one time there were 400 forts in the area and
archaeological finds around the Derawar Fort, the only place with a perennial
waterhole, indicate that it was contemporaneous with the Indus Valley
Civilisation. The average annual rainfall is only 12 cm, and the area's
scant cultivation is made possible by underground wells, drawn up by camels.
The water is stored in troughs, built by the tribes, between sandhills and din
waterholes called tobas. The people are racially similar to those in Rajasthan
– tall, with sharp features. They live in large, round, mud and grass huts,
usually built on the top of sandhills. On the whole, they are pastoral and
nomadic. The main tribes are the Chachar, Mehr, Lar, Paryar, Channar, Chandani
and Bohar. The forts here were built at 29 km intervals, which probably
served as guard posts for the camel caravan routes. There were three rows of these
forts. 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. Built with
double walls of gypsum blocks and mud, they are all in ruins now. Some of them
date back to 1000 BC, and were destroyed and rebuilt many times.
Even with all the markets and forts,
one thing for which Bahawalpur is recognised above all others is the numerous
palaces that still remain intact ever since the fall of the Nawabs. There are
countless palaces in the city, locally known as Mahals. Some of the most famous
include: Noor Mahal, Gulzar Mahal, Darbar Mahal, Shimla Khoti Sadiq Ghar Palace
and Darbar Mahal. The city also has a city gate called Farid Gate, which in its
heyday provided the only entrance to the city for its rulers. The gate still
remains
