Rohtas Fort

Presented by: Rai Farhatullah

Contents:
 Introduction
 Location
 History
 Cost of construction
 Architectural Style
 Fortification wall
 The gates
 Baolis
 Shahi Mosque
 Haveli Man Singh
 Inscriptions
 Conclusion
 Bibliography

Rai Farhatullah
Introduction

Rohtas Fort is a garrison fort with great historical value. It is located in

Pakistan’s most populated province, Punjab, on the GT road. It is at a
distance of approximately 8 km from the city Dina in district Jhelum.

Rohtas Fort was built in 16th century by Raja Todar Mal, under the
orders of the Afghan king Farid Khan commonly known as Sher Shah
Suri. The main reason of its build was to check the re-entry of Mughal
Emperor Humayun. After defeating the Mughal emperor, Sher Shah Suri
perceived a possibility of Humayun joining hands with his brothers and
then leading a triumphant march to re-conquer his territory. The other
reason of its build was to crush rebellious tribes of the northern Punjab
region. So after selecting an ideal spot he ordered Todar Mal Khatri, his
revenue minister to build a formidable fort there. Its construction took
as many as 8 years for completion. Meanwhile, Sher Shah Suri died on
22 May 1545 during the siege of Kalinjar Fort due to a fire erupted in
result of a gunpowder explosion in his store room.

The fort with its distinct architectural style, massiveness and historical
significance is enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. This
Fort is one of the most imposing historical monuments which represents
the Pathan period of architecture style in Pakistan It is one of the finest
specimens of pre-Mughal military architecture and is probably one of
the only surviving early Muslim structure in Pakistan.

Built on top of a steep cliff on the right bank of the River Kahan. Rohtas
Fort blends architectural and artistic traditions from Turkey and the
Indian subcontinent to create the model for Mughal architecture and its
subsequent refinements and adaptations. The majestic fort, surpassing
many other citadels in grandeur and massiveness, is the only example
of architecture of the time of Sher Shah Suri.

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Location:

“ There it stands, sprawling across low rocky hills a few miles north of Jhelum, its
great ramparts growing from the cliff like a Wall of China, looking across a sandy
stream-bed to the low hills of the Salt Range and, beyond them, to the snows of the
Pir Panjal.“As you approach the fort, the crenellations look like ominous rows of
helmeted warriors watching you with disapproval — it is an awe-inspiring sight. ”

(Caroe, 1958.)
Rohtas fort is located near Jhelum approximately sixteen kilometers on
the North-West. The Fort lies sprawling upon a low rocky hill to the north
of Jhelum in a bend of the river Kahan. The fort is about 300 feet (91 m)
above its surroundings and 2660 feet (818 m) above sea level. The
gigantic fort is founded on steep rocks jutting into the river Kahan, its

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ramparts protected on the west and north sides by the river and by high
hills on its east and south. It was never taken by assault and survives
intact to the present day.
The main fortifications of this 70-hectare garrison consist of massive
masonry walls which are spread over a circumference of 4 kilometers,
lined with 68 bastions and pierced at strategic points by 12
monumental gateways.
Rohtas Fort is 109 km from Islamabad,
the capital of Pakistan. The Rohtas
Fort can be reached from Dina, a
railway station and a bus stop which is
12 kilometers in North of Jhelum. This
station is on main Rawalpindi Route.
From Dina a small blacktop runs for
five kilometers and then turn in west to
Baghanwala, then comes the river
Kahan which is passed to reach the
fort. On a hillock where the tiny Kahan
River meets another rainy stream
called Parnal Khas is situated the
mighty Rohtas Fort. But It is very
difficult to reach Rohtas Fort during
the rainy season as there is no bridge
on the river Kahan.

