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Description
Location: Rohtas Fort, Jehlum, Pakistan

Shahi Mosque

The Shahi Mosque, a small mosque with a prayer chamber and a small courtyard, sits near the Kabuli gate. The most decorated of the original buildings of the fort, stairs lead directly from the courtyard to the top of Kabuli Gate in case of attack. The prayer chamber measures 19.2 meter long and 7.3 meter deep, divided into three equal chambers. Domes grace the inside, but from the outside no domes can be seen. A small room for the Pesh Imam (Prayer Leader) sits at the end of these three chambers, with a small domed roof from the inside but no outer dome. No place for ablution (cleaning up before prayers) in the mosque exists. Built into the fortification wall, i.e., soldiers walked over the mosque's roof; the outer wall of the mosque serves as the fortification wall itself.

On the outer wall of the mosque there are beautiful round designs with Islamic verses written in Naqsh script. A lily going around the Naqsh script surround those verses. Mughals used the lily design later in Tomb of Jahangir, Tomb of Nur Jehan and the Shah Burj Gate in Lahore Fort. The design seems to have been copied from the coins used in that time.

Rohtas Fort (Qila Rohtas) was a garrison fort built by the great Afghan king Sher Shah Suri. The fort measures approximately 4 km in circumference displaying the first example of the successful amalgamation of Muslim and Hindu architecture in the sub-continent.

Sher Shah constructed Qila Rohtas to block Emperor Humayun's return to India after defeating him in the Battle of Kanauj. That fort lies on the old Grand Trunk Road road between the North Afghanistan to the Plains of Punjab. It blocked the way from Peshawar to Lahore .

The Fort served to suppress the Gakhars of Potohar, allies of Humayun who refused to give their allegiance to Sher Shah Suri. The Gakhars made a feeble retort by building some
fortifications near the village of Sultanpur, which still remain today.

Qila Rohtas is situated in a gorge approximately 16 km NW of Jhelum and 7 km from Dina. Constructed on a hillock where the tiny Kahan river meets another rainy stream called Parnal Khas, turning east towards Tilla Jogian Range. The fort stands about 300 feet above its surroundings, 2660 feet (818 meters) above sea level and covers an area of 12.63 acres. The fort has
12 gates (four of which serve as trap gates), 68 bastions, 1900 battlements and 9500 stairs.

Sher Shah Suri died before the completion of the magnificent structure. Ten years after Sher Shah’s death and the end of the Suri dynasty, Emperor Humayun returned to rule India for another 15 years. When Humayun returned, the Governor of Rohtas Tatar Khan Kasi fled. The fort had never been popular with the Mughals because of its military character.

Emperor Akbar stayed there for a single night. Emperor Jahangir rested here for a single night while going to Kashmir for entertainment. He said the following about its location: "This fort was founded in a cleft and the strength of it cannot be imagined."

Emperor Jahangir again stayed at the fort when forced to go to Kabul by Mahabat Khan. Nur Jahan, his beautiful and resourceful wife, obtained troops from Lahore and ordered Mahabat Khan to release her husband. Emperor Jahangir then proceeded to Rohtas and held his court there for a while. Then he went onto Kashmir and back to Lahore to die. The later Mughals seem to have made no use of the fort. Allies of the Gakhars, they consequently relied upon them rather than stationing troops to maintain their hold over the area. The Durranis Pukhtuns, enemies of the Gakhars, maintained their Governor in residence at the fort. They used the fort to keep communication with their capital Kabul open.

After the takeover of the Punjab by the Ranjit Singh, Sardar General Gurmukh Singh Lamba captured the Rothas Fort from Ghakhar chief Nur Khan, father of Fazil Dad Khan in 1825. The Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave the fort to Sardar Mohar Singh. When Mohor Singh retired to Banaras, the fort and the contingent of seven hundred horses were placed under Sardar Gurmukh Singh Lamba. Raja Fazal Din Khan, who joined Sher Singh in rebellion, were the last people to manage Rohtas.

