The designers of Rohtas Fort valued function over form. Its style draws from Turkish, Middle Eastern, and South Asian artistic traditions.
Layout Rohtas Fort covers an area of , enclosed by of walls. It has
bastion towers and twelve monumental gates that provide access to the inner fort. The fort is an irregularly shaped triangle and follows the contours of its hill. The northwest corner of the fort is walled off from the rest of the structure by a wall. The enclosed section served as a
citadel for elites. It could hold up to 30,000 men.
Ramparts The fort's walls are built in
sandstone laid in lime mortar mixed with brick. The height of the outer wall varies between with a thickness between . The fortified walls have 68
bastion towers at irregular intervals. The ramparts follow the hilltop's contours. The fort's wall had up to three terraces at different levels, connected by staircases. The uppermost terrace has
merlon-shaped battlements from which soldiers could fire muskets and pour molten lead. In addition, the fort has hundreds of
machicolations, each beautifully decorated with geometric patterns. These small drains led from the interior to the exterior walls so the soldiers could pour molten lead or other hot liquids on invaders trying to scale the fort's walls.
Gates Rohtas Fort has 14 gates built of grey
ashlar stone
Sohail Sohail gate features some of the best masonry work of the
Sur Empire and was likely the ceremonial main entrance to the fort. Its namesake is the local saint, Sohail Bukhari, interred in the southwestern portion of the gate. This rectangular gate measures high by wide, and with a depth of . Its central archway is wide and maintains its shape throughout the depth of the gate. The gateway has ornamental floral motifs with richer decorations on its outer face. There are seven battlements along the outer face of the Sohail gate. A room on the upper floor has windows that open toward the fort's interior. There is also a small window in the middle of the inner arch.
Shah Chandwali Shah Chandwali is a double gate that links the
citadel to the main fort. The outer gate is an entrance from the citadel. It is wide and deep. The inner gate is a simple archway wide. Its namesake is Shah Chandwali, a saint who refused wages for working on this gate. He died while working on the gate's construction and is buried nearby. His shrine still stands.
Kabuli Kabuli gate opens to the northwest in the general direction of Kabul, Afghanistan, its namesake. The gate now houses a visitors' information center and a museum set up by the
Himalayan Wildlife Foundation. The gate may have been built in two stages. It consists of an inner and outer gate that encloses a stepwell. Its opening is wide and is flanked by two bastions on either side. The gate has five battlements on top, with stairs leading up the outside wall. South of the gate is the
Shahi Mosque, so many call it the Shahi Darwaza.
Shishi Shishi gate derives its name from the glazed tiles that decorate its outer arch. These blue tiles are the earliest known examples of this technique, later refined in
Lahore. A carved calligraphy inscription to the left of the gate gives the date of construction of the fort. The Persian inscription says:In the Hijri Year 948 [1541 CE] came the exaltedAt that time constructed the great fort The Emperor is Sher, with long life There is no match to his good fortuneIt was completed by Shahu Sultan.
Langar Khani Langar Khani gate opens directly into the citadel but was designed as a trap in the direct line of fire from the fort's bastions. It is a double gate with a central arched opening that is high and wide. The outer arch has a small window like Sohail Gate. The external opening leads to a
Langar Khana (kitchen). Two bastions on either side of the gate include kitchens, stores, and a well for water. The opening of this gate is L-shaped, requiring a turn to the right after entering. It is decorated with carved calligraphy inscriptions.
Talaqi Talaqi gate has two bastions on each side. It is high and wide. This gate features a duplicate of the carved calligraphy inscription on Shishi gate. The origin of the name Talaqi is unknown. Some say the gate's name is a derivative of "
Talaq", meaning divorce. According to another legend, Prince Sabir Suri entered this gate and had a fatal attack of fever. His death was regarded as a bad omen, giving the gate its name of "Talaqi".
Mori The Mori gate opens to the north and faces towards
Kashmir. As a result, it is also called Kashmiri gate. Morigate opens into one chamber, which opens into another.
Khwas Khani Khwas Khani is a double gate named after one of Sher Shah Suri's greatest generals,
Khawas Khan Marwat. It was the original main entrance to the fort from the
Grand Trunk Road, famously known as GT Road. The outer gate is wide and deep. The outer gate has a bastion, five battlements at its top, and flanking defensive walls with cannons. All of the battlements have loopholes and
machicolations. The inner and outer gates are almost mirrored images. The inner side of Khwas Khani also has five battlements, making it unique amongst the fort's inner gates. The inner and outer arches have calligraphy inscriptions and sunflower motifs like Sohail gate. The inner gate also has a room with windows that open to the inside and the outside. It is accessible by only one gate and has a fine stepwell, suggesting it was for the royal family.
Gatali Gatali is a single gate that is high and deep. It faces the village
Gatali ford, also called Patan Gatiali or Gatiyalian, the critical point to cross the
Jhelum River for the
Kashmir Valley. Gatali gate is decorated with carved calligraphy inscriptions.
Sar Sar is a small entrance that seems to have been made by locals knocking down the main wall (outer boundary) as a passage to the adjacent jungle. There is a bastion next to this gate. Because the now dilapidated pond in front of this gate has existed since the fort's beginning, the entrance is called Sar gate (water pond).
Tulla Mori and Pippli Tulla Mori and Pippli are entrances rather than gates. Tulla Mori is on the eastern side of the fort and has an adjacent bastion. It is wide. Pippli is
Royal mosque The small Shahi Masjid (Royal mosque) is near the Kabuli gate and is the most decorated of the fort's original buildings. The mosque includes a prayer chamber and a small courtyard. Stairs lead from the courtyard to the top of the Kabuli gate. The mosque's outer wall is also the fortification wall, meaning soldiers walked over the mosque's roof. The prayer chamber is long and deep. It has three equal sections with domed ceilings that are not visible from outside the structure. The Pesh Imam (prayer leader) had a small room at the end of the prayer chamber. This room has a small interior domed roof, also not visible from outside the mosque. The mosque lacks a place for ablution (cleaning up before prayers). The mosque has decorative stone carvings featuring a sunflower motif and calligraphy engravings. One such carving is outside the Pesh Imam and features the word "Allah" in Arabic calligraphy. The
merlons on top of the Shahi Mosque have the same carving. The sunflower motif is also on each side of the arches of the Shahi Mosque and the guard posts between each gate. There are round carvings of the
Six Kalimas in
Naskh script, surrounded by lilies, on the mosque's outer wall.
Palace The
Raja Man Singh Haveli, located on the highest point of the citadel, is the fort's only palace. The Rani Mahal (Queen's palace) is a one-story structure inside the fort. It originally had four rooms, but only one room remains today. The room is square. It is high and beautifully decorated inside and outside. The inside of the roof has decorative flowers, geometrical patterns, and fake windows. The stone dome roof is carved on the exterior to resemble a flower.
Stepwells There are three
baolis or stepwells in the fort, made by cutting deep into the limestone. The central baoli is in the middle of the fort and served soldiers, elephants, and horses. This baoli has 148 steps. Each step is wide. Three arches span its length. The royal baoli is near the Kabuli gate. It has 60 steps and small chambers used as baths by the royal family. The Sar gate baoli, located near the Sar gate, is smaller and was most likely used by soldiers. ==Legacy and conservation==