Exploring every inch: Two friends prepare to take on the Great Wall of Sindh on foot

Shahrukh Chaudhry, Usman Iqbal will run on Ranikot Fort’s 30km wall today.

KARACHI:

Not many people in Pakistan have knowledge of Sindh’s Ranikot Fort, counted among one of the biggest forts — if not the biggest — in the world. And even those who are familiar with this unique heritage site are unaware that the fort’s wall is 30-kilometre long — making it the longest wall in the country. 

Two friends from Karachi, Shahrukh Chaudhry and Usman Iqbal, will embark on an adventure today [Sunday] by running across the wall of the fort. Why they’re putting on their running shoes? To bring the historical wall, also known as the Great Wall of Sindh, in the limelight and encourage people, not only in Pakistan but even abroad, to come and explore the fort.

“Most people are unaware of this great wall of Pakistan. We want to tell everyone that Pakistan has one of the longest walls in the world,” Chaudhry said while talking to The Express Tribune. Both friends agreed that exploring the wall of the fort was not an easy task, adding that the adventure aims to promote tourism in the country. “No one has done this before but we will definitely run across the fort’s wall on Sunday.”



Well-kept secret

Ranikot is located in Jamshoro district which is at a distance of roughly 250 kilometres from Karachi. According to renowned writer Badar Abro, who has been working on the historical aspects of Ranikot for over 20 years, the fort is among the biggest in the world. “It is a huge task that the friends have undertaken and such efforts of the youth should most definitely be encouraged,” said Abro.

A 16-member team has also jumped on board for the adventure and will witness Chaudhry and Iqbal’s sprint today. The boys plan to start their run early morning from the Sun Gate towards Shergarh [north side of the main entrance]. After a long walk towards the Mohen Gate [West Gate], they’ll turn towards south. They visited the fort last month and tried to gather as much information as they could find. “A few people know of the Ranikot Fort in Sindh and that it has the largest wall of the country but when we tried to look for books and other material on the heritage site, we couldn’t find much,” said Chaudhry.

Getting in shape

Running on the fort’s wall is not an easy challenge and neither is running on Karachi’s roads which is why the boys chose the latter to prepare for the former. They started getting in shape a month before the adventure. “We run for six to 10 kilometres daily and also exercise,” said Iqbal.

Like the fort’s history, the length of the wall was also not clear but a while back, Abro measured the total length of the wall. “It was not an easy job but I can confirm that the wall is 30-kilometre long,” said the writer.

The friends referred to Abro’s book to learn more about the fort. “There is no authentic book available in the market on Ranikot,” Chaudhry told The Express Tribune. “Finally, we got Abro’s book which was informative.”

According to the boys, even local tourist guides had not explored the entire wall and did know details about it. “The fort needs immediate attention and also more research,” Abro suggested. “People will definitely visit it if facilities are provided to them.”

Iqbal admitted that they were not trained for the task, saying, “But I am optimistic. Such efforts just need commitment and willpower.”

The team left for Ranikot on Saturday afternoon from Karachi. The villagers who are living inside the fort have assured of providing security and guidance to the team. “It is our first such adventure and we’ll complete 75 more in the coming years. We want to promote our tourism. People will eventually turn to such historical locations instead of going out of the country for getaways,” hoped Chaudhry.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2013.