Derawar

Derawar Fort

Derawar Fort is a majestic fortress in the middle of the Holistan Desert, dating back to the Middle Ages and is one of the most striking and extraordinary sights of Pakistan. This large-scale fortification with majestic walls has a square layout and covers 1.5 kilometers in perimeter and up to 1 kilometer in diameter. The height of this eastern citadel is simply breathtaking. Rising 30 meters high, the massive fortress walls seem to go into the sky. The corner towers are slightly higher than the others, which gives the fort an even more grandiose grandeur, as if emphasizing its impregnability. In total, Fort Derawar has 40 majestic towers, which rise above the desert and seem like a special kingdom from Eastern fairy tales.

General Information

The fort that can now be seen is not the original fort. The first fort was erected way back during the reign of the Rajas of the Jaisalmer dynasty. The modern citadel was built much later, in the 30s of the 18th century, on the ruins of an earlier fort dating back to the pre-Muslim period. But 15 years after its construction, the Nawabs lost control of it until 1804, when the Derawar fort reverted to the Abassi family, whose ancestor had built the original fort. There are several ancient forts in the Kholistan Desert, but the Derawar Fort is the most impressive in its grandeur and the best preserved.

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Near the walls of the fortress is a white marble mosque, erected in the 30s. Amir Khan in the 19th century and the necropolis of the Nawabs of the Abbasi dynasty, whose family property is the Derawar Fort. The mosque impresses with its graceful architecture against the background of such massive walls of the fort and is a vivid example of typical Mughal architecture. This structure has a rectangular base and 3 domes, and each of the corners is decorated with a minaret.

Tourists

Fort Derawar is far away from civilization. The best way to reach here is from the closest city of Bahawalpur. Once only a select few dignitaries could get behind these massive majestic walls, but now anyone can enter the fort in the middle of the desert, but only if you follow one simple rule: get permission to visit from the Emir of Bahawalpur. Therefore, this trip should be planned in advance, and you can choose someone from the locals as a guide.