#ranikot

[trekkingtrailnepal]

#namobuddha One of the biggest #pilgrimage destination for #buddhism While #hikingtrail of #namobuddha with #dhulikhel #ranikot #nagarkot is a one popular #daytour In #kathmandu #prayerflags #hikinginkathmandu #hikingtrails #trekwithapar #trekkingtrailnepal #trails #trekkinginnepal #deutschland #nepal #wonderful_places https://www.instagram.com/p/CA42bwcBKNk/?igshid=czh041p8w3bd

[hyderalichanna-blog]

Tour at Rani kot with school friends #tour #schoolfriends #hyderalichannawithfriends #hyderwithfriends #ranikottour #ranikot #schooltour https://www.instagram.com/p/B-gP16BDIJq/?igshid=1t0l8kx3xrc8b

[iheartpakistan-blog]

Mirikot Fort, Sindh, Pakistan.

(Source)

[nadsy222]

#Ranikot Fort is also known as The #GreatWall 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. Ranikot Fort is 90 kilometres (56 mi) to the north of #Hyderabad on the #indus highway. There is also an easy access of about an hour's journey from #Karachi to #Sann on the Indus Highway. A diversion road, starting a little distance away from Sann, the nearest town, leads to the fort along a rugged 21 kilometres (13 mi) road and reaches the eastern gate of the fort, known as Sann Gate. Sann is a rail head on the Kotri-Larkana line of the #Pakistan Railway. The fort is inside the Kirthar National Park, the second largest national park in Pakistan. The original purpose and #architects of Ranikot Fort are unknown. It was formerly believed that the fort was built during the regimes of the #Sassanians, the Scythians, the Parthians or the Bactrian Greeks, however, more recent evidence shows that the fort originated under the Talpurs and constructed during the administration of Nawab Wali Muhammed Leghari, the Prime Minister of Sindh during the Talpur dynasty. https://www.instagram.com/p/CQlaG9rs25e/?utm_medium=tumblr

[tapujaveri]

A helicopter shot of the great #ranikot fort. 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 20 miles. #tapujaveri #tapulicious #shadesofgreen https://www.instagram.com/p/CCLL3ZNBZG6/?igshid=vo66o7p40o13

[samisocialstuff]

https://mysocietyview.com/ranikot-fort-the-great-wall-of-sindh/ #ranikot #fort #great #wall #sindh #recognized #UNESCO #heritage #archeologist #arab #persian #abbasids #marvels #fortification #legacy #resembles #China #historians #prehistoric #architects #landmark #Sassanians #greek #streams #valleys #fossils #fortresses #graveyard https://www.instagram.com/p/B6Q5SpaJlkX/?igshid=1wxp4gbnnf4z3

[khuzemataqi-blog]

Ranikort fort Wall of Sindh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #ranikot #wall #wallofsindh #desert #desertlife #travler #travlerlife #canon #khuzemataqi #canonlences #native #canoncamera #canonphotography #nikon #natgeonature #natgeotravel #natgeoworld #natgeopakistan #natgeo #natgeocreative #natgeopitcture #natgeoyourshot #instawork #instaphoto #instaphoto #instashot #photograperthing #photographerlife #photographerlife (at Rani Kot - رني ڪوٽ) https://www.instagram.com/p/Btx838ZD_k8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=7tzqvj20ikmm

[trekkingtrailnepal]

#hiking with #trekkingtrail . Ranikot Village Hike #If you are #looking for one day #hiking #around #kathmandu to use your #spare #day #village #hiking to #ranikot is the best option for you. Here you can experience the #culture #rural lifestyle traditional living meet local people with non touristy and virgin natural #trekking #trail #trekkingtrailnepal #freehiking #trekkingbrasil #ranikothiking #ranikothike #dayhike #freehike #hikeinkathmandu #onedaytour #hikeinnepal #photography @trekking_trail_apar https://www.trekkingtrail.com/ranikot-village-day-hiking.html https://www.instagram.com/p/Bob4uODHo6W/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1dd9z1yn0hwvr

[risingpakistan]

