Baltit Fortress The fortification is located on the Karakoram highway near Gilgit (the capital of Gilgit-Baltistan ).
History
The fortress occupies a strategic position in the Hunza Valley, the military garrison controlled the seasonal trans-Karakorum trade between South and Central Asia . The fortress has a rectangular shape and three floors in height. On the ground floor there are mainly left-luggage offices. A staircase leads to the second floor, which is used mainly in the winter months and has an auditorium, guest rooms, a dining room, a kitchen and service rooms. On the third floor there is a summer dining room, reception room and bedrooms.
The Hunza rulers used the fortress as their residence until 1945 . Work on the restoration of the fortress, carried out in 1990, showed that the main structures of the fortress (defensive structures and a stone tower) were built in the VIII century BC. e. The stone tower was supplemented by defensive structures connected with each other by a single passage consisting of small rooms and underground storage rooms. The complex was then expanded by adding a second and third floor. The stone structures of the wall, built in the region of frequent earthquakes , were further strengthened by wooden supports.
Links
- Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Baltic Fort
- The official site of UNESCO. Balti fort