There are many significant and historical forts in Pakistan. Some of these forts are more than 1000 years old. In this article we'll discuss about some the most prominent and important forts of the Pakistan.
Lahore Fort
The fort is located in the north of the walled city of Lahore, covering more than 20 hectares. It contains 21 remarkable monuments, some dating back to Emperor Akbar's era. It is remarkable that the Lahore fort was almost entirely reconstructed in the 17th century, when the Mughal empire was at its height.
The Lahore Fort site was inhabited for thousands of years, but the first record of a fortified structure on the site relates to a mud brick fort of the eleventh century. During Emperor Akbar's reign, the foundations of modern Lahore fort were founded in 1566, giving the fort a syncretic architectural style with both Islamic and Hindu motifs. The Shah Jahan addition is characterized by luxury marble with inlaid Persian floral designs, while the Grand and Iconic Alamgiri Gate was built by Aurangzeb, the latter of the great Mughal Emperors, facing the renowned Badshahi Mosque.
The Lahore Fort was used as a home to the Sikh Empire's founder, Ranjit Singh, after the fall of the Mughal Empire. After their victory over the Sikhs in the Battle of the Gujratin in Feb 1849, the fort then passed to the British colonialists. In 1981, the fort was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its "excellent repertoire of Mughal monuments dating back to the era of the empire at its peak.
Baghsar Fort
This ancient fort was built by Mughal rulers in Samahni Valley near Bhimber, Pakistan, close to a place known as Baghsar. Because it is very close to the Line of Control between Pakistan and India, so its currently closed for the visitors.
Ramkot Fort
It is an ancient fort located right next to Mangla Dam in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It was built as recorded in his book by traveler and geologist Frederick Drew by a Gakkhar named Toglu.
Red Fort, Muzaffarabad
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It was built by the Chak rulers of Kashmir in the 16th century and also known as the Muzaffarabad Fort.
It is locally known as the "Rutta Qila" or just "qila". Its Construction was started in 1559 at a strategic location and was completed in 1646 in the reign of Sultan Muzaffar Khan of the Bomba Dynasty — the founder of Muzaffarabad city.
In 1846 the reconstruction and extension of the fort for political and military operations began by Maharaja Gulab Singh of the Dogra dynasty. The work was completed by his successor Maharaja Ranbeer Singh. The military of Dogra then used the fort until 1926, when a new cantonment was built, which left the red fort once more abandoned. The Dogra forces left around the middle of 1947, abandoning the fort. Unfortunately during the 2005 earthquake a large portion was destroyed and most of the fort's relics were stolen.
Fort Munro
It is also called Tuman Leghari, a hill station, located in Dera Ghazi Khan on a height of 6,470 meters (1,970 m) above sea level. It attracts a lot of people during the hot summer for short stays. This area is approximately 85 km from the town of Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, Pakistan and 185 km from Multan in Sulaiman Mountain range. Fort Munro is either reachable from Loralai Balochistan or Multan (Punjab). The mountains begin at the border between Balochistan and Punjab, near Rakhni in Punjab.
Baltit Fort
The fortress is located in the Hunza Valley, near the city of Karimabad, in northern Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region. It has been on the UNESCO list of tentative World Heritage since 2004 and was founded in 8th century CE. In the past, the impressive fort that overlooks Karimabad guaranteed the survival of the feudal regime of Hunza. The foundations of the fort date to 700 years ago and over the centuries have been rebuilt and changed.
In 1945, the Mirs of Hunza left the fort and moved down the hill to a new palace. The fort began to decay, causing concern that it might be destroyed. A restauration program was launched and supported under the Aga Khan Trust for Historic Cities, following a survey by the Royal Geographical Society of London. The program finished in 1996 and the fort is now a Baltit Heritage Trust museum.
Skardu Fort
At the end of the sixteenth century, King Ali Sher built the fort. General Zorawar Singh from the Dogra Rajput clan, working with Gulab Singh, realized that the fort was important in the city and therefore he occupied the fortification. Singh It was part of his many military campaigns annexing Baltistan's areas to Jammu and Kashmir's princely state. The fort was demolished by Ranbir Singh in 1857. The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb tried also to take over the fort, which went vain.
Altit Fort
This ancient fort located in Altit town in the Hunza valley in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. Originally it was the home of the hereditary leaders of Hunza, which bore the title Mir, but three centuries later they moved to the nearly younger Baltit fort. The Altit Fort, particularly the Shikari Tower, is approximately 1100 years old, making it the Gilgit–Baltistan's oldest monument.
Shigar Fort
The Shigar Fort is a historic fort of the city of Shigar in Baltistan and Pakistan. It has been built by the Amacha Raja Dynasty of Shigar in the 17th century. Aga Khan Cultural Service (AKCSP-P), the Pakistan arm of the program for the historical cities of Aga Khan, has restored the fort. The fort was converted into a museum and luxurious hotel run by Serena hotels after restoration. The restoration process was carried out between 1999 and 2004 and cost around US$ 1.4 million.
