Jaisalmer Fort

Jaisalmer Fort is a fortification on Trikuta Hill in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India, built in 1156 CE by the Bhati Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal, making it the second oldest fort in Rajasthan. Constructed of yellow sandstone that shifts in tone through the day, appearing tawny at midday and honey gold at sunset, the fort measures 1,500 feet by 750 feet and is defended by a triple ring of walls studded with 99 bastions, most of them substantially rebuilt between 1633 and 1647. An engineered drainage system known as the ghut nali carries water away from the hilltop, and within the walls stand seven Jain temples, the Raj Mahal palace and numerous ornately carved merchant houses called havelis. Jaisalmer is unusual among the forts of the world for remaining a living settlement, with roughly 4,000 residents still occupying homes inside its walls. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 2013 as part of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan, and it draws several hundred thousand visitors a year under the management of the Archaeological Survey of India.