پُراسرار قلعہ ’’رنی کوٹ‘‘

یوں تو کائنات کا ہر رنگ، ہر نعمت انمول اور قدرت کا بیش بہا خزانہ ہی نظر آتی ہے، لیکن قدرت نے سرزمین پاکستان کو جو حسن وجمال عطا کیا ہے و ہ شاید ہی کسی دوسرے ملک کے حصے م��ں آیا ہو، وطن عزیز پر قدرت کی بیش بہا مہربانیاں ہیں، یہاں بہتے قدرتی چشمے ہیں، دیوقامت پہاڑ ، ندی نالے، جھرنے، دریا، سمندر، صحرا ، ریگستان اور برف پوش چوٹیاں خوب صورتی میں اپنی مثال آپ ہیں۔ سوات، کالام اور ہنزہ جیسی پرکیف وادیاں ، سیف الملوک جیسی دل موہ لینے والی جھیلیں ، جہاں اس کے حسن کو چار چاند لگاتی ہیں، وہیں اس خطہ زمین کو تاریخی لحاظ سے بھی بیش قیمت نوادرات سے نوازا گیا ہے۔ ایسا ہی ایک تاریخی مقام سندھ میں کیرتھر پہاڑی سلسلوں پرواقع ’’قلعہ رنی‘‘ کوٹ ہے۔ یہ حیدرآباد شہر سے اسّی کلومیٹر دور واقع ہے۔

ماہرین آثارقدیمہ کا کہنا ہے کہ رنی کوٹ چھبیس کلومیٹر (سولہ میل ) رقبے پر مختلف پہاڑیوں کے مابین پھیلا ہوا ہے۔ قلعہ تک رسائی کے لیے قصبہ سن سے تیس کلومیٹر پختہ سڑک موجود ہے۔ یہ حقیقت اب تک سامنے نہیں آسکی ہے کہ یہ کس نے تعمیر کروایا تھا، تاہم مورخین کا کہنا ہے کہ اسے ساسانی، سیتھین، یونانی یا پارتھیائی اقوام میں سے کسی ایک نے بنایا۔ یہ قلعہ فن تعمیر کا قدیم نمونہ ہونے کے ساتھ ساتھ تاریخ کے کئی اہم ادوار اپنے سینے میں چھپائے ہوئے ہے۔ قبل مسیح کے دور کے بعد یہ عربوں کی فتوحات کے زمانے، مغل دور اور تالپور دور میں بھی وقت کے حکمرانوں کے زیر استعمال رہا۔ رنی کوٹ قلعے کے اندر میری کوٹ اور شیر گڑھ کے نام سے دو اور قلعے واقع ہیں۔

ان دونوں چھوٹے قلعوں کے دروازے رنی کوٹ کے دروازوں جیسے ہیں۔ دفاعی نکتہ نگاہ سے میری کوٹ محفوظ پناہ گاہ تھا، جہاں رہائشی حصّہ اور زنان خانہ موجود تھا۔ اس مقام سے کئی تاریخی واقعات منسوب ہیں، جن میں سے بیش تر پر ابھی مستند تحقیق ہونا باقی ہے۔ قلعے کے اندر مختلف مقامات سے بھی کئی دیومالائی کہانیاں منسوب ہیں۔ مثال کے طور پر قلعے کے اندر مغربی حصے سے پھوٹنے والا چشمہ جس کو پریوں کا چشمہ کہتے ہیں۔ مقامی لوگوں کا کہنا ہے کہ چودھویں کی رات یہاں پریاں اترتی ہیں۔

