Baltit Fort

Baltit Fort
قلعہ بلتت
Baltit Fort
Interactive map of the Baltit Fort
قلعہ بلتت area
General information
LocationKarimabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Coordinates36°19′32″N 74°40′11″E / 36.325556°N 74.669722°E / 36.325556; 74.669722

Baltit Fort (Urdu: قلعہ بلتت) is a palatial fort in the Hunza Valley, near the town of Karimabad, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list since 2004.[1]

The conversation work carried out in the last decade of 20th-century indicated that the core structures, including the defensive stone and timber tower, date to the 8th century CE.[1] The architecture of the fort reflects Tibetan influences. In the 16th-century, Ayasho II, the Mir of Hunza, married Shah Khatun, a princess from Skardu and the granddaughter of Ali Sher Khan Anchan. The father-in-law Abdal Khan sent artisans who rebuilt the fort. Abdal Khan also sent a cannon in dowry which bears date of 1539 CE.[2]

The Mirs of Hunza abandoned the fort in 1945, and moved to a new palace down the hill. The fort started to decay which caused concern that it might possibly fall into ruin. Following a survey by the Royal Geographical Society of London a restoration programme was initiated and supported by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Historic Cities Support Programme. The programme was completed in 1996 and the fort is now a museum run by the Baltit Heritage Trust.

Awards

Bibliography

  • Biddulph John, Tribes of Hindoo Koosh, The Superintendent of Government Printing-Calcutta, India 1880, Reprint: Ali Kamran Publishers, Lahore-Pakistan, 1995.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Baltit Fort". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  2. ↑ Dani, Ahmad Hasan (1991) [1989]. History of Northern Areas of Pakistan (2nd ed.). Islamabad: National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research, Quaid-i-Azam University. p. 197. ISBN 978-969-415-016-1.
  3. ↑ Baker, Aryn (27 June 2005). "Best of Asia: Baltit Fort Hunza Valley, Pakistan". Time Asia. Archived from the original on 12 September 2005. Retrieved 11 December 2006.
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