Stabilisation and Conservation of Walls, Bastions and Slopes of Jaisalmer Fort

Jaisalmer Fort, located approximately 300 kilometers west of Jodhpur in the northwestern state of Rajasthan, India, dates back to 1200 a.d. Built by Maharawal Jaisal Singh at a strategic location along ancient trade routes, it has suffered not just the ravages of time, but also the inexorable pressures of development, the impacts of unregulated tourism, increased precipitation, and a lack of sensitivity to its historic fabric. Much of this site, the oldest continuously inhabited fort in India, is today at high risk of collapse. Since 1999, World Monuments Fund has sponsored several studies at the site, including two missions that identified the fundamental problem to be an inadequate drainage system. The following project report, completed in 2008, addresses the necessary measures for conservation and stabilization, and establishes guidelines and recommendations for the site’s management and monitoring in the years ahead. It is the result of the collaborative project endorsed by the joint initiative of the Archaeological Survey of India, World Monuments Fund, and the National Culture Fund.