Derawar Fort

Derawar Fort

Derawar Fort is a large fortress located in Yazman Tehsil in the Bahawalpur District of Punjab, Pakistan. It sits about 20 km south of the city of Ahmedpur East in the Cholistan Desert. From far away, you can see its forty bastions, which are strong towers at the corners and along the walls.

The walls of Derawar Fort are very big, with a perimeter of 1500 metres. They stand up to thirty metres high, making the fort look impressive and strong against the wide, open desert. This historic place shows the amazing building skills of people from long ago.

History

The Cholistan Desert in Pakistan was once home to the ancient Indus Valley culture. They used the Hakra River for farming. Around 600 BC, the river changed its course and disappeared underground, turning the area into a desert. Even then, the region stayed important for trade between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent and for pilgrims traveling to Mecca.

Derawar Fort was built in 858 by Rai Jajja Bhati, a Hindu Rajput ruler, to honor Rawal Deoraj Bhati, the ruler of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer. It was first called Dera Rawal, but later became known as Derawar. The fort is the best-preserved of many desert forts, including Meergarh, Jaangarh, and Khangarh, which gave shelter to travelers. In the 18th century, it was taken over by Muslim Nawabs of Bahawalpur and later renovated. The fort stayed standing because people continued to live there, unlike other old buildings that fell into ruin.

The last ruler of Bahawalpur, Nawab Sadeq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V, was born in the fort in 1904. During the 1965 war with India, some parts of the fort were removed for military training. Google celebrated Pakistan’s 75th Independence Day with a special drawing of Derawar Fort, showing it as a symbol of Pakistan’s history and strength.

Structure

Derawar Fort is a large square building made from clay bricks. Its walls are 1500 meters long and rise up to thirty meters high. The fort has forty round bastions, ten on each side, that are also 30 meters tall and can be seen from far away across the desert. Each bastion is decorated with patterns cut into the bricks. Inside, there are signs of old rooms that once had tiles and colorful paintings. Today, the fort covers about 35 acres of land.

There is a secret underground tunnel that could let someone travel safely from a castle to the fort. The underground areas still have rooms, but many parts are damaged. The fort has a clever way to keep the underground cool without using modern machines. Derawar Fort shows one of many square brick designs from old times, mostly from the 16th to 18th centuries, with some changes made as early as the 9th century.

Nearby, you can find the Moti or Pearl Mosque and the cemetery of the Nawabs, which have beautifully decorated graves. The Abbasi Mosque was built in 1849 for a special religious leader, Pir Ghulam Farid. Close to the fort are tombs of the Nawabs and their families, plus a fancy marble tomb for the last nawab's wife from England.

Renovation

The Fort was rebuilt in 1732 by Nawab Sadeq Muhammad. In 2019, the government gave money to protect Derawar Fort. This fort is famous in the Cholistan desert near Bahawalpur.

Much work has been done, like fixing a storage area and strengthening walls and towers. But bad weather and visitors who do not care for the site still cause problems. Many wooden parts inside have disappeared, and the floors are in poor condition.

Visiting Derawar

Visiting Derawar Fort is a fun adventure that takes about a full day. You will need a four-wheel drive vehicle and a local guide to get there. The fort is privately owned by the family of the Bahawalpur rulers, so you need special permission to enter.

Even though the fort needs some care, it is still an amazing place to visit. Exploring the nearby mosques and mausoleums makes the trip even better. Every year, a jeep rally in the Cholistan Desert draws visitors from around the world. The rally travels through three districts in the desert.

UNESCO tentative list

Derawar Fort and the Desert Forts of Cholistan were sent by the Pakistan Government in 2016 to be a World Heritage Site. These forts were key spots on old trading paths through a dry and hard desert. Derawar Fort, especially, had water and was a safe place for travelers.

The fort matters because it shows how people built things to live in a tough desert. It also helps us learn about old trade and culture. It tells us about how people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India connected on these trade routes.

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