History:
Sher Shah Suri was a distinguished military man who
under the rule of Emperor Babur, first king of Mughal
Empire, rose on to become the governor of Bihar
province in indo-pak subcontinent. He was a renowned
general and strategist and after defeating Emperor
Humayun, the second Mughal emperor, and driving him
out of India became the King of India.
Sher Shah Suri

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Although Sher Shah Suri had defeated the Mughal emperor in the
battle of Chausa but there still was a chance of his return to claim his
territory. Humayun brothers Kamran and Mirza
Haider were ruling in Kabul and Kashmir
respectively at that time, so sher shah suri
naturally perceived the possibility of Humayun
joining hands with his brothers and then
return to the sub-continent to crush Sher Shah
Suri.

On the other hand there also were Gakkhars

who were old friends of Mughals. They had
helped Humayun and his family to escape from
India after the battle of Kanauj. The Gakkhars
were not native of the region and in order to
Humayun reward them, Humayun aided Gakkhars in
occupying Potohar, which was owned by the
local tribes. Now there was a strong chance of the Gakkhars helping the
Mughal king in re-conquering his lost Empire.

However Sher Shah Suri sent Gakkhars for their support but they openly
refused so he decided to crush the Gakkhars. Here the local tribes
whom territory was under the Gakkhars helped Sher Shah Suri in
fighting and crushing the Gakkhars to take over their lands. Although
the Gakkhars were defeated badly but there still exist the chance of
Humayun return and in this case the Gakkhars might rise again so Sher
Shah Suri decided to build a fort to check the possible invasion from
north.

As Ihsan H. Nadiem says:

“On reaching the Jhelum area, Sher Shah sent for the Gakkhar chiefs. They,
however, openly refused their allegiance to him. Under the circumstances Sher Shah
decided to give a hard blow to Gakkhars along with blocking the possible re-entry of the
Mughals from north. He devastated the country of the Gakkhars, surveyed the area
circumjacent to it to take stock of the situation and to select a suitable place for building

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a check post against the possible invasion from north. He finally selected the site and
ordered to build a Fort called Rohtas on the hillock by the side of kahan River. ”

The name of Rohtas was given to the fort on the name of Rohtasgarh
Fort situated in Shahabad district which Sher Shah Suri had captured
from a Hindu Raja in 1539 A.D.

Unfortunately Sher Shah Suri died before the completion of this

magnificent fort and ten years after his death Humayun returned to the
throne of India. Tatar Khan Khasi, the then governor of Rohtas, fled
without a battle and the fort ironically was occupied by the Gakkhar
tribe, the very people it was meant to defeat. In the years to come,
Rohtas lost its importance as the frontier garrison especially when
Akbar built his great fort in Attock in the 1580s.

Under the Mughals, Rohtas was left largely to itself. The Mughal
emperors Akbar and his son Jahangir are known to have briefly stayed
at Rohtas on route to Kashmir. The Persian invader Nadir Shah and the
Afghan ruler Ahmed Shah Abdali also camped here during their
campaigns in the Punjab. Rohtas was also occasionally used for
administrative purposes by the Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh and during the
British period but little attention was paid to its historical value and its
preservation.

Cost of Construction:
Sher Shah Suri ordered to commence the work in 1541 A.D. Todar Mal
Khatri who was his revenue minister was made incharge of the project.
As expected the Gakkhars opposed the construction and refused to
work even as labors. In this situation Todar Mal informed Sher Shah
about these difficulties by a letter. After reading the letter Sher Shah
Suri wrote in reply:

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 “I know you for a man of business, understanding and intelligence. I see
now no work can be expected from you because you consider money as
your friend. When I have commanded you to do a thing you ought not to
have cared for money in fixing the rate. Whatever be the expense, shall
be borne by my government.’’

The royal order was enough to encourage Todar mal to fix one red
ashrafi (gold coin) for each slab on the first day. The rate however,
lowered to one Paoli (silver coin) and then to one Bahluli (copper coin).

Under these difficult circumstances the construction of the fort cost

suri treasury a huge amount of money. It would have been much lower
had it not been for the Gakkhars. The total cost on the construction of
Rohtas Fort is not known to a safe degree, different sources state
different estimate of the cost. Below are some sources which state
different amounts:

 According to Waqiat-i-Jahangiri the cost was Rs. 34,25,000. It

refers to an engraved stone over the Shishi Gate which reads :

“The amount is 16, 10, 00,000 dams and something more, which is 34,
25,000 Rupees of Hindustan, 120,000 Tumans of Iran or 1,21,75,000
Khanis of Turan.”