قلعے کی مختلف دیواریں، جو پہلے ہی خستہ اور زبوں حالت میں تھیں، انہیں بارشوں نے مزید تباہ حال کر دیا ہے۔ میری کوٹ، شیر گڑھ اور خود اصل قلعے کی جنوبی دیوار بہت کمزور ہو چکی یہ تمام دیواریں پو��ی توجہ سے مرمت کی طلب گار ہیں، مگر قلعے میں سیاحوں کے لیے کوئی سہولت نہیں، کوئی شیڈ ہے ، نہ بیٹھنے یا بیت الخلاء کا مناسب انتظام ہے۔ 1980ء کے عشرے میں میری کوٹ میں ضلع کونسل نے ایک ریسٹ ہاؤس تعمیر کیا تھا، جو اب تباہ حال ہو چکا۔ یہاں تک کے چھت بھی گر چکی ہے، اس مقام کی اہمیت کا اندازہ اس بات سے لگایا جا سکتا ہے، عدم سہولتوں کے باوجود قلعے کی سیر کرنے، روزانہ درجنوں سیاح آتے ہیں۔ رنی کوٹ کے اندر حکومت نے میری کوٹ تک پختہ سڑک تعمیر کرائی تھی۔ یہ سڑک بھی ٹوٹ پھوٹ چکی ہے۔

پچھلے چند برس سے منتظمین کی بے رخی کے باعث قلعہ کے اندر ناجائز تجاوزات وجود میں آنے لگی ہیں۔ مقامی آبادی قلعے کے علاقوں میں ٹریکٹر گھما کر اس تاریخی مقام کو نقصان پہنچا رہی ہے۔ میری کوٹ کے قریب زیر تعمیر پل کے پاس بدھ دور کی جگہ دو کمرے زیر تعمیر نظر آتے ہیں۔ مقامی لوگوں کا کہنا ہے کہ یہاں پر ایک مقامی بااثر شخص ہوٹل بنانا چاہتا ہے۔ میری کوٹ سے مغرب میں گبول قبیلے کا ایک گاؤں قلعے کے اندر واقع ہے۔ یہ لوگ یہاں پر چھوٹی موٹی کاشت کاری بھی کرتے ہیں۔ رنی کوٹ دنیا کا سب سے بڑا قلعہ بتایا جاتا ہے، مگر اس کے باوجود حکام یہاں سیاحت کو فروغ دینے میں ناکام رہے ہیں۔ کراچی سے قلعے تک رسائی آسان ہے اور قومی شاہراہ کے ذریعے یہاں پہنچا جا سکتا ہے۔ کراچی سے نکلنے کے بعد دادو کی جانب انڈس ہائی وے پر سفر کریں۔ اس سڑک کی حالت بہترین ہے، سندھی قوم پرست لیڈر، جی ایم سید کے آبائی قصبے سن تک ایک گھنٹے کا سفر ہے۔

اس قصبے سے کچھ آگے ایک دوراہا آتا ہے۔ ایک زنگ آلود بورڈ پر اعلان کیا گیا ہے کہ رنی کوٹ یہاں سے لگ بھگ تیس کلو میٹر دور واقع ہے، گرچہ سڑک کافی خراب ہے پھر بھی یہ فاصلہ تیس سے چالیس منٹ میں طے ہو جاتا ہے۔ یہاں روزانہ کئی سیاح آتے ہیں، یہاں ایک دن کے اندر گھوم پھر کر واپس آسکتے ہیں۔یہ قلعہ سندھ کی شاندار اور بہت اہم آثار قدیمہ کی باقیات میں سے ہے، لیکن سیاحوں کی حفاظت اور قیام کے انتظامات ناقص ہیں۔ اگر حکومت یہ انتظامات بہم پہنچا دے، تو نہ صرف دنیا بھر سے سیاح رنی کوٹ آئیں گے بلکہ لوگوں کی آمدورفت بڑھنے سے مقامی آبادی کو کاروبار کے بہترین مواقع میسر آ سکتے ہیں۔

ممتاز اُسامہ

بشکریہ روزنامہ جنگ

[iheartpakistan-blog]

Ranikot Fort, Sindh, Pakistan.

