Rani Kot, The Mystic Fort By Aziz Sanghur

Rani Kot, The Mystic Fort is a long documentary, directed, produced and written by Aziz Sanghur. Mr. Sanghur is a documentary film-maker. The documentary shows that Rani Kot is the world's largest fort with a circumference of approximately 30 km. Since 1993, it has been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is located in the Kirthar Range, about 30 km southwest of Sann, in Jamshoro District, Sindh, Pakistan. It 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. 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. 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. The original purpose and architects of Rani kot 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. 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. Currently, only the Gabol Baloch tribe occupies the area within Rani Kot. The area has become a virtual village for the Gabol's over the past century who earns their livelihood by offering tours to many of the visitors, as well as by small scale farming. 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. Rani Kot is one of the oldest and beautiful palces, unfortunately i have not visited this place, but we have seen it no of times while flying over this fort. This fort shows lack of Government interest, it can become a famous place if government works for its establishment.