 According to the Tarikh-i-Daudi, its cost is estimated at

80,505,002 Dams which means Bahlulis.

 According to a Persian manuscript the amount of construction

and maintaining an army was Rs.110, 107, 975.

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Architectural Style:
Rohtas Fort is considered to be among the earliest examples of a
successful merger between the Indian and central Asian architectural
styles. It is a brilliant example of the
mixture of Indian and Turkish
architecture. Stone carving has been
extensively used to decorate the gates
and the mosque. All the gates of the
fort are patterned simply with motifs of
sunflowers. Sher Shah’s simple
structure and designs show its purpose
and the nomadic lifestyle of this conquering king. Other decorations
used are calligraphies of religious texts, in the Persian-Afghani script.

Stone carvings are found on the gate and in the mosque. Most of these
are engraved on sun flowers in Arabic language. One of these carvings
is inside the Shahi Mosque outside the Pesh Imam's room. The carving
is of the word "Allah" in
Arabic. The same carving is
also done on merlons on top of
Shahi Mosque.

The sunflower motif is on each

sides of the arches of Shahi
Mosque. It is also present in
the guard post in between
each gate.

Here is what the World

Heritage list (Document 586)
says on their report:

“Rohtas Fort is an outstanding example of early Muslim military

architecture in the South Asia which incorporates features from
elsewhere in the Islamic world. It also had a profound influence on the

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development of architectural styles in the Mughal Empire (and hence
on the European colonial architecture that made abundant use of that
tradition). It is also outstanding by virtue of the refinement and high
artistic value of its decorative elements, notably its high- and low-
relief carvings, its calligraphic inscriptions in marble and sandstone,
its plaster decoration, and its glazed tiles.”

Elements of Hindu architecture include the balconies on the Sohail

Gate, the
simplicity of the
decorations
especially on the
Shahi Mosque, the
complete Hindu
architecture of the
Haveli of Man
Singh and the Rani
Mahhal. The
most noticeable
element is the fact
that though there
are baths there are
no living quarters
besides the Rani
Haveli and the Man
Singh Haveli. Sohali Gate
Ashlars stone is used for the smooth walls,

which has blackened over time.

Rohtas Fort represented a new form of fortification, based essentially

on Turkish military architecture developed in reaction to the
introduction of gunpowder and cannon, but transformed into a distinct
style of its own. On the fortifaction machicolations – drains are present
by which soldiers from inside the fort poured molten lead, which

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flowed out till it dropped down on the soldiers who tried to scale the
walls.

World Heritage list says:

“There are no surviving examples of military architecture of this

period on the same scale in the South Asia which survive to the same
degree of completeness and conservation. Fatehpur Sikri (India) which
is already on the World Heritage List represents the full Mughal
realization of a form and style that owes everything to its precursor,
Rohtas Fort.”

This Fort created the model for Mughal architecture and its
subsequent refinements and adaptations (including the European
colonial architecture that made abundant use of that tradition).

The recommendation by ICOMOS (the organization that makes the

World Heritage list) made the following recommendation

“Rohtas Fort is an exceptional example of the Muslim military

architecture of central and South Asia, which blends architectural and
artistic traditions from Turkey and the South Asia to create the model
for Mughal architecture and its subsequent refinements and
adaptations.”

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Fortification Wall:

Ihsan H. Nadeem writes:

“The most striking feature of the fort is its majestic and solid wall
strengthened with 68 massively constructed bastions. Sher Shah’s builders
possessed a natural faculty for producing buildings according to need, and at
the same time making them into stately works of arts. Besides providing
strength to the wall these bastions give a touch of elegance and grandeur to
the fort. The wall usually composed of two or three terraces, varies in

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thickness at different points, the maximum being 12.5 meters near the Mori
Gate. The terraces are interlinked with each other by way of staircases. The
topmost terrace is the line of the merlon-shaped battlements. These
battlements are generally one meter thick varying in height from 2.45 to 3.35
meters. The battlements are provided with machicolations for musketry and
poring molten lead or hot water on the enemy. The middle tier meant for
soliders to stand against the battlements has a thickness varying from 1.37 to
2.13 meters while the third terrace varies from 1.98 to 2.51 meters in
thickness.”

