Rahimyar Khan or Rahim Yar Khan (رحیم یار خان) is a city in the south of Punjab province in Pakistan. Rahim Yar Khan city is one of the few cities in the world that are still at their pioneering places since the formation. It has been renamed customarily amid last 5000 years, first available (on record) name was AROR or ALOR, and then it became City of Pattan, Phul Wada, Noshehra and now Rahim Yar Khan.
In 1883 Nawab Sadiq Khan-IV of Bahawalpur renamed it after his son Rahim Yar Khan. Formerly Rahimyar Khan was also one of the names of the three districts of the former princely State of Bahawalpur until 1955. Today, Rahimyar Khan lies on an important train route which runs south to Sukkur and north to Bahawalpur. According to the 1998 census, the city population was 233,537 with an annual growth rate of 4.04%. As of January 2007, it is around 330,000.
Most notably the former President of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had a residence built for him just outside the city, and is called 'Desert Palace' or Abu Dhabi Palace. It is now owned by his son and successor Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The most important road in Rahim Yar Khan is Shahi Road, which is surrounded by many notable businesses. There are many high schools which are run by the Government. There are 5 Government High schools for boys and 6 for girls. Among leading private schools are, Army Public School and Sheikh Zayed High School. There are separate post-graduate colleges for boys and girls. A campus of Islamia University Bahawalpur is also located in the city.
