Derawar Fort
Desert Fort Of The Abbasi Nawabs Of Bahawalpur, Rebuilt 1733 On An Earlier Rajput Fort; Still Owned By The Abbasi Family · Bahawalpur, Punjab
Derawar Fort rises out of the Cholistan Desert like something from a film: forty great bastions of pale brick, walls some thirty metres high and about a mile and a half round, visible for kilometres across the flat sand and scrub. A fort stood here under the Bhati Rajputs, and the present one was rebuilt in 1733 by the Abbasi Nawabs, who went on to rule Bahawalpur state until it joined Pakistan. It is still owned by the Abbasi family, and that shapes a visit: most people see it only from outside, walking round the base of the walls, and entering requires permission from the family's representatives, which is not always given. Outside the walls stands a white marble mosque modelled on Mughal originals and the royal graveyard of the Nawabs. Every February the Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally is based here, and the empty desert fills with tens of thousands of spectators, campers and cars. The rest of the year it is silent. The fort is decaying, with bastions cracking and collapsing, and conservation has been slow.
Cholistan Desert, Ahmadpur East Tehsil, Bahawalpur District, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan
The exterior can be seen at any time in daylight and there is no ticket for walking round the walls. Entry inside needs permission from the Abbasi family's representatives, usually arranged in Bahawalpur in advance and not guaranteed. Derawar is about two hours by road from Bahawalpur, the last stretch on a desert road. The Cholistan Jeep Rally in February brings huge crowds and heavy traffic.