If Agra didn't have the Taj Mahal, nobody would visit, in the same way, if Jaisalmer lost it's Fort, tourism here would die. Or as one Indian man told me, the tourists would come for another year, to visit the ruins of the Jaisalmer Fort, then no more. He and his friends laughed out loud, but many a true thing is said in jest and I could see they truly understood their livelihood was tied to the Fort too.
And yet, every year they do lose a little more of the Fort. About 6000 people live inside its walls. They own stores and run hotels. The resulting water and run off is eating away at the sandstone and the Fort will one day no longer be.
For this reason, I chose to stay in a hotel outside of the Fort. But everyday I walked inside its walls, exploring the narrow alleys, marveling at the cows, dogs and people that make the Fort their home.
A good example of the delicate and intricate carved buildings that are typical here.
The view over Jaisalmer from high upon the Fort walls.
And at night, it glows over the marketplace outside it's walls.
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