Altit Fort
Encyclopedia
Altit Fort is an ancient fort above Karimabad in the Hunza valley
in the Northern Areas
of Pakistan
. It was home to the hereditary rulers of the Hunza
state who took the title Mir
. Altit Fort is more than one thousand years old the shikari tower is 1100 years old which makes it the oldest monument in the gilgit-baltistan area of Pakistan.Today Altit Fort is a tourist site which opened to the public in 2007.
The Altit Fort was in great disrepair, but has been restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Historic Cities Support Programme.
The word altit means this side down and is a Tibetan word. all the architecture is taken from Tibet. a groom was brought here by Tibetans from shigar. he brought 120 groom guests with him his brides name was shah khatun who brought shia islam to the valley
the fort was built in an year.
The people of altit are said to belong to the white huns although it is still a theory and not much research has gone into the matter. htit is said that the present language bruchiski was brought here by the white huns in 47 A.D. the first name for altit village was hunukushal which means the village of the huns. the huns came from the huang-ho valley of china. after hunukushal the name changed to broshal, which means the village of bruchiski speakers. these people were spirit worshippers or shamanism was in practice. in the 15th century shia islam was brought and around 1830 they converted in ismailism.
Hunza Valley
The Hunza Valley is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The Hunza valley is situated to the north of the Hunza River, at an elevation of around . The territory of Hunza is about...
in the Northern Areas
Northern Areas
Gilgit-Baltistan , is the northernmost political entity within Pakistan. It borders Pakistan's Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province to the west, Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor to the north, China to the east and northeast, Azad Kashmir to the southwest, and Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to the...
of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It was home to the hereditary rulers of the Hunza
Hunza (princely state)
Hunza was a princely state in the northernmost part of the Northern Areas of Pakistan until 1974. The state was also known as Kanjut. The state bordered the Gilgit Agency to the south, the former princely state of Nagar to the east, China, to the north and Afghanistan to the northwest. The state...
state who took the title Mir
Mir (title)
Mir is a title which is derived from the Arabic title Emir or Amir . It was adopted in many languages under Islamic influence, such as Persian , Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, meaning leader of a group or tribe in Iran, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.-Title:In Iran, mir has also been formally used as a...
. Altit Fort is more than one thousand years old the shikari tower is 1100 years old which makes it the oldest monument in the gilgit-baltistan area of Pakistan.Today Altit Fort is a tourist site which opened to the public in 2007.
The Altit Fort was in great disrepair, but has been restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Aga Khan Trust for Culture
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network . It focuses on the revitalization of communities in the Muslim world—physical, social, cultural, and economic...
Historic Cities Support Programme.
The word altit means this side down and is a Tibetan word. all the architecture is taken from Tibet. a groom was brought here by Tibetans from shigar. he brought 120 groom guests with him his brides name was shah khatun who brought shia islam to the valley
the fort was built in an year.
The people of altit are said to belong to the white huns although it is still a theory and not much research has gone into the matter. htit is said that the present language bruchiski was brought here by the white huns in 47 A.D. the first name for altit village was hunukushal which means the village of the huns. the huns came from the huang-ho valley of china. after hunukushal the name changed to broshal, which means the village of bruchiski speakers. these people were spirit worshippers or shamanism was in practice. in the 15th century shia islam was brought and around 1830 they converted in ismailism.
See also
- Baltit FortBaltit FortBaltit Fort or Balti Fort is an ancient fort in the Hunza valley in the Northern Areas of Pakistan.In former times survival of the feudal regimes of Hunza was ensured by the impressive Baltit fort, that sit on top of Karimabad. The foundations of the fort are said to date back around 700 years, but...
- Karimabad (Hunza)Karimabad (Hunza)Karimabad is the capital of Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan. Karimabad is also known as Baltit. It is named after Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual head of Shia Ismaili Nizari community. The Guardian ranked it as the 12th Best Tourist Site in Pakistan.-See also:*Hunza...
- HunzaHunza (princely state)Hunza was a princely state in the northernmost part of the Northern Areas of Pakistan until 1974. The state was also known as Kanjut. The state bordered the Gilgit Agency to the south, the former princely state of Nagar to the east, China, to the north and Afghanistan to the northwest. The state...