| Rahim Yar Khan | |
| Official Name: | Rahim YAR Khan |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Emblem |
| Mapsize: | 180px |
| Pushpin Map: | Punjab Pakistan#Pakistan |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Punjab |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Rahim Yar Khan |
| Leader Title: | Administrator |
| Area Total Km2: | 210.2 |
| Elevation M: | 83 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Total: | 517,000 |
| Population Footnotes: | (2023 Census)[1] |
| Timezone1: | PST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5 |
| Area Code: | 068 |
| Area Code Type: | Calling code |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Number of tehsils |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 4 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Number of Union councils |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 139 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 64200 |
| Native Name Lang: | Ur |
Rahim Yar Khan (; in Urdu pronounced as /ɾəɦiːm jɑːɾ xɑːn/) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 16th most populous city of Pakistan and the capital of the Rahim Yar Khan District. The administration of the city is subdivided into nine Union Councils.[2]
It has been renamed several times over the last 5,000 years. The earliest recorded name was AROR or ALOR, and then it became City of Pattan, Phul Wada, Noshehra and now Rahim Yar Khan. The ancient tower of Pattan Minarah stands 13 km to the south of the city center in its original form. Umayyads led by Muhammad Bin Qasim conquered the cities of Uch and Multan after conquest of Sindh. After that Arabs ruled the vast areas of Punjab including Rahim Yar Khan region.[3]
Rahim Yar Khan region was part of Multan province of Mughal Empire.[4] In 1881, Nawab of Bahawalpur gave the city its current name by naming it after his first-born son and crown prince Rahim Yar Khan.
Rahim Yar Khan has had the status of a separate district since 1943. The district derives its name from its headquarters, the city of Rahim Yar Khan, which was known as "Naushehra" until 1881. To avoid confusion with the similarly named city of Nowshera, the ruler of Bahawalpur, Nawab Sadiq Khan IV, renamed it after his first son, Rahim Yar Khan (1877–1881).[5]
The population of the city is 517,000 during the 2023 census.[1]
Shaikh Zayed International Airport is located in Rahim Yar Khan. It serves the people of city with domestic and international flights.[6] There are daily flight from this airport to Karachi, twice in a week to/from Lahore, and once a week to Islamabad.
Rahim Yar Khan is connected with rest of the country by rail. The Rahim Yar Khan railway station is a major railway station of Pakistan Railways on the Karachi-Peshawar Railway Line.