Rohtas Fort (Pashto: د روهتاس قلعہ; Punjabi: روہتاس قلعہ, romanized: Rohtās Qillā; Urdu: قلعہِ روہتاس, romanized: Qilā-e-Rohtās) is a 16th-century citadel located near the city of Dina in Jhelum district of the Punjab, Pakistan.

Todar Mal, the minister of the Sur king Sher Shah Suri, supervised the construction of the fort which is now one of the largest and most formidable in Punjab.

[1] The fort remains remarkably intact and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

UNESCO called it an "exceptional example of the Muslim military architecture of Central and South Asia.

"[2] Rohtas Fort is approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) northwest of Jhelum near the city of Dina.

Rohtas Fort is situated on a hill in the Tilla Jogian Range, overlooking a gorge where the Kahān River meets a seasonal stream called Parnal Khas.

[3] The fort occupied a strategic position between the mountains of Afghanistan and the plains of Punjab, preventing Humayun from returning to India from his exile in Persia.

[5] Its name celebrated the Sher Shah Suri's 1539 capture of the Rohtas Fort in the Shahabad district of Bihar from a Hindu prince.

[5] The construction of Rohtas Fort started in 1541 under the supervision of finance minister Todar Mal, himself a Punjabi Khatri.

This was the case until he under the orders of Sher Shah raised the workers' wages to such a degree that many of the Gakhars became willing to help with the fort's construction.

[5] With Sher Shah Suri's death, Humayan returned to regain his rule of the Punjab region.

[5] In the 1580s, Emperor Akbar constructed the nearby Attock Fort that was a better fit to Mughal interests.

Later, after his victorious return from a forced exile in Kabul, Jahangir convened his court at Rohtas Fort for a short time.

[2] The Afsharid ruler Nader Shah camped at the fort during his invasion of the Mughal Empire.

[8] Gurmukh Singh Lamba captured Rothas Fort in 1825 from Nur Khan, a Gakhar chief.

Rohtas Fort covers an area of 70 hectares (170 acres), enclosed by 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) of walls.

[5] It could hold up to 30,000 men.The fort's walls are built in sandstone laid in lime mortar mixed with brick.

The uppermost terrace has merlon-shaped battlements from which soldiers could fire muskets and pour molten lead.

The gate now houses a visitors' information center and a museum set up by the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation.

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 gate opens directly into the citadel but was designed as a trap in the direct line of fire from the fort's bastions.

Khwas Khani is a double gate named after one of Sher Shah Suri's greatest generals, Khawas Khan Marwat.

It faces the village Gatali ford, also called Patan Gatiali or Gatiyalian, the critical point to cross the Jhelum River for the Kashmir Valley.

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.

Pippli is 2.13 metres (7.0 ft)The small Shahi Masjid (Royal mosque) is near the Kabuli gate and is the most decorated of the fort's original buildings.

There are round carvings of the Six Kalimas in Naskh script, surrounded by lilies, on the mosque's outer wall.

The Raja Man Singh Haveli, located on the highest point of the citadel, is the fort's only palace.

[2] The central archway of Chandwali gate was recently restored and is the only modern construction on the fort.

However, in early 2005, the left inner face of Talaqi gate collapsed due to seepage, heavy rains, and general neglect.

Over time, Gatali gate's right bastion and supporting wall collapsed due to permeated rainwater and erosion of its foundations.

The project also included creating the Sher Shah Suri Museum in the upper story of Sohail gate.In 1992, the government of Pakistan ordered the locals of Rohtas City to leave the inside area of the fort, stating that the government would construct houses for them outside the fort.