Jaisalmer Fort and the Thar Desert (Sam Dunes)

Rawal Jaisal, a Bhati Rajput ruler, founded the fort in 1156, giving the city its name. Its position on the caravan routes across the Thar made Jaisalmer prosperous, and merchant families built the elaborately carved havelis that still fill the town. Most of the fort's bastions were built or rebuilt in the seventeenth century.

Inside the walls are the Raj Mahal, former residence of the Maharawals, the Laxminath temple and a group of seven Jain temples built between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. In 2013 the fort was inscribed by UNESCO as one of the Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Because it is still inhabited, conservation is a challenge, with water seepage and heavy visitor numbers among the concerns noted by researchers.

Jaisalmer's culture is shaped by the desert: the Manganiyar and Langa musicians, the Kalbeliya dancers and the camel herders of the surrounding villages. The annual three-day Jaisalmer Desert Festival brings these traditions together with music, dance and crafts.