Ranikot Fort (pronounced runny coat, not rani kot) is a historical fort located near Sann, Jamshoro District, Sindh, 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 32 kilometres (20 mi). The fort's ramparts have been compared to the Great Wall of China. The fort is inside the Kirthar National Park, the second largest national park in Pakistan, and connects several bleak mountains of the Kirthar hills. Ranikot gets its name from the stream that passes seasonally through it. The entire fort structure has been built with stone and lime mortar.
Mysteriously enough, there is not much written record to shed light on this fort. No one has been able to uncover the true history of the fort, though multiple stories about its origins do exist. Some suggest that it was made by the Abbasids, who ruled Sindh in the 9th Century AD. Others believe in looking much further into the past, to Sassanid or Greek rule in the Subcontinent.
More recent studies indicate that the fort’s construction was in the 17th Century AD, under the Mirs of the Talpur Dynasty. The Talpurs served under the Kalhoras, until their leader was assassinated by a Kalhora, and the Talpurs revolted. After gaining control of Sindh, the Mirs needed a place of refuge for their families during turbulent times. It is said that they constructed this fort to protect themselves against the British, but could not complete it before the British took over Sindh in 1843.
Have you been to Ranikot Fort?
Source: Dawn, Government of Sindh, Youlin Magazine.
