Field guides / Punjab / Derawar and Cholistan Desert Forts
Field guide · Nature
Derawar and Cholistan Desert Forts
Derawar Fort is the great desert citadel of Cholistan, a square fortress of forty colossal bastions rising abruptly from the sands of the Bahawalpur desert, its 30-metre walls visible for miles across the emptiness. Originally a 9th-century fort and rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Nawabs of Bahawalpur, it is one of the most dramatic and photogenic monuments in Pakistan.
Derawar Fort is the great desert citadel of Cholistan, a square fortress of forty colossal bastions rising abruptly from the sands of the Bahawalpur desert, its 30-metre walls visible for miles across the emptiness. Originally a 9th-century fort and rebuilt in its present form in the 18th century by the Nawabs of Bahawalpur, it is one of the most dramatic and photogenic monuments in Pakistan. Beside it stand a royal mosque modelled on Delhi's, and the marble necropolis of the Abbasi royal family.
Why go
- ✦Forty towering bastions in the desert
- ✦30-metre walls visible across Cholistan
- ✦Abbasi royal necropolis and mosque
- ✦Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally (February)
- ✦Photogenic sunrise and sunset light
The Walls of Cholistan
Derawar's power is its scale and isolation: a perfect square of immense fluted bastions standing alone in the desert, the brickwork glowing orange at dawn and dusk. The exterior is the main spectacle, the interior is largely ruined and access can be restricted as the fort remains the property of the Abbasi family of Bahawalpur.
The Royal Tombs and Mosque
Beside the fort, the Abbasi family graveyard holds elegant marble tombs of the Nawabs of Bahawalpur, and the nearby Derawar Mosque, a white marble structure echoing the Moti Masjid of Delhi, adds to the ensemble. Together they tell the story of the princely state that ruled this desert until it merged with Pakistan.
Desert and Timing
This is the Cholistan desert, so visit only in the cool months and carry water, sun protection, and fuel. The February jeep rally turns the area into a festival of motorsport and culture. Sunrise and sunset are when the fort is most magical, plan your timing around the light.
Planning tip
When to go, November to February only, Cholistan is brutally hot the rest of the year. The annual Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally in February is a spectacular time to visit.
Getting there, About 45 km south of Bahawalpur in southern Punjab, reached by road across the desert (the final stretch is sandy, a sturdy vehicle helps). Bahawalpur is on the rail and air network from Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.
Allow, Half a day for the fort, mosque, and royal tombs; a full day with the desert drive from Bahawalpur.
