Baltit fort and the Imperial Hunza Valley

All of us belong to a gorgeous and mysterious history and taking our heritage along with us in this quick fascinating world is a key asset to living a better life, Acquiring from our past is valuable, and knowing our roots and beginning is important and considerable. I am going to make you accustomed to the most splendid and fascinating heritage center of Hunza named ”The Baltit Fort of Hunza”, which still keeps the ancestry world alive. Which is approved by people all around the globe and is considered to be the most astonishing heritage center to visit in Hunza valley.

This incredible landmark building is situated in the town of karimabad which is the capital of Hunza valley, in the region of Gilgit Baltistan northern area of Pakistan. The fort was founded in the 8th century with an elevation of 2441m (8009ft) and it has been on the UNESCO world heritage provisional list since 2004. 

It is situated at the highest point of the town and is surprisingly intentional with the help of only locally available materials. The fort is approached by the Karakorum main road from Gilgit city and it takes 15 minutes from the parking lodge to reach to the fort. Though it’s a very short trek these 15 minutes are enough to know much more about the culture of the Hunza people. On your way to the fort, you can see several shops on the roadsides where you can acquire only the cultural stuff of Hunza like the cultural hats, cultural dresses, local and organic foods, and a lot more cognate to the civilization of this place. 

Once you have done your trekking now you can see the spectacular view of the Baltit fort which stands on the moraines of the ulter glacier. This incredible fort stands on a high stone pedestal and it consists of three floors. It is made up of fine stone, woods, and a mud smear which gives the building a unique and architectural glance. The design of the building takes us 700 years back and enforce us to meditate and reflect on the history with which we are associated. The Baltit fort plays a vital role to retain the culture of Hunza in the form of a museum. More than thousands of people visit this beautiful region but among those people the majority are foreigners. No doubt that this landmark building has been popular all around the globe due to its mysterious history and stunning view. This is the feeble fort that a swayer selected for his daughter and reinforced as an endowment for the princess’s father-in-law. Though the belief of historiographers regarding the approval of this fort is still apart, it is uncertain that when the fourth embellish Prince of the Ayashu dynasty of Hunza, Prince Ayasu II, married Shah Khatun, the daughter of Raja Abdal, the swayer of Baltistan. The like fort was elected for its location. Later the marriage of his daughter, King Raja Abdal sent a squad of skilled artisans from his land to the Hunza Valley with a dower who took a share in the construction or refinement of Qila Baltit. Many stories close to the construction of Baltit Fort have been going on for centuries and even nowadays the locals narrate the same stories to the tourists who approach to visit this fort and it is truly extraordinary and interesting on hearing.

 Baltit fort is nearest to Tibetan architecture in terms of magnifying, architecture, and position both are situated at a heightened place and both have the same design. In 1945 the Mir of Hunza leftover the fort and moved to some other castle. The fort gradually started to tumble and if the destructions were not stopped straightaway, maybe this fort was no longer usable here. But gratefully. In the 1990s, it was handed over to the Aga Khan Trust by the Mir family of Hunza, who finished the renovation deed and sour it into a museum, which is now managed by the Baltit Heritage Trust. The renovation helped to conserve this most cherished part of the heritage of Hunza. You can also see the magnificent view of Hunza valley from the fort along with Rakaposhi, Diran peak, lady finger, and many more attractive tourist spots. 

The royal kitchen

The fort has a sum of 62 gates and 53 rooms. The primary floor is affable from all sides, while the second floor houses the guest place and the majestic courtyard, where the Hunza rulers ruled for many years. The area where the rulers used to possess court is still preserved here and tourists are not allowed to sit around in this plot. The third floor is said to have been the position of the Hunza rulers. In the room of the Mir of Hunza is constitute an oven-like stone where the king’s wine was kept. There is still a hollow at the asshole of the usual get-together plot. It is said that when a citizen came to the king with a weep, he offered the primitive proposal that was placed in the hollow. It was common in the form of wheat, barley, apricots, or alternative good. The ground floor consists chiefly of warehouses and suites where diet items were stored. According to custom, the basement was used as a prison house where criminals were likewise punished. The reason behind the construction of this fort at a very transcendental place was to keep themselves protected from their enemies and likewise, the doors are so tiny that whenever the enemy enters it is affable to shoot them or catch them. Apart from that the feeble guns, the rug dangling on the wall, the majestic robes of the king and queen, the majestic kitchen, and respective pictures of the rulers of the Mir families are preserved in the museum which helps people to reflect and interprets the life 700 years onward.

 So, are you ready to explore this amazing landmark building and go back to the 8th century for a while? If yes then must design your trip to Pakistan and Baltit Fort for worthy more fun and accumulation of fantastic information.