February 20, 2018. Jaisalmer Fort is a fortified city built on top of a desert outcrop in the middle of the vast Thar in northern India. Established in 1156 by the Rajput ruler Jaisal (hence, the name ‘Jaisalmer’), it continues to be inhabited by residents, which makes it one of the world’s remaining “living forts”.
Walking along the alleys in Jaisalmer Fort, I notice the color of almost all buildings is almost the same as the sands and stones of the desert. So when you look at the town from afar it literally looks like the town rose from the ground up. Jaisalmer is sometimes referred to as the golden city. Not difficult to see why, seen from the fort.
February 20, 2018. After an almost-13 hour train ride (yes thirteen hours) I arrive the next morning in Jaisalmer in the middle of the Thar desert. The town is closer to the Pakistan border than to any other major Indian city. Jaisalmer is still part of the vast state of Rajasthan.
Once I got to Jaisalmer in the morning, I walked from the station to my hostel which had a rooftop cafe with a magnificent view of the fort city, pictured above. I felt like I was in Agrabah (of Aladdin), only the big Sultan’s palace is missing.