Presently the fortification wall is lacking symmetry and is damaged at

different points. The wall was built with sandstone, limestone and

mortar. A rare use of burnt brick is also evident throughout the wall.
Height of the wall ranges from 10.05 to 18.28 meters. A number of
galleries are also present in the wall, build for solders and storage
space. The structure of these galleries is not uniform throughout the

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fortification wall, some of these are in rectangular shape while other

are in square shape.

The Gates:

The Rohtas Fort has 12 gates constructed at strategic points. All of

them are built in sand masonry. They are named as:

1. Sohail Gate
2. Shah Chandwali Gate
3. Kabuli Gate
4. Shishi Gate
5. Langar Khani Gate

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6. Talaqi Gate
7. Mori Gate or Kashmiri Gate
8. Khwas Khani Gate
9. Gatali Gate

10. Tulla Mori Gate

11. Pipalwala Gate

12. Sar Gate

Sohail Gate:
The Sohail Gate is the finest gate at Rohtas Fort. According to some
sources it named for the “Sohail star” which rises above the gate

while other believes that it is named after Sohail Bukhari, a saint, ,

who is believed to be buried in the gate's southwestern bastion.

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As Ihsan H. Nadiem writes in his book:

“The gate is the finest specimen of the work of Sher Shah’s time.
Traditionally the gate derives its name from a famous saint named
Sohail Bukhari, buried in the south-western bastion of the gate. To
some others, however, its name appears to have been taken from the
Sohail star which rises on this side of the fort.”

It is a double gate. Its height is about 21.34 meters and its width is
about 20.73 meters. Its depth is about 15 meters. Its central archway
is 4.72 meters wide. On the
both sides of arch are
present two balconies
projected in the form of
oriel windows. Balconies
are carried on four brackets
made in the conventional
shape of Garuda. Tops of
the balconies are crowned
with a polygonal domelet.
The front and the neck of
the domlet is decorated
with merlon design in relief.

Despite massiveness and

all provisions of military use
this gate can be taken as a
example of refined work
which is not usual feature in
a secular building. The
artful look and the solidity
of this gate tell us about the
two sides of the character
of the afghan emperor Sher Shah Suri, the builder of this majestic
Fort.

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Shah Chandwali Gate:

This gate is named after a saint Shah Chandwali. According to myth

this saint refused to get his wages for working on the construction of
the fort. It is believed that he had died while working and he was
buried on the side of the gate on which a shrine exist now days.

This gate is also a double gate. This is the link between the citadel
and the main fort. The outer gate is 13.3 meter in width and is 8.23
meters in depth. The outer gate is a simple structure with an arc
opening 3.66 meters.

This gate is now almost in ruins but the remains still speak about its
brilliant architectural features. The arches and upper portion of the
outer gate have fallen down. The thing exist in it is a beautiful
pavilion which is built on a column beam and bracket system and it
looks like a Hindu chatri without dome.

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Kabuli Gate:

This gate was named Kabuli gate because it is toward west direction
towards Kabul. This is also a double gate. Its central opening is 3.15
meters. On both sides it have bastions build. The bastions are
decorated with diamond shaped brick fret masonry work.

Towards the north of Gate there is Shahi Mosque for which people also
call it “Shahi Darwaza.” A baoli with zig-zag steps is also present close
to gate.

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Shishi Gate:

Glazed tiles are used in the spandrels of the outer bigger arch. Plaster
has been used as a base for these tiles. This is the earliest example of
this technique which later developed highly in Lahore. Due to use of
glazed tiles here this gate is named as Shishi Gate.

