Zorawar Fort was built in 1836 for Wazir Zorawar Singh Kahluria, the Dogra general who extended Ladakh's boundaries northward and earned the nickname "Napoleon of India" for his mountain warfare campaigns. The fort sits on the edge of town toward the airport and is less visited than the palace, which makes it a pleasantly uncrowded stop.
Inside, a small museum preserves coins, postage stamps, and artefacts from the period of Dogra rule. The Indian Army, which renovated the fort in 2006, added a sound-and-light show in the evenings that covers Ladakhi history. The fort's architecture is a blend of Dogra and Ladakhi styles — heavier and more military in character than the palace above the old town.