Description
Location: Rohtas Fort, Jehlum, Pakistan

Shahi Mosque

The Shahi Mosque, a small mosque with a prayer chamber and a small courtyard, sits near the Kabuli gate. The most decorated of the original buildings of the fort, stairs lead directly from the courtyard to the top of Kabuli Gate in case of attack. The prayer chamber measures 19.2 meter long and 7.3 meter deep, divided into three equal chambers. Domes grace the inside, but from the outside no domes can be seen. A small room for the Pesh Imam (Prayer Leader) sits at the end of these three chambers, with a small domed roof from the inside but no outer dome. No place for ablution (cleaning up before prayers) in the mosque exists. Built into the fortification wall, i.e., soldiers walked over the mosque's roof; the outer wall of the mosque serves as the fortification wall itself.

On the outer wall of the mosque there are beautiful round designs with Islamic verses written in Naqsh script. A lily going around the Naqsh script surround those verses. Mughals used the lily design later in Tomb of Jahangir, Tomb of Nur Jehan and the Shah Burj Gate in Lahore Fort. The design seems to have been copied from the coins used in that time.

Rohtas Fort (Qila Rohtas) was a garrison fort built by the great Afghan king Sher Shah Suri. The fort measures approximately 4 km in circumference displaying the first example of the successful amalgamation of Muslim and Hindu architecture in the sub-continent.

Sher Shah constructed Qila Rohtas to block Emperor Humayun's return to India after defeating him in the Battle of Kanauj. That fort lies on the old Grand Trunk Road road between the North Afghanistan to the Plains of Punjab. It blocked the way from Peshawar to Lahore .

The Fort served to suppress the Gakhars of Potohar, allies of Humayun who refused to give their allegiance to Sher Shah Suri. The Gakhars made a feeble retort by building some
fortifications near the village of Sultanpur, which still remain today.

Qila Rohtas is situated in a gorge approximately 16 km NW of Jhelum and 7 km from Dina. Constructed on a hillock where the tiny Kahan river meets another rainy stream called Parnal Khas, turning east towards Tilla Jogian Range. The fort stands about 300 feet above its surroundings, 2660 feet (818 meters) above sea level and covers an area of 12.63 acres. The fort has
12 gates (four of which serve as trap gates), 68 bastions, 1900 battlements and 9500 stairs.

Sher Shah Suri died before the completion of the magnificent structure. Ten years after Sher Shah’s death and the end of the Suri dynasty, Emperor Humayun returned to rule India for another 15 years. When Humayun returned, the Governor of Rohtas Tatar Khan Kasi fled. The fort had never been popular with the Mughals because of its military character.

Emperor Akbar stayed there for a single night. Emperor Jahangir rested here for a single night while going to Kashmir for entertainment. He said the following about its location: "This fort was founded in a cleft and the strength of it cannot be imagined."

Emperor Jahangir again stayed at the fort when forced to go to Kabul by Mahabat Khan. Nur Jahan, his beautiful and resourceful wife, obtained troops from Lahore and ordered Mahabat Khan to release her husband. Emperor Jahangir then proceeded to Rohtas and held his court there for a while. Then he went onto Kashmir and back to Lahore to die. The later Mughals seem to have made no use of the fort. Allies of the Gakhars, they consequently relied upon them rather than stationing troops to maintain their hold over the area. The Durranis Pukhtuns, enemies of the Gakhars, maintained their Governor in residence at the fort. They used the fort to keep communication with their capital Kabul open.

After the takeover of the Punjab by the Ranjit Singh, Sardar General Gurmukh Singh Lamba captured the Rothas Fort from Ghakhar chief Nur Khan, father of Fazil Dad Khan in 1825. The Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave the fort to Sardar Mohar Singh. When Mohor Singh retired to Banaras, the fort and the contingent of seven hundred horses were placed under Sardar Gurmukh Singh Lamba. Raja Fazal Din Khan, who joined Sher Singh in rebellion, were the last people to manage Rohtas.