Two bastions are present on the both sides of the fort. Two stair cases,
one on each side of the gate leads to upper portion of the gate. On the
left side of the gate there is an inscription which gives the date of
construction of the fort.

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Langar Khani Gate:

Like others this gate is also a double gate. It is about 15.25 meter in
height and about 3.5 meters in width. The outer opening leads to a
chamber of about 4.65 meters square which opens into langar khana.

As this gate opens toward the mess or langar khana so it is called the
Langar Khana Gate. The gate has a balcony, carried on four Hindu type
brackets. There are two bastions on either side of the gate.

Talaqi Gate:
The name of the gate derives from word Talaq which means divorce.
According to legends Prince Sabir Suri developed a severe fever after
passing through this gate. Thus regarding it as a bad omen the gate
was named as Talaqi gate.

This is a single gate and is about 15.25 meters high, its width is about
13.8 meters. Its depth is about 6.7 meters and has two flanking

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bastions. It has very beautiful decorative motifs on the splandrels, on
the bastions and on the recessed windows inside the gate.

About decorative Ihsan H. Nadeem writes:

“The roundels are just above the apex of the central arch. On three sides
of the window of the room in the upper storey there are star-shaped
bosses, of which only one exists to this day. The spandrels of the small
arch have two lotus flower roundels.

The recessed arched windows which are encased in the rectangular

panels have beautiful decorative motifs. The upper side of the
rectangular panel has got beautiful carved floral designs in relief.”

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Mori Gate or Kashmiri Gate:

This gate has cracked plane like a drain or in local language “Mori” so
is named as Mori Gate. The gate opens towards north, the direction
where Kashmir exist so it is also called Kashmiri Gate.

This gate has an anchored opening leading to a rectangular camber

which in turn leads to another chamber through an archway. The second
chamber opens into the interior of the fort is similar to first gate both in
dimensions and shape. The roof of the chambers is on pendentives
supported by recessed arches on each side by which weight of the dome
is reduced gradually. The roofs are flat from top and from outside no
domical structure can be seen. There are roundels, different
architectural motifs like sunflower, lotus flower and calligraphic
inscriptions.

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Khwas Khani Gate:
The gate is named after Khwas Khan, one of the loyal and trusted
commander of Sher Shah Suri. It opens towards north and was the
original entrance of the fort. Outside this gate lies the famous Grand
Trunk Road built by
Sher Shah Suri. The
present route from
Dina Railway station
to Rohtas town also
passes through this
gate.

Like other gates it is

also a double gate.
The outer gate is
about 12.8 meter
wide and 8 meters
deep. There are four
beautiful arches like
the ones of Sohail
gate. The spandrels
of the arches have
roundels which have
sunflower motifs.

The inner gate has five battlements, two in halves, with loopholes. It is
similar to outer gate both in design and decorations. The only
dissimilarity is the religious inscription present on the panel of the gate.

Unlike other gates Khwas Khani gate has only one bastion which lies
on the right side of the gate while on left side there is a high defensive
wall.

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Gatali Gate:
This gate face towards village Gatali Ford, which is an important point
to cross river Jhelum to reach Kashmir valley, so is called Gatali Gate.

It is a single gate with height of about 9.15 meters. Depth of this gate is
about 6.1 meters. Its arches have sunflower bosses in spandrels.

Tulla Mori Gate:

“The gate which lies on the eastern side of the Fort is small and simple
in architectural details. It is rectangular in plan having offsets. The gate

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is about 10 meters deep with outer opening measuring nearly 2 meters

and the inner approximately 1.95 meters.”

Pipalwala Gate:
There was a Ficus religiosa or in native language a Pipal tree beside this
gate after which this gate was named as Pipalwala Gate. This is a small
gate with a central opening. The width of this opening is about 2.13
meters. Battlements of this gate are very irregular in shape. Some of
these battlements are mehrab-shaped while others are in half design.

The inner facade of this gate has two recessed arches with doors on
either sides of the main arch. The door present on right side opens to
stairs which leads to the floor of fortification wall.

