Bahawalpur

From Freepedia

Bahawalpur is a city of Pakistan (1998 pop. 403,408) located in the Punjab just south of the Sutlej River, formerly the capital of a Princely state of the same name. For the State (including its philately), see Bahawalpur State.

The city was founded in 1748 by Muhammad Bahawal Khan Abbasi I, whose descendants ruled the area, until it joined Pakistan in 1947.

It is a crossroads city, having the only railroad bridge over the Sutlej. The surrounding area is mostly agricultural, and the city is a market town for Mango, dates, wheat, sugarcane, and cotton. In addition, it has soap making and cotton spinning factories, as well as enterprises producing silk and cotton textiles, carpets, and pottery.

The Islamia University, a Medical College, and a Technical College are located in Bahawalpur. This was one of the biggest states of India near 300 miles long and was ruled by a muslim ruler who decided to join Pakistan at the time of partition in 1947 but even then this state maintained its sovereinity for a long time. The famous fort Darawar is alos located in this state which is known as the oldest fort of the world near 8000 years old and is privately fort by the same royal family. Even now the Abbasi family is one of the most important political figure in Pakistan. The famous Lal Sohanra National Park is also in this state. The one of the intresting thing is that this is the only part of world where the oranges are sold by weigting them in Kilos.