Weekend Trips – Naukot

An Old Guard. Standing alert. Three km northwest of Naukot city, the fort is the first experience for people embarking on journey to Thar. Built by Mir Karam Ali Khan Talpur in 1814 AD, it was lost to British eventually, just like all our possessions. The fort never saw much bloodshed otherwise. However years of negligence has taken its toll on its walls.

There is not any iron gate defending the entrance to the fort. Four bastions are put into close proximity to cover for the fort’s weakness. From the gate you enter what appears to be residential blocks. Be careful when you enter the rooms. Thar is home to daring species of snakes. Turn left from the residential blocks and you will end up in barracks. This part of the fort is fortified and rooms are built around the wall. From the entry point to the barracks, a stairway takes you up to the bastions and the walls. This is the highlight of the fort. The fort is situated at the beginning of Thar desert and to the west it gives a panoramic view of the landscape.

Be careful up on the walls. The fort is decaying. Don’t fall victim to its condition.