Sar Gate:
Beside this gate
is present a
water reservoir
or a baoli so this
gate was named
as Sar Gate, Sar
means water.
This is a small
gate with no
architectural
significance and
is present as a
small opening in
the fortification
wall.

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Baolis:
There are 3 Baolis in the fort. They were built to meet the need of self-
sufficiency in water. These baolis are made by cutting deep the lime
rock. These baolis are as follow:

The Main Baoli:

This is Fort’s main baoli which was
built for soldiers, elephants, horses
etc. It is situated in the middle of the
fort near Tulla Mori Gate. This Baoli
has 148 steps. Each step is 20 cm
(8 inches) wide. It has three arches
that span the length of the baoli. The
upper portion has been cut in stone.
Natural lime bed had been cut to a
considerable depth to reach the water
level in this baoli.

The Shahi Baoli:

This baoli is also
called Kabuli Gate
Baoli as it is situated
near Kabuli Gate.
This baoli was used
by the royal family
presumably for
baths. This baoli has
about 60 steps
leading down to the
water.

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Sar Gate Baoli:
It is a small Baoli present near Sar Gate. It was mainly used by soldiers
and the servants.

Shahi Mosque:
This is a small mosque situated near the Kabuli Gate. It has only one
prayer chamber and a courtyard. The prayer chamber is 19.2 meters

long and 7.3 meter deep and is divided into three bays with arch

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openings. Roofing of the prayer chamber is domical from inside but it
has no domes on the outer side.

In the front wall of the mehrab there is present a tree and sun design.
These designs has been taken into the Mughal architecture from the
symbolism practiced in Hindu temple architecture.

The spandrels of the outer arches have bosses in which the border is
decorated with lily designs. On the central arches the area inside the
lily border is divided
into three registers by
straight lines in relief.
Inside this lily border
Kalma Sharif is
written.

The façade of the

sanctuary of the
mosque has a
projected chhajja over
the brackets. There
are six niches in the
façade just below the
string course. Thirty
three miniature battlements decorate the crest of the sanctuary. These
Marlon shaped battlements are further decorated with simple Shamsa
design with word ‘Allah’ in circle and other floral design.

The prayer chamber has two room, one at either side. Doors of these
rooms are in shape of archways encased in rectangular panels. The
spandrels have got roundels with word Allah written in relief.

There are three mihrabs in the sanctuary. The central mihrab is about
2.25 meter high and 1.32 meter wide. The arch is two centered stilted
encased in rectangular frame with sunflower designs in the spandrels.
It is then incased in another rectangle which is topped with a crest of
seven merlons, which contain word ‘ALLAH’ in a circle in naskh.

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Haveli Man Singh:
Haveli Man Singh is not the original part of the fort, it was built later
during the Mughal era and has been constructed in bricks and plastered
neatly. The building is named after Man Singh. Man Sing (Man Singh I)
(December 21, 1550 –
July 6, 1614) was the
Kacchwaha King of
Amber, a state later
known as Jaipur. He was
a trusted general of the
Mughal emperor Akbar,
who included him among
the Navaratnas, or the
9(nava) gems (ratna) of
the royal court. Man
Singh Haveli was built on
the highest point of the
fortress.

The haveli seems to have

consisted of four rooms but now only one of them exist. The room is
about 5.5 meters square. The room bears a shouldered type dome on its
second storey. Here it seems that it had a pinnacle of Hindu origin, the
lotus of which still exist.

Haveli Man Singh is notable for its two balconies on the eastern and
southern facades. Each is supported by four brackets with a garuda
motif, and surmounted by a three level canopy.

“The haveli in it has another interesting feature in the form of

decorations. The projected cornice has beautiful roundels in
between the brackets. Every roundel is placed in a square with beed
and reel design. The roundels are with lotus flower, sunflower and
star-shaped decorative motifs.”

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Inscriptions:
There are many inscriptions on different places in the fort. These
calligraphic inscriptions are in Arabic and Persian. Major inscriptions
are as follow:

 One of the inscription is on shisi gate which gives the date of the
construction of the fort and the name of its founder. This

inscription is in Persian language and is carved in a marble stone.

