Bari Doab

Not to be confused with Bar Region.

Bari Doab
Natural region
A map of the Punjab region c. 1947 showing the different doabs
Country	Pakistan
Province	Punjab

The Bari Doab is one of the Punjab doabs located in the upper south-east corner of Punjab, Pakistan. ^[1] It lies between the Ravi and Sutlej rivers. ^[1] A considerable portion of the Bari Doab is in the Majha region. ^[2]

Hydrology

Historically, the Beas river used to flow through the middle of the Bari Doab, splitting the region in two into the Ganji and Neeli bars, however the Beas river has since shifted its course. ^{[3] [4]} The flow of the Beas river, which ran through the high-bar of the Bari Doab, shifted between 1750 and 1800, with it being captured by the Sutlej river, after many previous changes to its flow throughout the preceding centuries. ^[5]

Geography

The upper-area of the doab consists of Kasur, Okara, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, and Vehari districts, which is well-irrigated and under agriculture. ^[1] The southwestern part of the region approaches the Bahawalpur desert and becomes increasingly arid and sparsely populated. ^[1]

See also

• Bar Region

References

1. Dikshit, K. R.; Dikshit, Jutta K. (Feb 18, 2025). "6.2.4.1 Population Density Pattern in Punjab". Land, People and Economy of Pakistan: A Geographic Perspective. Taylor & Francis. pp. 166–167. ISBN   9781040306772.
2. Kakshi, S.R.; Pathak, Rashmi; Pathak, S.R.Bakshi R. (2007-01-01). Punjab Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. ISBN   978-81-7625-738-1. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
3. Glover, William J. (22 April 2025). Reformatting Agrarian Life: Urban History from the Countryside in Colonial India. Stanford University Press. ISBN   9781503642270. There are five main Bars in the Punjab: the Sandal Bar in the Rechna Doab; Kirana Bar and Gondal Bar, both on the Chaj Doab; and the Neeli Bar and Ganji Bar, both on the Bari Doab.
4. Soofi, Mushtaq (13 June 2014). "Punjab Notes: Bar: forgotten glory of Punjab". Dawn. Retrieved 10 August 2025. The area from the eastern side of river Jhelum (vahit) beyond the ancient city of Chiniot to the banks of river Sutlej was divided into four major Bars (Baran); the stretch between eastern side of Jhelum and western side of Chenab is called 'Karana' Bar, between Chenab and Ravi 'Sandal' Bar, between Ravi and Sutlej 'Ganji' Bar and on the eastern and western sides of Sutlej lies 'Nili' Bar.
5. Gilmartin, David (Apr 14, 2020). Blood and Water: The Indus River Basin in Modern History. University of California Press. p. 15. ISBN   9780520355538. More recent evidence can be found in the still-visible evidence of old river beds, such as the old bed of the Beas running through the high bar of the Bari Doab in the Punjab, which was abandoned by the river when its flow was captured by the Sutlej in the second half of the eighteenth century, after many changes in course over the previous centuries.