Islamgarh Fort, Cholistan: The Former Bhimwar Fort

Islamgarh Fort is a ruined brick fort deep in the Cholistan Desert, in Khanpur tehsil of Rahim Yar Khan district, close to the Indian border. It was built from 1665 under Rawal Bhim Singh, the Rajput ruler of Jaisalmer, and called Bhimwar (also written Bheem War) after him, then taken by a Muslim chief, Ikhtiar Khan, in the 18th century and renamed Islamgarh. It is the southernmost of Cholistan's chain of desert forts, it was damaged by shelling in 1971, and reaching it is a long 4x4 trip in a border area where you should ask about access before you set out.

This guide covers the fort's history, what remains, the practical and security side of getting there, and the best season.

Who built Islamgarh Fort?

The fort was built during the reign of Rawal Bhim Singh of Jaisalmer, whose Bhati Rajput state lay just across today's border. Dawn's 2002 report says the work began in 1665 and took about 20 years, with stone and other material hauled from Jaisalmer by ox cart and bricks made locally. It took his name, Bhimwar.

That origin makes Islamgarh different from much of the Cholistan chain. Forts such as Mirgarh were built by Abbasi Daudpotra chiefs at the end of the 18th century; Islamgarh began more than a century earlier as a Rajput fort built for Jaisalmer.

How did Bhimwar become Islamgarh?

In the 18th century the fort was captured by Ikhtiar Khan, a Muslim chief (Dawn gives his name as Ikhtiar Khan Sund-i-Elahi; the federal archaeology record calls him Ikhtiar Khan Mundhani), who built a mosque inside and renamed it Islamgarh. The dates in the sources differ: Dawn puts the mosque in 1765 and the renaming in 1780, while the Department of Archaeology and Museums (DOAM) gives 1766 for the change of name.

It later passed to Nawab Muhammad Mubarak Khan of Bahawalpur. According to Dawn, Muslims and Hindu Rajars then lived in and around the fort together, and the Rajar clan stayed until the 1971 war, when Indian forces captured the area and shelling badly damaged the fort. They did not come back.

What is left to see?

DOAM describes Islamgarh as "an impressive building of brick work with high and sloping walls strengthened by bastions". It is square in plan, with a series of bastions on the eastern and northern sides, and is built of burnt brick (the record gives brick sizes of about 19 by 14 by 2.5 cm).

What you find today is a fort in decline. The Rahim Yar Khan district government describes it as "in a dilapidated state", Dawn warned in 2002 that it was in its "degenerative stage", and DOAM lists it as privately owned and not protected. We found no record of conservation work since. The walls are still high enough to make the fort read clearly from a distance across the sand, but expect broken brickwork, war damage and an empty interior rather than rooms to explore.

Pakistan's 2016 submission to UNESCO's tentative list, "Derawar and the Desert Forts of Cholistan", names Islamgarh as the last fort in the north to south chain that runs from Mirgarh to Derawar and beyond.

Where is it, and how do you get there?

DOAM places the fort deep in Cholistan near the Indian border, at roughly 27.86 N, 70.81 E. On the map that is south-east of Rahim Yar Khan, well beyond the last villages; Dawn gave the distance from the city as about 100 km, and the district government says it is 46 km south-east of Baghla Fort.

• You need a 4x4 and a driver who knows the desert. There is no paved road to the fort.
• Arrange the trip in Rahim Yar Khan or Bahawalpur, not on the spot. Our guide to hotels in Rahim Yar Khan covers where to base yourself.
• Carry all your water, food and fuel. There are no services out here.
• Download an offline map and expect no mobile signal for long stretches.
• Start early and plan to be back on the road before dark.

Do you need permission to visit?

We could not confirm a formal permit system, but this is a border area. Dawn reported a Rangers post near the fort, and access to parts of the Cholistan frontier can be controlled by the Rangers and the district administration. Before you go, ask the district administration or police in Rahim Yar Khan, or the Rangers, whether the fort is open to visitors and what documents to carry; take your CNIC in any case. Go with a local guide who has been before, and stop if you are turned back.

Is it safe?

Rahim Yar Khan district is not among the areas the UK government advises against in general. However, the UK advises against all but essential travel within 5 miles of the Indian border, and Islamgarh is described as being near that border. Visitors on foreign passports should check their own government's advice, since travelling against it can void insurance.

For Pakistani visitors the main risks are practical: heat, getting lost and vehicle trouble far from help. Travel in at least two vehicles if you can, tell someone your route and return time, and do not photograph military or Rangers posts.

When is the best time to go?

November to February, when days in Cholistan are mild and nights are cold. Outside these months the heat makes a long day of desert driving genuinely dangerous. Our guide to the best time to visit Cholistan covers the seasons in detail, and camping in Cholistan explains what a night in the desert involves if you want to break the journey.

Is Islamgarh Fort worth the effort?

For a small group of experienced desert travellers who have already seen Derawar and want the most remote fort in the chain, it can be the highlight of a Cholistan trip: a Rajput fort with a mosque inside it, a war-damaged ruin and almost no one else around. The story of a fort that changed hands from Jaisalmer to the Muslim chiefs to Bahawalpur, and was fought over again in 1971, is unusual even by Cholistan standards.

It is not a trip for first-timers, families or anyone without proper transport and local help. If you want a desert fort you can actually reach in a day, go to Derawar Fort, and read our forts of Cholistan overview to compare the others. Our guide to Rahim Yar Khan and the experiences page cover easier sights in the region.

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