Rawat Fort () is an early 15th century fort in the Pothohar plateau of

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# ...

, near the city of

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

in the province of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Location

It is 17 km east of

on Grand Trunk Road. The 2nd century Mankiala stupa can be seen from the roof of the fort's mosque. The fort is located approximately 50 miles from the vast Rohtas Fort, which had been built by

Sher Shah Suri Sher Shah Suri (born Farid al-Din Khan; 1472 or 1486 – 22 May 1545), also known by his title Sultan Adil (), was the ruler of Bihar from 1530 to 1540, and Sultan of Hindustan from 1540 until his death in 1545. He defeated the Mughal Empire, ...

to establish control of the Pothohar region.

Etymology

Rawat Fort derives is named from the Arabic word ''Rabat'' (), meaning ''

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

'' - an inn for caravans.

History

The fort is said to have founded as a

in the 15th century by the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

. However, Pothohar was under control of Malik Jasrat during this period, and he was probably its original builder. Jasrat is known to have constructed a series of other forts in the region. The caravan itself may have been built atop a

Ghaznavid The Ghaznavid dynasty ( ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin. It ruled the Ghaznavid Empire or the Empire of Ghazni from 977 to 1186, which at its greatest extent, extended from the Oxus to the Indus Va ...

-era fort that was established in 1036 CE. it came under control of The caravanserai was then later fortified in the 16th century by the Mughal emperor

Humayun Nasir al-Din Muhammad (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), commonly known by his regnal name Humayun (), was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from ...

in order to defend the Pothohar plateau from

's forces. The fort was the scene of a battle between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri in 1546.

Layout

The fort is almost in square form and has two gates. There is also a quadrangular building with a dome in the fort's inner area – an area which also contains many graves. Along the perimeter are several small cells, which may have originally been small rooms rented out to itinerant merchants.The fort also contains a mosque with three domes.

Conservation

The fort is federally protected as a Cultural Heritage Site of Punjab, and is managed by the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage. In November 2016, a conservation plan was commissioned for preservation of the fort. 50 million rupees were allocated in March 2017 towards the first of two phases of conservation of the Rawat Fort.

Gallery

File:Rawat Fort - Eastern Gate from Inside 2.jpg, The fort's eastern gate File:Rawat Fort Gravestone of Sarang Khan Grave.jpg, The tomb of Sarang Khan - a Gakhar chief who fought against

File:Rawat Fort Mosque Facade.jpg, A view of the fort's mosque File:Rawat Fort-Deteriorating structures.JPG, Parts of the fort are in a poor state of conservation

References

Notes

{{Castles in Pakistan Forts in Punjab, Pakistan