(Source)

[naqsh]

There are many stories buried inside of these walls. . . . #makli #ranikot #rani #palace #stone #age #stories #retro #achitecture #photography #adventure #fun #summer #insta #instaphoto #instagram #instapic #instagood #instadaily

[travelerpk-blog]

#kids #trekking #Ranikot #fort #sindh #camping #car #familytrip #outdoor #nature #historical #chinawalls #pakistan #trip #travelblogger #travelwriter #travel #travelphotography #wanderer #wanderlust2017 #adventure #instago #instavacation #photography #instatrip #seeMyPakistan #traveltourism #touring (at Ranikot Fort)

[mypakistan]

Amazing Ranikot Fort - Dewar-e-Sindh

Amazing Ranikot Fort - Dewar-e-Sindh

[pirusaein]

// Did some edit experiment on this photo of 'Pariyun Jo Tar' which is located inside the Ranikot fort. These water bodies are home to a few species of fishes as well, out of which one of them is also used for the services of fish pedicure. And guess what? We got the natural fish pedicure here for free 😁 . #PiruSaeinTravels https://ift.tt/2Csk2ND

[emergingkarachi]

Ranikot Fort

"Picture of Ranikot Fort in Sindh, Pakistan.

Ranikot Fort (Sindhi: رني ڪوٽ, Urdu: رانی کوٹ‎) is a historical fort in Sindh province of Pakistan. Ranikot Fort is also known as the great wall of Sindh and It is 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[edit source | editbeta]

Ranikot Fort is situated in the Kirthar Range, about 30 km southwest of Sann, in Jamshoro District, Sindh Province, Pakistan. It is approximately 90 km north of Hyderabad, in vicinity of 25.8965N, 67.9025E.

Dimensions

Ranikot Fort has an approximate diameter of 6 km. Its walls are on the average 6 meters high and are made of gypsum and lime cut sandstone and total circumference is about 20 km. While originally constructed for bow and arrow warfare it was later expanded to withstand firearms.

It is reputed to be the largest unexplored fort in the world. The purpose of its construction and the reason for the choice of its location are still unknown.

 Ranikot is the most talismanic wonder of Pakistan and Sindh Province. Visible from five kilometers, its massive undulating walls twist and dip over the hills. With the circumference of about twenty kilometers, its walls, built with dressed sandstone and reinforced with 45 bastions along the outer wall, of which 7 are rectangular and the remaining are round. All modified through the ages to accommodate the use of gunpowder, this perhaps makes it the largest fort in the world.

History

 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]

Fort Ranikot is located in Lakki Mountains of the Kirthar Range to the west of the River Indus at a distance of about 30 kilometers from the present day town of Sann. A mountainous ridge, Karo Takkar (Black Hill), running north to south, forms its western boundary and the 'Lundi Hills' forms its eastern boundary. Mohan Nai, a rain-stream enters the fort from its rarely used western 'Mohan Gate', where it is guarded by a small fortification, changes its name to 'Reni' or 'Rani Nai' or rain-stream and gives the fort its name.

 Ranikot is thus the 'fort of a rain stream' - Rani. It runs through it, tumbles in a series of turquoise pools to irrigate fields and leaves the fort from its most used 'Sann Gate' on the eastern side. It then travels about 33 kilometers more to enter the Lion River - Indus.

Most of the twenty six kilometers long wall is made of natural cliffs and mountains which at places rise as high as two thousand feet above sea level. Only about 8.25 km portions of its wall are man-made, built with yellow sandstone. This was first measured on foot by Badar Abro along with local guide Sadiq Gabol. As one enters the fort, one can find hills, valleys, streams, ditches, ponds, pools, fossils, building structure, bastions, watchtowers, ammunition depots, fortresses - all inside Ranikot, adding more to its beauty and mystery. A spring emerging from an underground water source near the Mohan Gate is named as 'Parryen jo Tarr' (the spring of fairies).

According to a tale told by the local inhabitants, fairies come from far and wide on the Ponam Nights (full moon) to take bath at this spring near 'Karo Jabal'! Splashing sounds of water falling on the rocks can be heard at another spring, Waggun jo Tarr or "the Crocodile Spring", named so as crocodiles once lived there.

