- Type
- Fortress
- Origins
- c. 1580 · 16th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Style
- Mughal architecture
- Commissioned by
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Akbar
- Coordinates
- 33.8917°, 72.2369°
History
The fort was built in 1581–1583 on the orders of Emperor Akbar, who commissioned it on his way back from a campaign to Kabul, with his administrator Khwaja Shamsuddin overseeing the work. It stands opposite the mouth of the Kabul River at a crossing of the Indus used by armies from Alexander the Great to Babur, and was meant to shield India from invasions from Afghanistan. The Marathas took it in 1758, it soon returned to the Afghan Durranis, and in 1813, after the Battle of Attock, it fell to the Sikh Empire, which strengthened the gates with massive bastions in the 1830s. The British took over after annexing the Punjab in 1849, and after Partition the fort passed to the Pakistan Army; since 1956 it has been the base of the Special Service Group.
What to see
The fort is an active military base and visitors are not allowed inside. The walls, about 1,600 metres round with six gates and round bastions, can be seen from outside, especially from the Peshawar road and the bridges over the Indus. The Mughal caravanserai of Begum Ki Sarai stands right next to it.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q3694892
Popularity: articles about this site in 10 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).