Derawar

Derawar rises above the sands of Cholistan, its great brick walls and forty bastions visible across the desert. The square fortress belongs to a chain of strongholds built along the old course of the Hakra, where archaeological remains attest to a much older riverine civilization. Tradition connects its foundation with Bhati Rajput rulers and the name Dera Rawal. The desert routes carried traders and pilgrims between the subcontinent and lands to the west, with forts offering places of shelter along the way.

In the eighteenth century the Nawabs of Bahawalpur took Derawar from the Shahotra, and Nawab Sadiq Muhammad rebuilt the fort in its imposing later form. It passed out of their hands in 1747 while Bahawal Khan was occupied at Shikarpur. Nawab Mubarak Khan recovered the stronghold in 1804. Its continuing occupation helped maintain the fortress amid the scattered remains of Cholistan's older fortified sites.