 Within Ranikot, there are two more fortresses, Meeri and Shergarh, each have five bastions. Meerikot takes its name from the word 'Mir' meaning top (for instance the top of a hill, chief of any Baloch tribe, etc.). M.H. Panhwar (a Sindhologist) disagrees upon the name's history being related to Mirs of Sindh, stating that "Of two forts inside the main Rani Kot fort, the lower one is called Miri and is a word used in Seistan for small fortress. It has nothing to do with Mirs of Sindh."[4] Both the main Ranikot and the inner Meerikot have similar entrances - curved, angulated with a safe tortuous path. From the military point of view, Meerikot is located at a very safe and central place in the very heart of the Ranikot with residential arrangements including a water-well.

 Talpur Mirs used Meerikot as their fortified residence. One can explore ruins of the court, harem, guest rooms, and soldiers quarters inside it. Its 1435 feet long wall has five bastions. Every structure in the Ranikot has its own uniqueness and beauty. Looking up from Meerikot one can find another fortified citadel - Shergarh (Abode of Lions) built with whitish stone, it too has five bastions. Though its location at 1480 feet above the sea level makes this fortress a unique structure, it also makes it equally difficult for supply of water, which can only be had from the brooks and rain streams, hundreds of feet below. The steep climb up to Shergarh gives a commanding view down over the whole fort and its entrance and exit points. On a clear day one can even see Indus River, 37 kilometers away to the east.

 Beside the Mohan Gate and the Sann Gate, there are two more gates, rather pseudo gates.[5] One is towards the side of ancient town of Amri. This 'gate' is called the 'Amri Gate'. Certainly it takes its name from the prehistoric ruins of Amri, but it must have taken this name much later than the times of Amri as the fort itself doesn't appears to be as old as the Amri itself. In fact there is a bridge over rain stream 'Toming Dhoro' exiting from the fort called 'Budhi Mori'. The breach in fort wall due to the river stream has been referred as a gate. Similarly, the Shahpir Gate to the south also appears to be a pseudo gate taking its name from a limestone rock with a rough shape of foot imprinted on it. The sacred footprint supposedly belongs to Hazrat Ali or some other religious personality and is venerated by locals. It seems to be a later breach in the fort wall instead of a formal gate because one can't find any bastion or watchtower or their remains at the site, needed to guard any formal entrance or exit points.

 A mosque found in the fort appears to be a later modification of a watchtower or a later construction.

Scattered animal skeletons and prehistoric fossils can be found on the top of Lundi Hills. One of the three graveyards has about four hundred graves made of Chowkundi like sandstone with engraved motifs of sunflowers and peacocks. Whether we can call them as theriomorphic and phytomorphic motifs is an open question. Another one appears to be a graveyard of Arabs. The third one, about a mile away from the Sann Gate, had sixteen or seventeen graves earlier but now there are only four graves. The local inhabitants call it the Roman's graveyard.

Current inhabitants

Currently, only the Gabol Baloch tribe occupies the area within Ranikot. The area has become a virtual village for the Gabol's over the past century who earn their livelihood by offering tours to many of the visitors, as well as by small scale farming.[6] Today, the Gabol tribe chief Nabil Gabol is trying to attract the Sindh government's funds to develop the area into an international tourist site.[7]

Research

"The size of Ranikot defies all reasons. It stands in the middle of nowhere, defending nothing" writes Isobel Shaw. So why was this fort built here in the desolate terrain of the Kirthar range? Many theories have been developed to answer this question. According to Ishtiaq Ansari, the Talpurs had sent their families to Thar and Kachchh when Afsharids attacked Sindh during the times of Kalhoras. However, after acquiring the rule of Sindh, they wanted a safe and secure place where they can send their families during the troubled times.

  This might have prompted them to rebuild this fort to their needs. Rahimdad Khan Molai Sheedai holds view that its location in Kohistan on the western frontiers of Sindh gave it its strategic value. Whereas Mazher Ansari is of the opinion that, it was first constructed in the Achaemenid Dynasty of the Persian Empire (550 – 330 BC). As this empire stretched from Turkey in the west, where a similar wall is constructed near the Caspian Sea called The Great Wall of Gorgan, which is 155 km in length and to the east up to River Indus in Sindh, where this majestic fort is located.

Access to this man-made marvel of ancient times is possible through a metalled road, which goes up to Meeri Kot..[2]