea to prepare nursery for sports.