Baltit Fort () is a fort in the

Hunza valley The Hunza Valley ( bsk, , Wakhi: '; ur, ) is a mountainous valley in the northern part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, formed by the Hunza River, bordering Ishkoman to the northwest, Shigar to the southeast, Afghanistan's Wa ...

, near the town of Karimabad, in the

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

region of northern

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Founded in the 8th century CE, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list since 2004. 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 The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

of London a restoration programme was initiated and supported by the

Aga Khan Trust for Culture The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a family of institutions created by Aga Khan IV with distinct but complementary mandates to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developin ...

Historic Cities Support Programme. The programme was completed in 1996 and the fort is now a museum run by the Baltit Heritage Trust.

Awards and recognition

*2005 ''

Time Asia ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'', Best of Asia Award

Gallery

File:Baltit Fort, Karimabad, Hunza I.jpg, Baltit Fort File:Golden Peak- View from Eagles Nest.jpg,

Spantik Spantik (Balti Language) or Golden Peak is a mountain in Spantik-Sosbun Mountains subrange of Karakoram in Hispar Valley of Shigar District, Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Its northwest face features an exceptionally hard climbing route k ...

as viewed to the south-east from the fort File:View of Baltit Fort & Ultar Peak.jpg, Ultar Peak towers above the fort File:Dance of Swati Guests with traditional music at baltit fort 2014.jpg, Dance with traditional music at Baltit Fort File:BaltitFort GlassWindows.jpg, The fort is decorated with simple stain-glassed windows File:Baltit Fort View.jpg, View of Baltit Fort File:Baltit Fort 1 Karimabad Hunza Valley.jpg, Baltit Fort, Hunza Valley File:Hunza Canon aka Zilzila Boos.jpg, The fort's historic cannon is now on display for visitors File:Famous Guard of Baltit Fort.jpg, The fort's guards wear distinctive uniforms File:Antiques inside Baltit Fort.jpg, The fort displays local antiques File:Antique Russian rifles gifted to Mir of Hunza.jpg, Antique Russian rifles gifted to Mir of Hunza

Bibliography

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

References

External links

Official website of the Baltit Heritage TrustBaltit Fort at Google Cultural Institute
{{Castles in Pakistan Forts in Gilgit-Baltistan Aga Khan Trust for Culture projects Hunza History of Gilgit Agency Buildings and structures in Gilgit-Baltistan History of Baltistan Restoration of historic architecture in Pakistan UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards winners

Awards and recognition

Gallery

Bibliography

See also

References

External links