Ranikot Fort (; also known as Rannikot), also known as the Great Wall of Sindh (), is a 19th-century
(reconstructed) Talpur-era fort
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
near
Sann in
Jamshoro District
Jamshoro District (, ) is a Districts of Sindh, Pakistan, district of Sindh province, Pakistan. Jamshoro city is the capital while Kotri is the largest city of the Jamshoro District. The district borders Dadu district to the north. To the east, th ...
,
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. The fort's ramparts have been compared to the
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' long wall") is a series of fortifications in China. They were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against vario ...
.
The site was nominated in 1993 by the Pakistan National Commission for
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
world heritage status, and has since been on the tentative list of
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
.
The fort is listed as a historical site under the Antiquities Act, 1975 and its subsequent amendments, and has a protected status.
Location

Ranikot Fort is to the north of
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
on the
Indus Highway (N55). There is also an easy access of about an hour's journey from Karachi to Sann on the Indus Highway. A diversion road, starting a little distance away from Sann, the nearest town, leads to the fort along a rugged road and reaches the eastern gate of the fort, known as Sann Gate.
Sann is a rail head on the Kotri-Larkana line of the Pakistan Railway. The fort is inside the
Kirthar National Park
Kirthar National Park is a national park located in the Kirthar Mountains range in Dadu and Jamshoro districts of Sindh, Pakistan. Lying north to Karachi, the park was established in 1974 and encompasses over , making it the third largest n ...
, the second largest national park in Pakistan.
History
The original purpose and architects of Ranikot Fort are unknown. It was formerly believed that the fort was built during the regimes of the Sassanians, the Scythians, the Parthians or the Bactrian Greeks, however, more recent evidence shows that the fort originated under the
Talpurs and constructed during the
Talpur dynasty
The Talpur dynasty () was a Baloch people in Sindh, Baloch dynasty
that ruled the Sind State (present-day Sindh, Pakistan) after overthrowing the Kalhora dynasty in 1783 until British conquest of Sindh in 1843. A branch of the family continued ...
.
Archaeologists point to the 17th century as the time of its first construction but
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
archaeologists
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
now agree that some of the present structures were reconstructed by the
Talpur dynasty
The Talpur dynasty () was a Baloch people in Sindh, Baloch dynasty
that ruled the Sind State (present-day Sindh, Pakistan) after overthrowing the Kalhora dynasty in 1783 until British conquest of Sindh in 1843. A branch of the family continued ...
in 1812 at a cost of 1.2 million rupees (
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
Gazetteer, 677).
The battlements of Ranikot formed the last capital of the Amirs of Sind, when they were brought under the colonial rule of the
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
. Radiocarbon tests were conducted at the Sann Gate on the charcoal embedded in the mortar of a collapsed pillar of the eastern gate of the fort. These tests have confirmed that this gate was probably renovated between the early part of the 18th century and the early part of the 19th century, prior to Britain invading the fort when the
Kalhora
The Kalhora or Kalhora Abbasi () is a Sindhi Sammat clan in Sindh, Pakistan.
Etymology
According to the natives of Sindh, the word ''Kalhoro'' originates from the (/ Kalho) meaning ''Alone''.
Origin
The Kalhora belong to the Indigenous ...
s, or most likely the Talpur Mirs of Sindh ruled over the area.
Features

The fort is huge, connecting several bleak mountains
[ of the Kirthar hills along contours, and measures in length. The fort's wall is interspersed with several bastions, and three are of semi-circular shape. The northern part of the fort's perimeter is a natural high hilly formation while on the other three sides it is covered by fort walls. Within this main fort there is a smaller fort known as the "Miri Fort" which is about 3 km from the Sann gate, and is reported to have served as the palace of the Mir royal family. The entire fort structure has been built with stone and lime mortar.][ The fort is built in a zig-zag form, with four entry gates in the shape of a rhomboid. The four gates are namely: Sann Gate, Amri Gate, Shah-Pere Gate and Mohan Gate.] Two of the gates, facing each are crossed diagonally by the Sann river; the first gate is on the western side and is skirted by the river water and is difficult to approach. The southern entry gate has a double doors gate. Within the gates there are two niches which have floral ornamentation and carved stones.[ ]
The Sann gate is well preserved and can be climbed to reach the top of the fort from both sides to get a scenic view of the terrain around the fort. This gate is also the entrance to the Meeri.[
]
Restoration
The Fort was first restored by Nawab Wali Muhammed Leghari, who was the Prime Minister of Sindh under the Talpur dynasty
The Talpur dynasty () was a Baloch people in Sindh, Baloch dynasty
that ruled the Sind State (present-day Sindh, Pakistan) after overthrowing the Kalhora dynasty in 1783 until British conquest of Sindh in 1843. A branch of the family continued ...
. Restoration works were undertaken on the fort, particularly on the Sann Gate complex, the fortification wall extending south including the mosque and the small Meeri fort or palace within the main fort. These were undertaken by the Archaeology department of Pakistan, the Department of Culture of Sindh and the Dadu District
Dadu District (), () is a Districts of Pakistan, district of Sindh, Sindh Province, Pakistan. With headquarters in the city of Dadu, Pakistan, Dadu, the district was created in 1931 by merging Kotri and Mahal Kohistan (later Jamshoro) tehsils fro ...
administration. Following allegations of poor construction and favoritism in award of contracts an enquiry was instituted in 2005. The Enquiry Commission's report indicated that the restoration works were poorly done with cement and new stone work without conforming to the "Venice Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites" and recommended stoppage of further work on the fort. Based on this report further restoration work was suspended in 2006.[
]
Gallery
File:Ranikot Fort - The Great Wall of Sindh.jpg,
File:Ranikot Fort 3.JPG,
Image:Rani Kot2.jpg,
Image:Ranikot6.JPG,
Image:Rani Kot4.jpg,
Image:Rani Kot5.jpg,
See also
*List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Pakistan
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural herit ...
*List of forts in Pakistan
The following is a partial list of forts and castles in Pakistan:
See also
* Tourism in Pakistan
* List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Pakistan
* List of museums in Pakistan
* Lahore Fort
* Rohtas Fort
* Noor Mahal
* Derawar Fort
R ...
*List of museums in Pakistan
This is a list of museums, galleries, and related building structures in Pakistan.
Museums and galleries
Archaeological and historical museums
* Harappa Museum, Harappa
* Bahaw ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*.
Ranikot Fort – The Great Wall of Pakistan
– also Known as the Mysterious Place in Pakistan
{{Castles in Pakistan
Archaeological sites in Sindh
Buildings and structures in Jamshoro District
Forts in Sindh
Monuments and memorials in Sindh