Mau Mubarik is one of the older fortifications in the Cholistan Desert, built by the local Rajput chief Raj Hans Karar as a residence for his mother (mau means mother in the Saraiki language). It was captured by Shah Arghun of Sindh in 1525 and changed hands several times after. The fort once had twenty bastions and towers, with ramparts about 550 metres in circumference; the walls survive in long ruined stretches and several towers still stand at their corners.
Inside the ruined enclosure is the shrine of Sheikh Hakim, a Sufi mystic of the 16th century whose tomb is still visited by villagers from the surrounding region. The fort sits about 80 kilometres south-east of Khanpur on the desert plain. As with the other Cholistan forts, getting there means a vehicle suited to sand tracks and ideally a local guide.