Translation of the inscription:
“In the Hijri year 948 came the exalted.
At that time constructed the great fort.
The emperor is Sher (Shah) with long life.
There is no match to his good fortune.
It was completed by Shahu Sultan.”

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  Another inscription is present over Talaqi gate. This inscription
also tells the construction year of the fort and its founder. This
inscription is also carved on a marble measuring 45cm x 45cm
 In Shahi mosque on the splendors of the outer arches there are
bosses in which the border is decorated with lily designs, and
inside the lily design religious inscriptions are written in Naskh
script.
 On the corner burj which is in the north west of Shisi Gate there
are present sixteen inscriptions. These inscription are present on
the eight entrances of the burj. Like many of other inscriptions
these inscriptions these are also in naskh but unfortunately
these inscriptions are not in a good state.
 On the right side of Langar Khani Gate, there is another
inscription in naskh. This inscription is carved on sand stone slab
at the height of about 12.5 meters. This slab measures 50cm x
39cm. another inscription that is also in naskh is present on the
middle of the façade at a height of about 3.35 cm.
 Another inscription which is also in naskh is fixed on the right side
of Gatali Gate. This inscription present on a height of about 10
meters is on a sand stone slab measuring 30cm x 22cm.
 Two inscriptions of same character are present on the inner side
of Khwas Khani Gate. These inscriptions are Quranic verses naskh
and are set on the left and right side of the inner gate.

Conclusion:
Rohtas Fort is one of the prime example of Muslim military architecture
of the mid of 16th century. It is perhaps the earliest examples of a
successful mergence between the Indian and central Asian
architectural styles. This fort was a practical purpose built structure,
and unlike many of the forts in indo-pak subcontinent it originally did
not have any Palaces or building designed for living inside of it and was
meant for purely military purposes.

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This beautiful fort had cost Sher Shah Suri a huge amount of money but
it was not used for the purpose it was built for. Its founder, Sher Shah
Suri died before its completion. Ten years after his death the Suri
dynasty saw its end and Mughal Emperor Humayun returned to rule India
for another 15 years.

The fort was never popular among the Mughals because of its pure
military character. Emperor Akbar stayed here for a single night. His son
Jahangir while going to Kashmir also rested here but for a single night.

Only Durrani’s which ruled Punjab for a short span of time kept a
garrison and a governor here. It was also occasionally by the Sikh ruler
Ranjit Singh and British used for administrative purposes but little
attention was paid to its historical value and its preservation.

Overall the fort is well preserved and is now a protected monument

under the antique act 1975. It was designated as a world heritage site
in 1997. Rohtas fort is one of the great tourist attraction in Pakistan but
it fails to get its share mainly because of the absence of a well
maintained road.

Rai Farhatullah
Bibliography:
o Sir Olaf Caroe, The Pathans.

Routledge, 1958.

o Nabi, Khan and Robert Wheeler. Islamic Architecture in South

Asia.

Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 2003.

o Ihsan H. Nadiem, Rohtas: Formidable Fort of Sher Shah.

Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 1995.

o Khan, Ahmad Nabi. Islamic Architecture of Pakistan: An Analytical

Exposition.

Islamabad: National Hijra Council, 1990.

o Koch, Ebba. Mughal Architecture.

New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2002.

o Michell, George (editor). Architecture of the Islamic World: Its

history and Social Meaning

London: Thames and Hudson, 1978.

o Muhammad Wali Ulla Khan, Jhelum and its Important Monuments

Karachi: Anjuman Press, 1973.

o Mumtaz, Kamil Khan. Architecture in Pakistan.

Singapore: Concept Media Pte Ltd, 1985.

o Rajput, A. B. Architecture in Pakistan

Karachi: Pakistan Publications, 1963.

o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohtas_Fort
o http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/586
o http://tribune.com.pk/story/252369/rohtas-fort--the-treasure-of-
potohar/

Rai Farhatullah
Rai Farhatullah