Derawar Fort is the best historical attraction in the Cholistan desert. It is an absorbing remnant of the region’s past. While you standing in the wilderness, the fort is visible for many miles. The fort was initially known as Dera Rawal but over the time it came to be pronounced as Derawar. This historical fort presents a huge and impressive structure in the heart of the Cholistan desert.
Location of Derawar Fort
Derawar Fort is a large square fortress in Ahmadpur East Tehsil, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. Bahawalpur is the famous city of Punjab. It is approximately 130 km south of the city of Bahawalpur and 45 km from Ahmedpur tehsil.
Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally is organized by the TDCP in Pakistan every year. It was first started in 2005 by the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP), this event is run by the Government of Punjab. The rally starts near the Derawar Fort in Ahmadpur East Tehsil. Around 100 drivers and teams from all over Pakistan participate and almost 100,000 visitors witness it every year.
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Structure of Fort
The Fort is one of the most impressive structures in the area. It is enormous and dramatic. The fort is composed of massive bastions. There was an underground tunnels network that was connected to other forts in the Cholistan but today the tunneled pathways are blocked. The land architecture of Derawar fort symbolizing centuries of glory, made out of millions of bricks. The walls have a circumference of 1500 m and stand up to 30 meters high.
This place is worth seeing because of its history and architecture. When you look at it just imagining, about how hard it must have been to make it, and you can also find how people would have lived within the fort, truly wonderful.
This Fort is a must visiting place in Bahawalpur especially for those who have an interest in history and architecture. The fort increases the beauty of the Cholistan Desert. The view of the sun rising and sunset from the fort is just amazing. On the outside, it looks most impressive. Its beautiful architecture just a piece of art, every part tells its own story that takes you back in history.
History of Fort
The Fort was first constructed in the 9thcentury under the rule of Rai Jajja Bhati, a Hindu Rajput king from Jaisalmer in India’s Rajasthan state. In the 18th century the Nawab of Bahawalpur, who took the fort and rebuilt it. In 1747, it was lost owing to Bahawal Khan’s preoccupations at Shikarpur but recaptured in 1804 by Nawab Mubarik Khan of Bahawalpur State. Nawab took the stronghold back and did a major renovation of the fort and what we see inside the fort today was mostly built in the time of Nawab Mubrik Khan.
You can also visit the historical white marble Mosque in front of the fort that was built in 1849 for the Nawabs. The marble and blue-tiled tombs of the Nawabs and their families lie a few hundred meters to the east of the fort. The mosque looks like a pearl in the empty desert.
This is an unbelievable place, not to be missed. The breathtaking view of the fort and pearl-like a mosque in Cholistan desert will surprise you form many miles.
Click to view the Historic Hiran Minar Punjab Pakistan
