Derawar Fort: a 9th century human marvel on the verge of collapse
FAZAL KHALIQ
With its landmark architecture symbolizing centuries of grandeur, the Derawar Fort is a standout attraction in the Cholistan desert.
Despite its awe-inspiring allure, however, it seems on the verge of collapse due to the neglect of authorities.
The Derawar Fort was first built in the 9th century under the kingship of Rai Jajja Bhati, a Hindu Rajput from Jaisalmir in India's Rajasthan state.
The fort as it looks from the balcony of the mosque in its courtyard.─ Fazal Khaliq
However, it was the Nawab of Bahawalpur, Sadeq Mohammad Khan I, who captured the fort in 1733 and had it rebuilt to how it looks today.
View of the 9th century Derawar Fort amid Cholistan desert, Bahawalpur.─ Photo by Fazal Khaliq
30-metre-high bastions surround the fort, along with walls that span over 1.5 kilometres. In the scorching summer of the Cholistan desert, the fort's red-bricked facade seems to glow with the heat and is visible for miles.
Altaf Hussain, a watchman and tour guide at the fort, says even the architecture of the fort's dungeons, which could once be accessed through a stairway made of tunneled pathways, has a charm of its own. He also speaks of a long underground railway tunnel that connected the Sadiq Ghar Palace to the fort.
A stairway leads to the underground portion of the fort.─Fazal Khaliq
"The Derawar fort was also connected to other forts in Cholistan through a network of underground tunnels. On the ground floor, there were offices, a small prison, a gallows, a water pond and residential rooms," he says.
Hussain says that every Thursday,
nawab sahib visited the fort and held an open court with his attendants, passing judgement on different cases, including those on capital crimes.
He says three watchmen at the fort were still employed by the Nawab’s family as the fort is still in their possession.
The fallen structures inside the fort.─ Photo by Fazal Khaliq
The fort attracts a large number of local, national and international tourists in the winters.
"I visited this place recently after ten years and I was shocked to see its dilapidated condition. It had many rooms that are no longer there," says Mohammad Jamil, a visitor from Ahmedpur tehsil.
Interior of the royal room in disrepair.─Fazal Khaliq
"We used to be able to climb down to the underground section by a stairway, but today that is not possible as the tunneled pathways are blocked," Jamil says, adding that the entire fort would crumble to the ground if authorities continued to neglect it.
Tragically, tourists are also to blame, as they carelessly walk on various structures, eat at the site and throw trash inside the fort.
"I visited the fort when I was a student in the tenth grade. That was almost 12 years ago. At that time, the fort was in a considerably good condition. We walked in the tunnels for a mile and could see a network of tunnels leading to different rooms. But the stairs leading to the top of bastions have now collapsed. The majority of the bastions have developed cracks, with bricks from some falling off," says Abdul Ghafar, a local cultural activist.