Travel is all about exploration; it may be the exploration of historical places, famous tourists’ sites or it may be the pilgrimage towards some religious shrines. But for me, travel is like self-exploration. And it is truly amazing when you are traveling into the southern province of Pakistan, Sindh – the land of 5000 years old Indus Civilization. Sindh is the seat of beauty, serenity, and soothing ambiance. Owing to its diverse culture and pluralistic society, Sindh is the living example of a prosperous civilization in terms of its rich linguistic roots, literature, and cultural and archeological heterogeneity. I have been lucky enough to explore every nook and corner of my Sindh, sometimes as a solo traveler and sometimes with my friends. This time I, along with my friend @TahaSyed , decided to dive into the world of ancient archeology of Sindh.
We got up early, took breakfast, and just got in our car without knowing exactly where to go, and drove northwards from Karachi approx. 150km and reached the small city of Jamshoro, which is titled as the educational city of Sindh due to its having four Universities within this tiny city. On the way to Jamshoro, we were discussing which archeological site we should go to, and we had to decide from two options; 1. Historical ruins of the mound of Amri near Sehwan, 2. Ranikot fort near Sann. We chose the latter. And kept on driving northwards for more 123km, as in total Ranikot is 273km away from Karachi towards Sehwan road. We reached Sann around 12:30 pm and left the Indus Highway and took the link road on our left. It was built uneven and lonely.
Ranikot fort has been a historical mystery till today. And every traveler like me finds some inexpressible and intricate web of feelings owing to a huge and gigantic structure that is probably hundreds or thousands of years old, as nobody knows yet about its exact origin. The archeologists, anthropologists, and other historians have opined different theories about Ranikot; some say it was built by Talpurs, the preceding rulers of Sindh when British came in 1843, others think that this huge ancient fort was built by Greeks, some say by Sasanians, etc. so nothing could be said as it was built exactly.
After a 40 minute drive on the link road, we finally reached our destination, and we were just agog, open-mouthed. It seemed like we had reached China and the great wall was in front of our eyes. Its amazingly huge structure left us numb, and we forgot to breathe. “Awesome, wow”, were the words of Taha, that shook me from those strange feelings. Ranikot fort can be defined in three words; mysterious, serene, and inexpressible.
It is rightly referred to as the great wall of Sindh. This fort is a wonderful historical site for history and heritage enthusiasts. It is a great opportunity for those who want to explore some unknown or less known archeological sites, especially those who have the guts of hiking. Whether it’s a high climb or an incredible stroll across a stunning landscape this tour is exactly what you need.
Ranikot Fort is believed to be the world’s largest fort, with its circumference of approximately 32 kilometers. Ranikot’s fortification has been compared to that of the Great Wall of China. The literature available on Ranikot tells us that the fort has different fortifications with the names like Meri kot, Sher Garh, Mohan kot, and others whose specifications or exact nature of the built can only be elaborated by archeologists but we were first-time travelers, and were so excited that we did many silly things while touring around the fort. We always laugh at the memory of such silliness.
It was learnt later, that the Antiquities department Government of Sindh along with archeological mission from Italy had signed some Memorandum of Understanding wherein the Italians had promised to get their carbon dating technology to get the exact origin of Ranikot, but nothing could be materialized of such MoU owing to some unknown reasons.
We spent our whole day roaming around the nook and corner of the fort. Took many selfies and photographs, made some tremendous videos. We didn’t notice that it was about 4 pm, and I said to Taha, “Taha Bhai Chaaiy ki shaded talab ho rahi he”(Taha dear, I need to have some tea). Only then did we get off the walls of the fort and came to the small cafeteria built beside the rest house of Sindh Tourism Development Corporation. We said the goodbyes to the setting sun while having delicious sips out of teacups in the backdrop of the huge fort. That sweet memory pulls us to another round of one-day tour de Ranikot.
This post is part of the #StateChallenge organized by @Kwiksatik and @Denise_Barlock . If you want to find out more, check out this post. You can also find other submissions by searching the #StateChallenge hashtag. Special thanks to our dear friend @KashifMisidia for introducing me with this amazing forum of Local guides, and he motivated and guided me to write my posts here on Local guides connect.
