Derawar Fort (Punjabi, Urdu: قِلعہ ڈیراور) is a fortress in Ahmadpur East Tehsil of Bahawalpur District in the Punjab, Pakistan. Approximately 20 km south of the city of Ahmedpur East, the forty bastions of Derawar are visible for many miles in the Cholistan Desert. The walls have a perimeter of 1500 metres and stand up to thirty metres high.

The Cholistan Desert comprises the western region of the Thar Desert in modern Pakistan, where archaeological evidence is present that the area was once inhabited by an Indus Valley culture. This culture once used the Hakra River to support their agricultural lifestyle. Although the river changed its flow, and the environment is now inhabitable, there remains evidence of up to a dozen fort structures. Derawar Fort is the best surviving structure of the remaining ruins.[1]

Derawar fort was built in the 9th century AD by Rai Jajja bhati, a Hindu Rajput(Gurjar Pratihar) ruler of the Bhati clan,[2] as a tribute to emperor Rawal Deoraj Bhati[3][4] of Jaisalmer and residents of Bahawalpur. The fort was initially known as Dera Rawal, and later referred to as Dera Rawar, which with the passage of time came to be pronounced Derawar, its present name.[4]

In the 18th century, the fort was taken over by Muslim Nawabs of Bahawalpur from the Shahotra tribe. It was later renovated in its current form in 1732 by the Abbasi ruler Nawab Sadeq Muhammad, but in 1747 the fort slipped from their hands owing to Bahawal Khan's preoccupations at Shikarpur.[3] Nawab Mubarak Khan took the stronghold back in 1804. 1,000 year-old catapult shells were found in the debris near a decaying wall in the fort.[5]

Nawab Sadeq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V, the 12th and last ruler of Bahawalpur state, was born in the fort in 1904.[6]

Derawar Fort was eventually taken over by the British and was used to house prisoners, as well as hang unlucky inmates.[7]

Google Doodle made a doodle of Derawar Fort to celebrate Pakistan's 75 Independence Day.[8] According to Google, the fort symbolizes Pakistani adaptability and antiquity.[8][9]

^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Derawar and the Desert Forts of Cholistan". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2 December 2023. ^ Khaliq, Fazal (1 February 2017). "Derawar Fort: a 9th century human marvel on the verge of collapse". Dawn. The Derawar Fort was built in the 9th century under the kingship of Rai Jajja Bhatti, a Hindu Rajput from Jaisalmir in India's Rajasthan state. ^ a b Derawar Fort – Living to tell the tale, Dawn, 20 June 2011 ^ a b Dawn News ^ Gill, Majeed (20 February 2017). "Centuries-old catapult shells found near Bahawalpur". Dawn. Retrieved 23 February 2017. ^ "Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan V". Story of Pakistan website. 24 May 2012. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2022. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ "Google marks Pakistan's Independence Day with Derawar Fort doodle". nayion.com.pk. 14 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
Photographies by:
Waqasbhattkpr - CC BY-SA 4.0
Fazal Khaliq - CC BY-SA 4.0
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