Ranikot Fort, The Great Wall of Sindh/Indus, Features of Sindh Wall

 

Ranikot Fort, The Great Wall of Sindh/Indus,  Features of Sindh Wall

Ranikot Fort

 

 As the Great Wall of China is famous all over the world, there is a similar wall in the Sindh province of Pakistan, which is not wrong if it is called the Sindh Wall. The total length of its walls is more than 35 kilometers. And it is spread over an area of ​​more than 65 square kilometers. It is located in Jamshoro district of Sindh.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranikot_Fort

 The feature of the Sindh wall is that it was built to protect a fort called Ranikot fort. Basically there are three forts inside this wall which are Merikot, Shergarh and Mohankot and  These three forts together are called Ranikot Fort.

 Ranikot was built in the 18th century by the rulers of the area who belonged to the Talpur family.

https://www.historyhit.com/locations/ranikot-fort/

'Ranikot', which some historians call the largest fort in the world. Although the international and domestic experts did not agree that 'Rani Kot' is the largest fort in the world, most of the experts agree that this Kot is the largest Kot in the world.  Differences and consensus of experts have their place, but the irony is that the majority of people living in Pakistan are not even aware that there is a wall in Sindh, similar to the Great Wall of China, which protects Ranikot.

 

https://www.zameen.com/blog/ranikot-fort-great-wall-sindh.html

 About 300 km from Karachi in the mountainous desert of Jamshoro district, Rannikot, also known as the 'Great Wall of Indus', is located near the small town of Sun, about 120 km below Jamshoro city.

 

  Researchers have not yet reached a consensus on when, how and why Ranikot was built, but some historians believe that Runikot is a Sassanid-era fort.  Some experts describe it as similar to the construction style of the Greeks, while some believe that the Ranikot fort was built by the Arab governor Imran bin Musa in 836 AH and some believe that the fort was built by the Talpur rulers in 1812.

 

https://www.zameen.com/blog/ranikot-fort-great-wall-sindh.html

According to the magazine 'Mehran' of the Sindhi Literary Board under the Government of Sindh, Ranikot was first mentioned by the famous English traveler Alexander Burns who passed through Ranikot in 1831.  But in the present era, GM Syed, the spirit of nationalist politics, has a big hand in giving Ranikot the most recognition in the world.  According to renowned researcher and historian Badar Abro, MH Panhor and Taj Sehrai, the walls of Ranikot are 30 feet long and 7 feet wide, while the Ranikot fort extends within 16 to 30 km.

 According to the 'Endowment Fund Trust' (EFT), an organization working with the Government of Sindh on the restoration of Ranikot, the fort is spread over an area of ​​more than 32 km and its walls extend for 7 and a half km.  .  According to EFT, Ranikot is one of the largest forts in the world.

 

https://www.dawn.com/news/1136611

 Some researchers about Ranikot, which has the honor of being the largest fort in the world, also say that the fort was built long before the arrival of Muslims in the subcontinent when Sindh was considered within the boundaries of Iran, but there is no concrete evidence of this.  And this calls for further research on the fort.  Researcher Mr. AW Hosen wrote in his book 'Sindh Gazetteer' in 1856 that Ranikot may have been built by the Talpur rulers of Sindh to store their valuables.

 

Dr. Nabi Bakhsh Baloch, the eminent researcher of Sindh, also agrees to some extent with Mr. AW Howes and writes that there are evidences which show that the Talpur fort was built by Nawab Muhammad Khan Laghari, the minister of the rulers.  Badar Abaro, who researches Ranikot, writes in his research that the construction of the fort was not completed at any one time, but the construction of the fort must have been done during the periods of more than one ruler.  According to him, by looking at the strong walls of Ranikot, one can guess how difficult the preparation of the fort must have been.

 https://www.karachitravellers.pk/tour/ranikot-fort-trip/

 According to the data provided by the researchers, at least 3 to 4 thousand laborers would have worked for several months in the construction of Ranikot and it is estimated that 12 lakh rupees would have been spent on the cost of the fort at that time.  According to today's calculations, billions of rupees are made.  The special thing about this 'Great Wall of Sindh' known as Ranikot is that inside this fort there are 2 more small forts named 'Meri and Shergarh Kot' which make it a unique and great fort in the world.  are  The surprising thing is that the Shergarh fort is built on a mountain at a height of at least 1000 feet above the ground level, where it is not possible for everyone to go and thus, being on a mountain, people visit this fort less.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranikot_Fort

 The second 'Merikot' inside Ranikot has the importance of the main fort and the interest of every tourist including people's attention is in this fort.  Around this fort, Sindh Tourism and Culture Department has also done other development works including building guest houses.  The walls of Ranikot are built not only on the ground but also on the mountains and in total these walls protected a radius of 30 km, however a part of the fort wall has collapsed in the last few years.

 

There are more or less 18 watch towers on this wall spread over such a large area, historians say that these towers were once used for war fighting and protection, but there is no authentic history in this regard. According to EFT, an organization working together with the Sindh Department of Antiquities for the protection of the fort, there are 5 gates to enter Ranikot - Sun Gate, Mohan Gate, Amri Gate, Shahbar Gate and Tori Dhuro Gate.  There are, however, the 'Sun Gate', which is also considered the main entrance to the fort, is mostly used to enter the Kot.

 https://www.pakistanhc.lk/?p=7314

 This masterpiece fort of the world is currently awaiting the attention of the government of Pakistan and the government of Sindh. With a little attention this fort can become a center of attraction for tourists from all over the world.