Bakhar Fort

History

Accounts trace the fort's origins to the Arab period, with dates given variously as 787 CE and the mid-tenth century. The Samma dynasty strengthened it in the fifteenth century and the Arghuns substantially rebuilt it in 1522. In the sixteenth century it was taken by Sher Shah Suri's forces and renamed Sher Garh, during the years when Humayun was a fugitive in Sindh. Under Akbar it served as a regional headquarters. The British later drove the Lansdowne Bridge across the river in two spans meeting on this island.

Historical Significance

Bakhar is a fixed point in Sindh's military history: Arab, Samma, Arghun, Suri, Mughal and British power all had to account for this one rock in the river.

Architecture

A small, irregular island in the Indus between Sukkur and Rohri, entirely occupied by its fort — the fortification wall runs around the outer periphery of the island, with the river on every side. The interior is scattered with brick-bats, potsherds and heaps of earth.

Why Visit

An island fortress in the middle of the Indus, with the Victorian ironwork of the Lansdowne Bridge landing on top of it — a thousand years of the same strategic idea in one view.

Interesting Facts

• The island is solid limestone, oval, and rises only about 7.6 metres out of the Indus
• Sher Shah Suri's forces renamed it Sher Garh after taking it during Humayun's exile
• Akbar used it as a regional headquarters
• The British Lansdowne Bridge is built in two halves that meet on the island