Ranikot Fort

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Ranikot Fort
رني ڪوٽ (Sindhi)
(Urdu)

Ranikot Fort is the largest fort in the world.
Shown within Pakistan
Location Jamshoro District, Sindh, Pakistan
Coordinates 25°53′47″N 67°54′9″E / 25.89639°N 67.90250°E / 25.89639; 67.90250Coordinates: 25°53′47″N 67°54′9″E / 25.89639°N 67.90250°E / 25.89639; 67.90250
Type Fortification

Ranikot Fort (Sindhi: رني ڪوٽ, Urdu: ‎) is a historical fort in Sindh province of Pakistan. Ranikot Fort is also known as The Great Wall of Sindh and is believed to be the world's largest fort with a circumference of approximately 26 kilometres (16 mi).[1] Since 1993, it has been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.[2]

History

The wall has semi-circular bastions at intervals.

The original purpose and architects of Ranikot Fort are unknown. Some archaeologists attribute it to Arabs, or possibly built by a Persian noble under the Abbasids by Imran Bin Musa Barmaki who was the Governor of Sindh in 836. Others have suggested a much earlier period of construction attributing to at times the Sassanians Persians and at times to the Greeks. Despite the fact that a prehistoric site of Amri is nearby, there is no trace of any old city inside the fort and the present structure has little evidence of prehistoric origins.

Archaeologists point to 17th century as its time of first construction but now Sindh archaeologists agree that some of the present structure was reconstructed by Mir Karam Ali Khan Talpur and his brother Mir Murad Ali in 1812 at a cost of 1.2 million rupees (Sindh Gazetteer, 677).[3]

Gallery

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ranikot Fort.
  • Rani Kot2.jpg
  • Rani Kot48a.jpg
  • Rani Kot09a.jpg
  • Rani Kot27a.jpg
  • Rani Kot4.jpg

References

  1. ↑ Ondaatje, Christopher (May 1996). Sindh revisited: a journey in the footsteps of Captain Sir Richard Burton : 1842-1849, the India years. HarperCollins Publishers. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-00-255436-7. 
  2. ↑ "Ranikot Fort". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 November 2013. 
  3. ↑ "Ranikot Fort – the Great Wall of Sindh". Islamic Arts and Culture. Retrieved 20 November 2013. 

Further reading

  • Rashid, K. A. (April 1965), Ranikot (the largest fort in the world) VI (1), Iqbal Review, pp. 33–49 .
World Heritage Sites in Pakistan
Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
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