This morning I looked at the front page on my Slowly Web Client, and was intrigued by the text and image displayed. It seems to be a wonderful monument, one that is indeed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

And since Pakistan only has VERY FEW stamps, I thought we could consider an idea for a second Location stamp for the country.

"Rohtas Fort is a 16th-century fortress located near the city of Jhelum in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The fort is one of the largest and most formidable in the subcontinent. Rohtas Fort was never taken by force, and it has remained remarkably intact.

The fortress was built by Raja Todar Mal on the orders of Sher Shah Suri.

The fort is known for its large defensive walls and several monumental gateways. Rohtas Fort was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, as an "exceptional example of the Muslim military architecture of Central and South Asia."

Source :

Wikipedia page

...has a lot of information, from general introduction to detailed reasoning on why it was chosen and added to the World Heritage list.

"Rohtas Fort blended architectural and artistic traditions from Turkey and the Indian subcontinent, thereby creating the model for Mughal architecture and its subsequent refinements and adaptations (including the European colonial architecture that made abundant use of that tradition). Most noteworthy are the sophistication and high artistic value of its decorative elements, notably its high- and low-relief carvings, its calligraphic inscriptions in marble and sandstone, its plaster decoration, and its glazed tiles.

The garrison complex was in continuous use until 1707, and then reoccupied under the Durrani and Sikh rulers of the 18th and 19th centuries respectively. A village grew within the walls, and exists day. Rohtas Fort is unique: there are no surviving examples on the subcontinent of military architecture of this period on the same scale and with the same degree of completeness and preservation.

Criterion (ii): Rohtas Fort blends architectural and artistic traditions from Turkey and the Indian subcontinent to create the model for Mughal architecture and its subsequent refinements and adaptations.

Criterion (iv): Rohtas Fort is an exceptional example of the Muslim military architecture of central and south Asia during the 16th century."

Within the boundaries of the property are located all the elements and components necessary to express the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, including its massive defensive walls, monumental gateways, irregularly spaced semi-circular bastions, and, within the enclosure, the cross wall that defines the inner citadel, the baolis (stepped wells), the Haveli Man Singh, and the Shahi Masjid mosque. The physical fabric of most of these elements and components is in a reasonable state of conservation. The fortification wall, however, has collapsed at some places, and the monument is threatened by encroachment, which has disturbed the original drainage system of the fort.

The main historic features of Rohtas Fort are authentic in form, setting, and materials. The limited restoration that has been carried out has been minimal and discreet, avoiding the use of inappropriate modern materials. The fortification wall is nevertheless vulnerable to rainwater flooding and choking the original drainage system.

All photos are from the

Wikipedia page

, resized here from their higher resolution originals. These show well the extent of the monument, and the great condition it is in.

Thank you for considering this idea, I found this a magnificent monument and worthy of our attention. It could make a new and very pretty, significant stamp for Pakistan, which

currently has very little

- one single location stamp.