The Spectacular Baltit Fort of Hunza

By Syed Asghar Javed Shirazi

Historic Baltit Fort is at a short walk from Karimabad, Hunza. Around 700 years old castle has been rebuilt a number of times during the centuries it has seen. The present structure was constructed some 600 years ago and the architecture reflects a marked Tibetan influence. The story goes that a Princess from Baltistan married the local Thum and she brought in Balti masons, carpenters and craftsmen to build it and it. According to local legends, 300 labourers for the construction of the Fort were also part of the royal dowry of the Princess from Baltistan. In former times this impressive fort ensured the survival of Hunza regimes. But even before the Fort is reached, the old cobbled streets of Baltit village spanned by easily defensible archways seem to provide enough of a deterrent to all but the boldest of intruders. Within the fort itself, narrow stairs with a small opening into the living quarters on the first floor are features, which must have helped ensure that the ruling Thum stayed out of harms way.

The Fort stands on a natural citadel of a hillock overlooking the Valley and makes a fine vintage point to view high peaks that surrounds the Valley. While there is a splendid observation of Hunza from the Thums’ balcony on the first floor, the best view is from the roof, which is gained after an equally guarded ascent. There were excellent views even at night: the village lights and the stars overhead all seem mixed up. There are 53 rooms in the Fort. The designers extensively used wood during construction. The intricate woodwork on windows, doors, columns and railings is testimony to the artistic expertise of those who executed the work. The Fort served as residence of Hunza rulers until they abandoned it and shifted their residence to another fort down the valley.

The Baltit Fort was honoured with prestigious “British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award” for the year 2001. This is the first of its kind award to any heritage site in Pakistan. As per the report, “the nearest to the Baltit Fort for this award were heritage sites in India, Indonesia, Britain and Australia.”

The Fort was the property of the Mirs of Hunza for over several centuries. The present owners presented this historical monument to Baltit Heritage Trust for complete restoration and renovation. Good job done. The Fort has now been converted into a museum displaying the lifestyle of the ruling Mir family and the people of the princely state, history and culture of Hunza.

The original seat of authority of Hunza Thums was Altit Fort - situated in the village of Altit, about 3 km from Karimabad. The Mirs of Hunza abandoned the Baltit Fort in 1945, and moved to this down the hill. It has been built on a sheer rock-cliff that falls 1000 feet into the Hunza River, and is much older than the Baltit Fort. Unlike Baltit, Altit Fort has not been renovated.

Travelling to the Hunza Valley in the past required walking (or driving a wretched track) through the roughest mountain glen on earth but these days one can commute on Karakorum Highway – ranked one of the highest highways in the world - to reach Karimabad – principal town in the Valley.

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Gilgit – the China Town of Pakistan

It was awhile ago that I along with my family decided to see Khunjrab Pass – it was a rather hasty decision and hence we did not cater for the hurdles en route and the total length of journey and the leave that I have. And we just left by road. Although, Gilgit is connected by air with Islamabad but due to uncertain weather, road travel is much preferred.. Though some tourists choose to travel Gilgit by air since the road travel between Islamabad and Gilgit by Karakoram Highway takes nearly 18 hours, whereas the air travel takes a mere 45-50 minutes. 

We took the N-5 and stayed a night at Abottabad. Early next morning we reached Mansehra and from there we headed towards Pattan – where a Road Maintenance Battalion of the Frontier Works Organization is stationed (the unit is responsible for the repair/maintenance of the Karakoram Highway – the KKH).  Next morning our journey resumed and soon we were on the right bank of the roaring Indus river with its gushy muddy water ( far different from its rather bluish water at Attock). At Thakot, we crossed Indus and now we started moving on the left of the river. The small town en route were Chilas, Dasu, Besham.

Near Gilgit, the KKH branches off and continues to head towards Khunjrab Pass through Hunza (Karimabad) and Sost. We finally reached Gilgit in the evening – which is the hub of various valleys to the North Hunza and China. To the South, Diamar, Kohistan and Swat. To the East Skardu and Kashmir, and to the West Ghezir and Chitral.  Here we were told that the air service had been suspended for the last five days and while thanking our stars for choosing to travel by road, we had a pity on tourists stranded for days altogether in hotels and messes.

The Gilgit bazaars are infested with Chinese good, decoration pieces, cloth and what not – it looked like a mini China Town. While my wife got busy in looking for Chinese cloth, we window-shopped for Chinese decoration pieces and carpets. By the time we came back, we had loads of small decoration pieces and naturally ladies garments.

There is much to be seen other than Chinese stuff in and around Gilgit. There is a monument to commemorate the fact that the boy scouts of Gilgit were the spark that set the flame in the battle between Pakistan and India for supremacy over Kashmir.  Two miles out of town there are a pair of Buddha's carved in to a high rock. They go back to the 5-th century. From where we parked our car, the path up to the rocks was a nice hike – and the carving looked really awesome. I admired those who did this.

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One bright sunny day morning, we kicked off towards Khunjrab Top – but luck was not in our favour. Near Hunza, we were told that the road ahead was blocked and wont be open for days. So the trip ended in a mere flop and we could only visit Karimabad and the Baltit Fort – something one mustn’t miss when in Gilgit. This wooden fort is a class of its own. The fort is said to date back around 700 years. The architectural style is a clear indication of Tibetan influence in Baltistan at the time. The Fort is also listed as one of the UNO sponsored world heritage architecture. On our way back, we stopped to eat some of the most delicious apricots in the world – fresh from the apricot gardens. When we asked the garden owner to pack us a few kilos as souvenir for relatives back home, he told us that those apricots were so delicate that they would not withstand the heat even out of Gilgit – still we insisted and true to his words, those melt hardly a few hours out of Gilgit.

The best lunch that I ever had was at a  place from where the mighty Raka Poshi is seen rising from the ground and reaching its pinnacle. The Raka Poshi View Hotel was a small hutment but served us sizzling hot “parathas” with scrambled eggs and hot tea. A feast I would always cherish.

The beautiful valley of Naltar – some 35 kilometers to the south east of Gilgit has lush green pastures and green carpeted ground make it a jewel of the Gilgit. It is a forested (pine) village known for its wildlife and magnificent mountain scenery. It also houses the Skiing School operated by Pakistan Air Force. We were offered a helicopter ride to Naltar but having reached the helipad, we were told that due to extra load, we could not be accommodated – so a golden opportunity was missed out.

Well then we finally returned. En route we also encountered a road block due to falling rocks and had to wait for 4-5 hours till the road was cleared.

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