Fort Baltit
| Fort Baltit | ||
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 Fort Baltit, the old residence of Mirs of Hunza |
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| Creation time : | 14th century | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | Restored | |
| Place: | Karimabad | |
| Geographical location | 36 ° 19 ′ 32 " N , 74 ° 40 ′ 11" E | |
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The Fort Baltit or Fort Balti is an old fort in the Hunza Valley in northern Pakistan Region Gilgit-Baltistan ( Kashmir ).
The fortress, which stands at the highest point in the city of Karimabad , once ensured the survival of the feudal regime in Hunza. The foundations of the fort are estimated to be 700 years old, with the rest of the fort being much younger due to many alterations over the centuries.
history
In ancient times, the northern part of what is now Pakistan consisted of a multitude of small independent states. Among them were the traditionally rival states of Hunza and Nagar , which faced each other on the banks of the Hunza River . The rulers of these two states, called Thamo / Mirs, built several fortifications to express their power.
According to historical sources, the rulers of Hunza initially lived in Fort Altit . As a result of a later conflict between the ruling sultan's two sons, the elder Shah Abbas and the younger Ali Khan, Shah Abbas moved to the Baltit fortress. The power struggle between the two led to the defeat and death of the younger, and the Baltit fortress became the main seat of the rulers of Hunza.
The fort can look back on more than seven hundred years of history. Ayasho II., Tham / Mir von Hunza married the princess Shah Khatoon (Sha Qhatun) from Baltistan in the early 15th century . As one of her first acts, she redesigned Fort Altit and later Fort Baltit. Baltistan had very strong cultural and ethnic ties with Ladakh in India . Fort Baltit was built under the influence of Ladakhi-Tibetan architecture and therefore bears a distant resemblance to the Potala Palace in Lhasa . Over the centuries, the rulers of Hunza made several extensions, renovations and alterations to the building.
In the 19th century, the region lost a large part of the old fortresses as a result of the attacks by the Maharajah of Kashmir . However, the residents of Hunza managed to successfully defend themselves against the invaders four times.
One of the greatest renovations of the fort followed the invasion of the British in December 1891. Tham / Mir Safdarali Khan , ruler of Hunza, and his vizier Dadu (Thara Baig III) fled to Kashgar ( China ) and prayed together with their companions and families political asylum. With the conquest of the states of Hunza and Nagar by the British, the city walls of the old village of Baltit and the north-west observation towers of Fort Baltit were torn down. The British then installed the Tham / Mir's younger brother, Sir Muhammad Nazeem Khan KCIE, as ruler of the state of Hunza.
During his reign, Tham / Mir Nazeem Khan had the fort significantly rebuilt several times. He tore down several rooms on the third floor and added a few British colonial rooms with stained glass windows to the front.
Fort Baltit remained officially inhabited until 1945, when the last ruler of Hunza, Mir Muhammad Jamal Khan, moved into a new palace at the foot of the hill, where the Mir of Hunza Ghazanfar Ali Khan (former head of government of the northern areas, today Gilgit- Baltistan) and his family lives.
The fort was badly neglected in the following years and threatened to deteriorate into ruin. Following a tour by the Royal Geographical Society of London, a reconstruction program has been initiated, supported by the Aga Khan Historic City Program of the Aga Khan Development Network .
The restored fort was opened on September 29, 1996 in the presence of Aga Khan IV and Pakistani President Faruk Ahmad Khan Leghari . It is now run as a museum by the Baltit Heritage Trust and is open to visitors.
Awards and recognitions
- 2005 Time Magazine Asia , Best of Asia Award
- 2004 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Conservation - Award of Excellence (see profile )
- 2000 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards : Global Winner
literature
- Baig Qudratullah, Tarikh-e-Edh Atiiq Riyāsat Hunza Pub: STrinters Rawalpindi-Pakistan 1980
- Dani AH, History of Northern Areas of Pakistan Pub: Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore Pakistan www.sang-e-meel.com, Reprinted: 2007.
- Biddulph John, Tribes of Hindoo Koosh Pub: The Superintendent of Government Printing-Calcutta India 1880, Reprint: Ali Kamran Publishers, Lahore-Pakistan 1995.
Credit: The "Historical Background" chapter was contributed by Hunza - Baltit Fort curator EUBaig (kanjudi@gmail.com)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tarikh-e-Ehd Atiiq Riyasat Hunza by Haji Qudrarullah Baig, Pub: STPrinters Rawalpindi 1980 Pakistan
- ↑ History of Northern Areas of Pakistan by Prof. AHDani, Page: 285 Pub: Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore Pakistan www.sang-e-meel.com, Reprinted: 2007
- ↑ Best of Asia: Baltit Fort Hunza Valley, INDIA - Time Asia, June 27, 2005 . Retrieved December 11, 2006.
- ↑ Baltit Fort Awarded Top Prize in the UNESCO 2004 Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards - UNESCO Bangkok, September 1, 2004 (PDF) Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Information: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
- ↑ BA Tourism for Tomorrow Previous Winners (PDF) Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
- ^ Restoration of Landmark Buildings in Mountainous Northern Pakistan - AKDN . Archived from the original on December 6, 2006. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 11, 2006.
