Rawat Fort

Rawat Fort
قلعہ روات
Rawat, Pakistan
A view of the fort's main entrance
Site information
TypeFortified caravanserai
Location
Location within Pakistan
Rawat Fortقلعہ روات is located in Pakistan
Rawat Fortقلعہ روات
Rawat Fort
قلعہ روات
Location within Pakistan
Coordinates33°29′53″N 73°11′39″E / 33.4981°N 73.1942°E / 33.4981; 73.1942

Rawat Fort (Urdu: قلعہ روات), also known as Sarai Rawat, is an early 15th century fortified caravanserai in the Pothohar Plateau, near the city of Rawalpindi in the province of Punjab.

Location

It is 17 km east of Rawalpindi on Grand Trunk Road. The 2nd-century CE Manikyala Stupa can be viewed from the fort. It is located approximately 50 miles from the vast Rohtas Fort, which was built by Sher Shah Suri to subdue the Gakhars and bring the Pothohar region under his control.

Etymology

Rawat Fort derives its name from the Arabic word rabat (Arabic: رباط), meaning 'caravanserai', an inn for caravans.

History

The Rawat fort or sarai is believed to have been founded as a caravanserai in the 15th century by the Delhi Sultanate. It was later converted into a fortress in the 16th century by the local Gakhar clan in order to defend Pothohar from Sher Shah Suri's forces. It remained under Gakhar control during and after Mughal rule until it was taken over by the Sikh Empire, followed by the British.

Layout

The fort is in an almost square form and has two gates. It measures 93.5 x 106.3 m and covers a courtyard of around 10,000 m2 (2.5 acres). There is an octagonal tomb with a dome measuring 16.6 m in diameter in the fort's inner portion — an area which also contains many graves. The tomb is traditionally attributed to Sarang Khan Gakhar, while graves to be of his associates who died fighting along with him against Sher Shah in 1541. Along the perimeter are a series of small cells, which may have originally been small rooms rented out to itinerant merchants. The west wall of fort contains a mosque with three domes, measuring 29.5 x 12.1 m.

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.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Malik, Iftikhar Haider (2006). Culture and Customs of Pakistan. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313331268.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Rawat Fort, Islamabad, Pakistan". Asian Historical Architecture. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "The majestic Rawat Fort". Dawn. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Rewat Fort". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 "The majestic Rawat Fort". Dawn. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  6. ↑ "Work on conservation of Rawat Fort starts". The News. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "Rs 50m allocated for renovation of Rawat Fort". Pakistan Today. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.

Notes