Castle · Ahmedpur East, Pakistan
Derawar Fort
Derawar Fort is a fortress located in the Cholistan Desert of Punjab, Pakistan, specifically within the Yazman Tehsil of the Bahawalpur District. Built 858.
Photo: Fassifarooq via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Ahmedpur East, Pakistan |
|---|---|
| Type | Castle |
| Built | 858 |
| Coordinates | 28.7673° N, 71.3339° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Derawar Fort is known for
Derawar Fort is a fortress located in the Cholistan Desert of Punjab, Pakistan, specifically within the Yazman Tehsil of the Bahawalpur District.
About Derawar Fort
Derawar Fort is a fortress located in the Cholistan Desert of Punjab, Pakistan, specifically within the Yazman Tehsil of the Bahawalpur District. Approximately 20 km south of the city of Ahmedpur East, the forty bastions of Derawar are visible from many miles in the Cholistan. The walls have a perimeter of 1500 metres and stand up to thirty metres high.
History
Derawar Fort was built in 858 under the rule of Rai Jajja Bhati, a Hindu Rajput ruler of the Bhati clan, as a tribute to Rawal Deoraj Bhati, ruler of the Kingdom of Jaisalmer who had his capital at Lodhruva. The fort was initially known as Dera Rawal, and later referred to as Dera Rawar, which with the passage of time came to be pronounced Derawar, its present name. In the 18th century, the fort was taken over by Muslim Nawabs of Bahawalpur from the Shahotra tribe. It was later renovated in its current form in 1732 by the Abbasi ruler Nawab Sadeq Muhammad, but in 1747 the fort slipped from their hands owing to Bahawal Khan's preoccupations at Shikarpur.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Ahmedpur East |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Bahawalpur Airport (BHV) |
| Distance from the airport | 48.5 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Multan International Airport (MUX) · Multan, Pakistan · 99.3 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Derawar Fort?
Derawar Fort is a fortress located in the Cholistan Desert of Punjab, Pakistan, specifically within the Yazman Tehsil of the Bahawalpur District.
Where is Derawar Fort located?
Derawar Fort is in Ahmedpur East, Pakistan. Its coordinates are 28.7673° N, 71.3339° E.
How do I get to Derawar Fort?
The nearest town is Ahmedpur East, and the nearest airport is Bahawalpur Airport (BHV), about 48.5 miles away (straight line).
When was Derawar Fort built?
Derawar Fort was built 858.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derawar_Fort — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2474542 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.