RAHIM YAR KHAN, March 27: Situated 100km north of Rahim Yar Khan in the heart of Cholistan desert, the famous Islam Garh Fort is fast fading into a shadow.
Built during the regime of Raja Rawal Siri Bheem Singh in 1665, the structures inside the fort are in a shambles.
The fort took 20 years for its completion. The material and stones for the fort were brought on oxen carts from the state of Jassermair (India) while the bricks used were made locally. Initially, it was named Bheem War Fort.
A Muslim ruler, Ikhtiar Khan Sund-i-Elahi, conquered the fort in 1780. He renamed it as Islam Garh Fort. Mr Elahi got a mosque constructed in the fort in 1765. A couple of years later, Nawab Muhammad Mubarak Khan II defeated Ikhtiar Khan in a war and conquered the fort.
The Rajar clan used to live in the fort till the 1971 Indo-Pak war. However, they abandoned it as it was damaged in shelling during the war.
At present, the fort has no signs of life. A ranger’s post is located closer to it.
In its degenerative stage, the monument calls for immediate attention of the archaeologists. If the authorities concerned failed to came to its rescue, days are not far when the country will lose yet another heritage.
