Pharwala Fort

Pharwala, Pakistan, Pakistan

---

Pharwala Fort is a large, ancient fortification in the Potohar region near Kahuta Tehsil in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan, traditionally built in the 11th century (around 1008–1015 CE) by Sultan Kai Gohar Gakhar on the ruins of an earlier Hindu Shahi fort and later expanded in the 15th century.

It sits on a rugged plateau encircled on one side by the Soan River and on the other by hills of the Potohar range, giving it a naturally strong defensive position and making it one of the most formidable forts in the region. The fort was the capital and main stronghold of the Gakhar chieftaincy from the 10th to the 19th century.

Serving as a military headquarters that could house hundreds of soldiers, horses and elephants, and it guarded key routes between Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, with Mughal rulers such as Babur, Humayun and Akbar visiting or staying there at different times.