Travel Narrative: Pakistan's Cholistan Desert in the Punjab

Posted by Matthew Crouch at 14:01

When Umer the Pakistaniguy my way cool travel pal and I departed from Karachi north toward Lahore via a stop over in Multan we made an excursion into the Cholistan Desert to see a near mythical fort which had figured in Umer’s mind since boyhood. Deserts remain a source of endless fascination for me so I couldn’t refuse this opportunity to check out another landscape that might mimic some place lunar or Martian. The day after arriving in Multan we headed south to find this faraway place by taking a series of shared taxis. I was still at this point feeling a bit out on a limb having left the relative sense of security that an urban center like Karachi affords. As the rural isolation outside Multan surrounded us I must confess my anxiety set in a little further for this is a region sadly lacking in tourists since the events nine eleven 2001. It would seem I was the only pale faced westerner to pass through there for quite sometime and my skin and hair color seemed to turn heads to face me. At first I took this to be aggressive but then I realized it was just healthy curiosity, indeed as the day went on people just wanted to know where I was from and what brought me this far from home.

As far as mentioning Dera Nawab Sahib and Ahmandpur I wish I were experienced enough at traveling to have grasped the scene there in any way that can be put to word here. Both places were rather rural village or town like in size and yet both were bustling with life and trade in ways that often times you don’t even see in burnt out American city centers. Certainly there was more fervent enterprise taking place in those little towns in the Punjab than what seemed possible for a place far off the economic grid of western styled capitalism. Like anywhere else that I saw in Pakistan this flurry of activity took place in the streets with cars, bicycles, auto-rickshaws, people, cows, horses, chicken and young children running loose in all directions. Maybe it is precisely this sort of anarchy and chaos that is the life blood and soul of corporate free humanity on planet earth!

When it comes to travel Umer has an unstoppable enthusiastic drive to go, go, go: The day before we had arrived late at night in Multan after spending fifteen hours on the northbound train from Karachi to Multan. First thing in the morning Umer is ready to take shared taxis a few hours south to check out the desert. So there I was being dragged to another mysterious destination after having arrived at another strange place without having had the time to even get acquainted with our Multani hosts or their intriguing city. But I wasn’t complaining. Umer’s travel drive is insatiable and he knows what he is doing and as far as life on the road I do not anyway this is his homeland!

Umer who likes nothing more than to drive a hard bargain and get a good deal found us a shared taxi driver to take us on a private round trip to Derawar Fort. Fortunately for us the driver who offered the best deal also offered us the best sense of humor and we had a lot of fun being a tourist with him! Indeed when we arrived he joined us on our exploration of the fort, Masjid and village so we then in turn after the day was over joined him for a cup of tea before we caught the late night train to back to Multan. Again here was another moment and example of what I call the Invincible Hospitality and Generosity of the Pakistani People: Our driver took us to a café he liked and we sat outside on wooden bed like furniture (it looks like a bed frame with out a mattress and has a peculiar name but you’ll see them everywhere in Pakistan when you are off the tourist track). We took our chai this way while sitting on our feet with our shoulders wrapped in blankets from the cool winter night air. The tea and hot desert were much needed after our day’s excursion and here our driver insisted on paying for our refreshment. This was the kind of driver you want to sincerely offer a healthy tip and for whom you don’t regret leaving every available rupee there is to offer!

Eventually we arrived earlier that day at the Derawar Fort after a strange journey in a series of shared taxis that took us through the village of Dera Nawab Sahib and Ahmadpur East. Adjacent to the Fort is the magnificent Sunehri Masjid/ (Golden Mosque) with its unusual Mirab niche with a window in it that opens onto a balcony from which the Fort can be seen. Any student of Architecture or anyone with an interest in the architecture of religious spaces will find the Sunehri Masjid a compelling monument to visit. Certainly the place is a unique mixture of Arabic and Punjab Islamic ornament and design which makes for rewarding observation. Fortunately in Pakistan the Islamic places of prayer are open to Muslim and non-Muslim alike and not only that you will be welcomed for your interest whether it is for religious, architectural or cultural reasons. If you’re going as tourist just be a bit respectful of the religious space and don’t be annoying with your camera, follow any obligations like removing your shoes and covering up if necessary. These places are still fully functioning religious centers for people with their own values and norms who depend on these institutions. That said though when I was there I was latched onto by a family in poverty and as this was my first visit in my life to a Masjid/Mosque I had been looking forward to this moment for a very long time. Unfortunately for me my first memory of this experience is a bit discolored by my having been perceived as a walking money machine. Umer deflected some of this family of beggars as best as he could but they were not going to be appeased. If we gave them some money then other people wanted some as well. Whenever I turned a corner someone was waiting for me pleading with open hand and tugging on my shirt. Despite their situation and condition of need they were fierce people of business and perhaps their behavior should have been confined to the exterior on this sacred site.

The village around the fort and Masjid is strangely compelling as well. Once it had a small thriving tourist market in place selling refreshments but that seemed mostly dried up. As the taxi we hired needed some repair work done before our return we had the opportunity to explore these alleyways. The village houses here were made in mud and were one floor with an open porch like front. Although it was hard to tell what these building were we had the feeling we weren’t in Pakistan but in some forgotten corner of Afghanistan. The fellows we met here though were friendly and we passed the time for our automotive repair wait in good company.

The Derawar Fort, however, still remains the highlight of our time in this desert as it looks like a massive sand castle. How and why it is situated in what appears to be the middle of nowhere is hard to ascertain. As this is not your normal tourist site there is not much information available regarding what was the strategic purpose in building such a massive defense like this so far out from anywhere. It does though seem to have always been a place of importance long before the 18th century form of the fort that still stands today. As the fort is a private place (perhaps a secure residence for a wealthy foreign fugitive?) it is not open to the public. Anyway the fort is still none the less quite fascinating from the exterior; it is just that the place left us feeling very curious about its interior and who actually calls those old walls home. We certainly hoped for an invitation in for tea but those massive doors didn’t open when we knocked. The strange thing is this place has a delicious mystery about it. You will leave with fantasies forming in your mind on your return journey about how it would be to call such a secure place home in such an exotic and private location. There is something about this fort and its community that will wedge a solid place in your mind and not let you forget about its curious mysteries.