Rawat Fort (), also known as Sarai Rawat, is an early 15th century fortified caravanserai on the Pothohar Plateau of Pakistan, near the city of Rawalpindi in the province of Punjab.
Location
It is 17 km east of Rawalpindi on Grand Trunk Road. The second century
Mankiala stupa can be seen from the roof of the fort's mosque. The fort is located approximately 50 miles from the vast
Rohtas Fort, which was built by Sher Shah Suri to bring the Pothohar region under his control.
Etymology
Rawat Fort derives its name from the Arabic word rabat (), meaning 'caravanserai'
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History
The Rawat fort or sarai is believed to have been founded as a caravanserai in the 15th century by the
Delhi Sultanate. The caravanserai itself may have been built atop a
Ghaznavid-era fort that was established in 1036 CE.
The caravanserai was then later fortified in the 16th century by the
Gakhars clan in order to defend the Pothohar plateau from Sher Shah Suri's forces.
Layout
The fort is almost in square form and has two gates. It measures 93.5 x 106.3 m and covers a courtyard of around .
There is an octagonol tomb with a dome measuring 16.6 m in diameter in the fort's inner portion – an area which also contains many graves. The tomb is traditionally believed to belong to Sarang Khan Gakhar, while graves to be of his associates who died fighting along with him against Sher Shah in 1541.
Along the perimeter are several small cells, which may have originally been small rooms rented out to itinerant merchants.The west wall of fort contains a mosque with three domes, measuring 29.5 x 12.1 m.
Conservation
The fort is federally protected as a Cultural Heritage Site of Punjab, and is managed by the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage. In November 2016, a conservation plan was commissioned for preservation of the fort.
50 million rupees were allocated in March 2017 towards the first of two phases of conservation of the Rawat Fort.
==Gallery==
See also
Notes
