D arawar Fort, an impressive architectural monument among the contemporary chain of forts, has been declared protected under No SRO (1) 2005 F-No-9-34/ 205-A-II. The fort is located about 40 kilometers inside Ahmedpur Sharqia, a tehsil of Bahawalpur. Darawar was the capital of former Bahawalpur state in the beginning of the 18th century and named Dera Rawal after its founder, a Bhatti Raja in 834 AD. The name was later distorted to Dev Rawar and then Derawar. It was known for its two huge ponds, ‘Tannat’ and ‘Devkar’. After ruling for 55 years, the Raja was killed fighting the Channas. Not much is known about its history until the first Nawab of Bahawalpur Sadiq Muhammad Khan I captured the fort in 1733. Nadir Shah granted him the title of Nawab in 1739, and gave him control over Shikarpur, Larkana, Siwistan, Chhattar and Darawar. Rawal Rai Singh reoccupied the fort in 1747 during the period of the second Nawab, Muhammad Bahawal Khan I. Originally built with sun dr...