Altit Fort Untold Buried Prince Story
Northern Areas of Pakistan
2015-03-30
Views 14
Altit fort short Story of a prince-who has been buried in standing position inside the structure wall.. he was killed by his father after believing of his sons involvement in a plan against his kingdom-
The strong cultural values and the connection that the natives feel with their history is something we lack in the cities. So struck I was by this phenomenon that I decided to make a journey to the valley of paradise, Hunza.
Altit Fort was on top of my to-see list, I had been told it would be the best place to learn about the origins of its people. While staying at a hotel in Hunza I met Kassim, a local guide who turned out to be a great help in my quest.
The valley's inhabitants are the Burusho — they claim to be the descendants of Greek soldiers who were part of Alexander the Great's army. The same is also commonly accepted about the Pakhtuns of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The people of the ancient city of Altit are said to be the descendants of the progressive agricultural Turkic tribe of Huns from the Persian Empire, A.D 47. It is believed that the first name of the city was Hunukushal, meaning the village of Huns. Considering their mixed ancestry, it is no wonder that the locals have such striking features.
The great Altit Fort was built by the Mirs (ruling family) of Hunza as a display of power to the Mirs of Nagar (twin state) and has stood tall in front of Karakoram since the 11th century.
Not only has it survived many attacks from aggressors but also withstood several earthquakes since it was built, perhaps making it one of the most astonishing architectural structures of its time.
The fort became controversial some 400 years after its construction. In late 1540’s a dispute between two royal brothers of Hunza’s royal family, Prince Shah Abbas, aka, Shabos, and Prince Ali Khan, saw the rise of another fort called the 'Baltit Fort' which soon became the new capital of Hunza.
Prince Ali, the younger brother made Altit Fort his strong hold and launched offensives against his elder brother. Legend has it that Ali was buried alive against a pillar inside the watch tower by Shabos.
In 1891, British forces marched on the streets of Altit, in an attempt to eliminate any potential Russian involvement in the region. As per British norms of occupation, Hunza remained in the hands of the trusted half brother of the ex-chief.
Even after the Indo-Pak partition, Hunza was governed as a princely state but succession continued only till 1972, when socio-politic reforms took away power from the royal family. Altit Fort was later gifted to the Aga Khan Foundation in 1990. Their cultural service department has done a commendable job in restoring the fort which has been operating as a tourist museum since 2007.
In its earlier days, the fort was surrounded by the settlers of the city and traders who would bring along goods from across the world making their way to the land from China through the ancient Silk route, and soon it became a cultural hub of the region.
It is incredible to note that traces of ancient life are still evident in Altit Fort as I looked at the lands from atop the shikari tower and took a stroll inside the fort.
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The strong cultural values and the connection that the natives feel with their history is something we lack in the cities. So struck I was by this phenomenon that I decided to make a journey to the valley of paradise, Hunza.
Altit Fort was on top of my to-see list, I had been told it would be the best place to learn about the origins of its people. While staying at a hotel in Hunza I met Kassim, a local guide who turned out to be a great help in my quest.
The valley's inhabitants are the Burusho — they claim to be the descendants of Greek soldiers who were part of Alexander the Great's army. The same is also commonly accepted about the Pakhtuns of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The people of the ancient city of Altit are said to be the descendants of the progressive agricultural Turkic tribe of Huns from the Persian Empire, A.D 47. It is believed that the first name of the city was Hunukushal, meaning the village of Huns. Considering their mixed ancestry, it is no wonder that the locals have such striking features.
The great Altit Fort was built by the Mirs (ruling family) of Hunza as a display of power to the Mirs of Nagar (twin state) and has stood tall in front of Karakoram since the 11th century.
Not only has it survived many attacks from aggressors but also withstood several earthquakes since it was built, perhaps making it one of the most astonishing architectural structures of its time.
The fort became controversial some 400 years after its construction. In late 1540’s a dispute between two royal brothers of Hunza’s royal family, Prince Shah Abbas, aka, Shabos, and Prince Ali Khan, saw the rise of another fort called the 'Baltit Fort' which soon became the new capital of Hunza.
Prince Ali, the younger brother made Altit Fort his strong hold and launched offensives against his elder brother. Legend has it that Ali was buried alive against a pillar inside the watch tower by Shabos.
In 1891, British forces marched on the streets of Altit, in an attempt to eliminate any potential Russian involvement in the region. As per British norms of occupation, Hunza remained in the hands of the trusted half brother of the ex-chief.
Even after the Indo-Pak partition, Hunza was governed as a princely state but succession continued only till 1972, when socio-politic reforms took away power from the royal family. Altit Fort was later gifted to the Aga Khan Foundation in 1990. Their cultural service department has done a commendable job in restoring the fort which has been operating as a tourist museum since 2007.
In its earlier days, the fort was surrounded by the settlers of the city and traders who would bring along goods from across the world making their way to the land from China through the ancient Silk route, and soon it became a cultural hub of the region.
It is incredible to note that traces of ancient life are still evident in Altit Fort as I looked at the lands from atop the shikari tower and took a stroll inside the fort.
Northern Areas Of Pakistan is your destination for daily Exploring with fresh videos every day.
Follow my social media accounts for daily mind-blowing Destinations.
Subscribe us on YouTube -
https://www.youtube.com/c/NorthernAreasOfPakistan
Follow us on Dailymotion -
http://www.dailymotion.com/northernareasofpakistan
Follow us on Twitter -
https://twitter.com/NorthernAOP
Like us on Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/northernareasofpakistan
Follow us on Instagram -
https://www.instagram.com/northernaop
Follow us on Pinterest -
https://www.pinterest.com/NorthernAOP
If you have any copyright issues then please contact me directly on -
[email protected]
Thanks for taking the time to view Northern Areas Of Pakistan Videos.
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