Derawar Fort

Derawar is the great sight of the Cholistan desert: a square fort whose walls run some 1,500 metres around and stand up to thirty metres high, articulated into forty enormous rounded bastions of patterned brick that make the whole thing look like a row of towers rather than a wall. It was built in its present form in the eighteenth century by the nawabs of Bahawalpur on the site of a much older Rajput fort, and it guarded the desert routes and the water supply. Beside it stands the nawabs' family mosque, a white marble building modelled on the Moti Masjid in Delhi, and their royal necropolis with tiled tombs. The fort belongs to the nawab's descendants and the interior has long been closed or restricted, with the courtyard buildings in poor condition; the exterior circuit is what most visitors see, and it is more than enough.

History

The fort was built in 858 under Rai Jajja Bhati, a Rajput ruler of the Bhati clan, as a tribute to Rawal Deoraj Bhati of Jaisalmer; first called Dera Rawal and then Dera Rawar, it came to be known as Derawar. The Nawabs of Bahawalpur took it in the 18th century and Nawab Sadeq Muhammad rebuilt it in its present form in 1732; it was lost in 1747 and retaken by Nawab Mubarak Khan in 1804, and the last ruler of Bahawalpur state was born here in 1904 (Wikipedia, Derawar Fort).

Highlights

• The forty bastions - the patterned brick towers around the whole circuit.
• The desert setting - sand and scrub with the fort rising abruptly from it.
• The royal mosque - the white marble mosque beside the walls.
• The nawabs' necropolis - tiled family tombs nearby.

When to go

November to February. Cholistan is brutally hot the rest of the year, over fifty degrees in summer. The Cholistan Jeep Rally in February brings crowds and a completely different atmosphere. Sunset light on the brick is the reason to stay late.

Before you go

The interior is generally closed and the structure is deteriorating, with sections of wall collapsed; do not expect to go inside. The track from Bahawalpur is sandy and a four-wheel drive with a local driver is strongly advised. There is no shade, no water and no facilities at the fort.

Nearby

Cholistan desert surrounds the fort; Bahawalpur and Noor Mahal are north.

Key facts