Dhar district (Hindi pronunciation: [d̪ʱaːɾ]) is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The historic town of Dhar is administrative headquarters of the district.

The district has a land area of 8,153 square kilometres (3,148 sq mi). It is bounded by the districts of Ratlam to the north, Ujjain to the northeast, Indore to the east, Khargone (West Nimar) to the southeast, Barwani to the south, Jhabua and Alirajpur to the west. It is part of the Indore Division of Madhya Pradesh. The population of the district is 2,185,793 (2011 census), an increase of 25.60% from its 2001 population of 1,740,329. Pithampur is a large industrial area comes under Dhar District. Kukshi is the largest tehsil of the district.

Dhar district was a historical centre of the Malwa region. It was part of the Paramara kingdom for four centuries, and was ruled by Raja Bhoj, who shifted the capital from Ujjain to Dhar. In 1305, Alauddin Khilji conquered Malwa from the Paramaras. In 1405, the Governor of Malwa, Dilawar Khan, became independent from Delhi and founded the Malwa Sultanate with the capital at Dhar. His successor Hoshang Shah moved his capital to Mandu, also in Dhar district, which he developed with many mosques and monuments. His son was poisoned by Mahmud Khilji, who assumed the throne and began the rule of the Khiljis over Malwa. Their rule lasted until 1531, when Sher Shah Suri put Shujat Khan in charge of Malwa. His son Baz Bahadur fought the Mughal Army during their conquest of the region, and was forced to flee after he was defeated. According to legend, his beloved queen Roopmati committed suicide rather than be dishonoured.

Dhar became part of the Malwa Subah of the Mughal Empire, and was visited by Akbar and Jahangir. After the decline of Mughal power, the Marathas captured Malwa under the rule of Peshwa Bajirao. Bajirao in 1732 divided Malwa among many Maratha chiefs, and Dhar was given to Anand Rao Pawar. His dynasty continued to rule the state even after the Marathas fell to the British. In 1857, freedom fighters captured the fort at Dhar which they held until October 1857. The local people faced cruel reprisals from British forces after they retook the fort. Dhar was briefly annexed by the British after the revolt before it was returned to Anand Rao Pawar III in 1860. Dhar State joined the Indian Union in 1948, and became part of the state of Madhya Bharat. It then became part of Madhya Pradesh in 1956.

The Vindhya Range runs east and west through the district. The northern part of the district lies on the Malwa plateau. The northwestern portion of the district lies in the watershed of the Mahi River and its tributaries, while the northeastern part of the district lies in the watershed of the Chambal River, which drains into the Ganges via the Yamuna River. The portion of the district south of the ridge of the Vindhyas lies in the watershed of the Narmada River, which forms the southern boundary of the district.

Dhar district is divided into 6 sub-divisions: Dhar, Sardarpur, Badnawar, Manawar, Kukshi and Dharampuri (Newly Added). These sub-divisions are further divided into 8 tehsils: Dhar, Badnawar, Dharampuri, Sardarpur, Manawar, Kukshi, Dahi and Gandhwani.

There are seven Vidhan Sabha constituencies in this district: Sardarpur, Gandhwani, Kukshi, Manawar, Dharampuri, Dhar and Badnawar. All of these are part of the only Lok Sabha constituency in this district : Dhar Lok Sabha Constituency.

Villages in Dhar district include Kadod Kala, Tirla, and Tornod.