Khaplu Fort
Khaplu Palace is an old palace in Khaplu in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan, which is locally known as Yabgo Khar. This palace was built in the mid-19th century, and is considered an architectural heritage and tourist attraction. It has been the Raja of Khaplu's Royal Residence. The Palace was subjected to a restructuring project by the Aga Khan Confidence in Culture (ACK) under Aga Khan Historic Cities Program from 2005 until 2011, when it had previously encountered vulnerable conditions. The palace now houses a Serena-run hotel and a museum that presents Baltistan's history and culture.
Bala Hisar Fort
Bala Hissar is a historic fortress in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The fort was used for the Durrani Empire as a royal residence and was renovated during the reign of Sikhs. The fort is now Pakistan's Frontier Corps's headquarters.
Attock Fort
Attock fort, under Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, was built at Atttock Khurd during the reign of Akbar the Great from 1581 to 1583 to protect the river Indus passage. Attock was captured by the Maratha Empire on 28 April 1758 and became the Maratha Empire's North Border. After the third battle of Panipat, Ahmad Shah Durrani recaptured Attock and stopped maratha advance permanently in the north. It played a significant role during the Battle of Attock in Afghan-Sikh Wars.
Rohtas Fort
_-_World_Heritage_Site.jpeg "Rohtas Fort")
It is a fortress located in the Pakistani province of Punjab, near Jhelum city, dating back to the 16th century. The fortress was built between 1541 and 1548 during the rule of Sher Shah Suri. The fort also aimed to suppress Potohar's local Gakhar tribes. The Gakhar tribes were Mughal Empire allies and did not want to recognize Sher Shah Suri's suzerainty. This fort is one of the greatest and largest in the subcontinent. Rohtas Fort has never been stormed with force and remarkably remained untouched.
Its big defensive walls and several monumental gates make the fort well known. In 1997 Rohtas Fort was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as an "exceptional example of Central and South Asia's Muslim military structure."
Derawar Fort
The Derawar fort in Yazman Tehsil Punjab, Pakistan is a large square fortress. The 40 bastions of Derawar are visible for several miles in the Cholistan desert, and located about 130 Kilometers south of the city of Bahawalpur. The walls are 1500 meters long and are 30 meters high. In the 9th century B.C., Derawar's fort was first built in honor of Rawal Deoraj Bhatti, king of Jaisalmer and Bahawalpur, by Rai Jajja Bhatti, the Hindu clan leader. Initially, this stronghold was known as Dera Rawal, but later it was known as Dera Rawar, which over time was named Derawar.
Muslim Nawabs of Bahawalpur of the Shahotra tribe took over the Fort in the 18th century. It was reconstructed later by Abbasi rulers Nawab Sadeq Mohammed in 1732, but due to Bahawal Khan's preoccupations at Shikarpur in 1747 the fort slipped away from their hands. The stronghold was taken back in 1804 by Nawab Mubarak Khan. In the ruins near a decaying wall of the fort one thousand-year-old catapult shells were found. In the middle of the desert of Cholistan this historically significant fort has an enormous and impressive structure but is quickly declining and requires immediate preventive preservation measures.
Kot Diji Fort
The Kot Diji Fort (situated in Khairpur district, Pakistan, about 25 miles to the east of the Indus River, near the Thar Desert) is an 18th century Talpur-era fort. Kot Diji Fort is a fort, formally known as Fort Ahmadabad. It lies above an archeological site dating from 2500 to 2800 B.C.E. Pre-Harappan civilization.
Ranikot Fort
Fort Ranikot is an old Talpur fort, near Sann, District Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan. Ranikot Fort is also referred to as the Great Wall of Sindh and is thought to be the largest fort in the world. With an area of about 32 kilometers (20 mi). The ramparts of the fort were compared to China's Great Wall. In 1993, the site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage by Pakistan National Commission which since then has been listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Under the 1975 antiquity Act and its later amendments, the fort is listed as a historic site and protections are granted.
Pacco Qillo
The Fort was constructed by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro in 1768 on the hillock known locally as Gunjy, when he founded the city of Hyderabad. Still in 2019 the fort is exiting in natural shape. Fort is also known as Pakka Kila
Umerkot Fort
The stronghold of Umarkot is located in Umerkot, Sindh, also known as Amarkot. Emperor Akbar was born in the Umarkot fort on the 15th of October 1542, when his father Humayun fled the military defeat by Sher Sha Suri. Umarkot's Rana Parasad, who had risen to power, had given Mughal Emperor Humayun refuge, and young Akbar was born there by Hamida Bano Begum. Later Mughal Emperor Akbar became the Hindustan's Shahenshah and was a well-known figure among Hindus as well as Muslims.Umerkot has many historic sites, like the birthplace of the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the immediate vicinity of Umarkot Fort. Noor Mohammad Kalhoro, the Mughal Subahdar, constructed a fort in 1746 on the site. The British took over that area subsequently. Fort Amarkot was built in the 11th century by Rana Amar Singh. It was still under the control of the Hindu Rajput dynasty known as the Umerkot Ranas but was later taken over by the Government of Pakistan after Pakistan had been formed. However, the jagir of the Rana family is still exists 16 km away. Rana Megraj was the governor of the fort.
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