Bahawalpur

Bahawalpur is one of the most prosperous towns in Pakistan. It is the most southerly town in the Punjab.

Not far from town is the Uch Monument Complex. The mausoleums of Uch are encrusted with sapphire blue, turquoise, and gleaming white tiles. The region's nobility commissioned them in the late-15th and early-16th centuries, when the Mughals ruled the Indus Valley region. The tombs are unique to the Indus Valley and their style, which includes polygonal niches, floral motifs and sculptural terracotta decorations, is precursors of the Mughal styles that followed. It is though that Alexander the Great founded Uch during his Asian campaign. Later it became a river port and in the 13th century it was a defensive stronghold that protected the Muslim kingdoms of central India from invaders. Islamic scholars who fled the Mongols from the north took refuge at Uch and eventually it became a center for religious learning and worship.

At the beginning of the 19th century, most temples were severely damaged by floods. As a result, their structures gradually deteriorated. Efforts to repair them only damaged them more and the use of cement disfigured two of three most prominent tombs.

There are several hotels and restaurants in town and daily flights are available to Islamabad, 505 km to the north. Bahawalpur is a good place to stay if you want to visit the interesting towns and forts in the sandy wasteland of Cholistan, or the wildlife reserve of Lal Suhanra National Park.