Rohtas Fort was built as a weapon in a war Sher Shah Suri had already half-won. In 1540 he had driven the Mughal emperor Humayun out of India; the fort near Jhelum, begun the following year, was meant to make sure Humayun could never fight his way back in, and to bring a defiant local tribe, the Gakhars, to heel in the process.
This is the history behind the walls: why the fort stands where it does, the conflict that shaped its construction, what its gates are named for, and what happened to it after the Suri dynasty that built it was gone.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Built by | Sher Shah Suri, starting 1541 |
| Built to | Block Humayun's return route and control the Gakhar tribe |
| Site engineer | Raja Todar Mal |
| Walls | About 4 km of fortification, up to 18 metres high |
| Gates | 14, several named after generals, saints or events |
| UNESCO status | World Heritage Site since 1997 |
Why Sher Shah Suri built Rohtas Fort
In 1540 Sher Shah Suri, an Afghan noble turned emperor, defeated Humayun at the Battle of Kannauj and took control of Hindustan. Humayun fled towards Persia, and Sher Shah needed to secure the route back into the subcontinent through the Potohar plateau before Humayun could return with an army. He also needed to subdue the Gakhars, a tribe that controlled this stretch of land between the Salt Range and the Jhelum river and had stayed loyal to Humayun, refusing to submit to Sher Shah's rule.
A fort on this route did both jobs: it blocked the most direct road back into India from the north-west, and it planted an unmistakable symbol of Sher Shah's authority in Gakhar territory. Construction began in 1541 under the supervision of Raja Todar Mal, who would later become one of Akbar's most important administrators.
The Gakhars and the building of the fort
The Gakhars did not cooperate willingly. According to the traditional accounts of the fort's construction, they had sworn not to help build it, and labour stalled as a result. Todar Mal responded by raising wages sharply, to the point that enough Gakhar workers eventually took the paid work despite their tribe's opposition. The fort that resulted from this stand-off was built at real speed for its scale: a fortified perimeter of roughly four kilometres, walls between 10 and 18 metres high and up to 13 metres thick, and 68 bastion towers.
Sher Shah Suri never saw it finished. He died in 1545, before the fort was complete, and building continued under his successors.
What the gates are named for
Rohtas Fort has 14 gates, and several of their names carry a story:
- Sohail Gate, the grandest and the main ceremonial entrance, is named after Sohail Bukhari, a saint buried in one of its bastions. It shows the finest stonework in the fort.
- Khwas Khani Gate is named for Khawas Khan, one of Sher Shah Suri's leading generals, and was the original entrance facing the old Grand Trunk Road.
- Shishi Gate, the "Glass Gate," takes its name from the glazed blue tilework on its outer arch, an early example of the decorative tile technique the Mughals later refined and used widely.
- Talaqi Gate, the "Gate of Divorce" or condemned gate, carries a grimmer legend: that a member of the Suri royal family fell fatally ill on passing through it, and the gate was thereafter regarded as ill-omened.
Between them, the gates read like a short history of the fort in stone: military command, decorative ambition and superstition all built into the same walls.
Ironic ending: the fort falls to Humayun after all
Sher Shah Suri's dynasty did not last. He died in 1545, his son Islam Shah Suri held power for a time, and by 1555 the Suri empire had collapsed into rival claims. Humayun, the very ruler Rohtas Fort had been built to keep out, retook Delhi that year and with it, eventually, the fort itself.
Later Mughal use
Once in Mughal hands, Rohtas Fort became more of an administrative outpost than a front-line stronghold. The emperor Akbar stayed there for a single night. His governor, Raja Man Singh, later built a haveli on the fort's highest ground, known today as Haveli Man Singh, along with the palace complex called Rani Mahal. The emperor Jahangir visited more than once and is recorded as being struck by the fort's sheer strength.
After the Mughal period the fort saw only intermittent use: Durrani forces garrisoned it for a time in the 18th century, and under Sikh rule it was largely left alone rather than actively used. That relative neglect, ironically, is a large part of why so much of the original structure has survived.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Rohtas Fort was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1997, recognised as an exceptional surviving example of early Muslim military architecture in South and Central Asia, and one that also carried its style of fortification into the Indian subcontinent. It remains one of the largest and best-preserved fortifications from this period anywhere in the region.
If you are planning to see the fort in person rather than read about it, our guide to visiting Rohtas Fort covers tickets, opening times, the drive from Islamabad or Lahore, and a walking route around the site.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Sher Shah Suri build Rohtas Fort?
To block Humayun's route back into India after defeating him in 1540, and to bring the Gakhar tribe, who controlled the area and remained loyal to Humayun, under his control.
Who actually built Rohtas Fort?
Construction was overseen by Raja Todar Mal, starting in 1541, using a workforce that came to include local Gakhars once wages were raised.
What do the names of Rohtas Fort's gates mean?
Several are named after people or events: Khwas Khani after a Suri general, Sohail Gate after a saint buried there, Shishi Gate after its glazed tilework, and Talaqi Gate after a legend of a fatal illness that struck someone passing through it.
Did Sher Shah Suri ever see the finished fort?
No. He died in 1545, before construction was complete, and the fort was finished under his successors.
What happened to Rohtas Fort after the Mughals took it?
Humayun's dynasty held it from 1555. Akbar's governor Raja Man Singh later added a haveli and palace inside it, after which the fort saw only occasional military use under later Durrani and Sikh rule.
