Jaisalmer is a popular tourist destination, one of the most important in India. It is a pretty enough place but exactly what is it about this far-flung desert town that makes the tourist make the long journey there? Jaisalmer is a phenomenal 900 kilometres from Delhi and no closer than 275 kilometres from Jodhpur, the nearest big city. The weather is either extremely hot or pretty cold given that Jaisalmer is located in the desert region of Rajasthan. Besides, it's very close to the trouble-prone Indian border with Pakistan. And yet, none of this deters the tourist; if you don't believe this, consider the stats - one foreign tourist out of three visits Jaisalmer. You look into your guide book, ponder the information and still wonder what makes this place such a hot destination?

Here are the facts. Jaisalmer lies in the heart of the Thar Desert near Rajasthan's remote western border, surrounded by  sand dunes. It would be just any Rajasthani town but, looming over the city, towering nearly 100 metres over the city and apparently rising out of the desert haze, is the spectacular golden Jaisalmer Fort. Made of yellow sandstone, the fort inspires wonder at its beauty like perhaps none other in India. It has the appearance of a giant sandcastle shimmering in the desert heat like a mirage that will soon disappear. Contrary to expectation though, the Jaisalmer Fort is a living breathing entity. The fort actually functions as intended, and is still the site of an entire living area, home to a quarter of the city's population.

Even modern Jaisalmer has a medieval feel to it - 'jharokhas' look down into cobbled streets, veiled women walk a pace behind their turbaned, strapping moustachioed men folk; undulating sand dunes and camel trains drink from an ancient water trough in the main market square. Hardly surprising that Jaisalmer retains an untouched aura, given its remote location and inaccessibility. To travel to Jaisalmer was a tough call till the first proper road was built only in 1958 and the town found a place on India's railway map barely 30 years ago. Now there's even an airport, which serves air traffic from Delhi and Bombay, but the essence of Jaisalmer as a place in a historical coffee book remains untouched by these developments.

For state information, see Rajasthan.