Attock Fort ( ur, ) was built at
Attock Khurd
Attock Khurd ( ur, ; ''"''Little Attock''"'') is a small town located beside the Indus River in the Attock District of Punjab Province in Pakistan. Khurd and Kalan are Persian words, themselves derived from Sanskrit (''Kshudra'' means "sm ...
during the reign of
Akbar from 1581 to 1583 under the supervision of
Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi to protect the passage of the
River Indus
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
.
Attock was briefly captured on 28 April 1758 by the
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...
and became the northern boundary of the Maratha Empire.
Ahmad Shah Durrani recaptured Attock and halted the Maratha advance in the north permanently after the
Third Battle of Panipat. It featured a prominent role in
Afghan-Sikh Wars during the
Battle of Attock.
History
The fort was constructed in 1581 on the orders of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Construction was completed in two years after which the fort was used as a key defense line against Afghan invaders. The fort was captured in 1758 by Raghunath Rao, Sidhojiraje, Sabaji Shinde
Gharge-Desai-Shinde (Deshmukh) and Marathas. The fort was captured in 1812 by Sikhs and the British took over the fort later. After the
Partition of India, Pakistan Army took control of the fort.
It became headquarters of the 7th division of Pakistan Army.
In 1956, the fort was handed over to the Special Services Group (SSG), a special operations force of the Pak Army.
Today the fort remains in control of the SSG.
Location
It is sandwiched between Peshawar Road on one side and the River
Indus on the other.
It is located at a distance of 80km from the capital city of Islamabad. As its a military base, visitors are not allowed inside the fort.
Features
The fort consists of 4 gates and its parameter wall is 1600m long. The gates are named the Delhi gate, Lahori Gate, Kabuli Gate and Mori Gate.
See also
*
List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Pakistan
*
List of forts in Pakistan
The following is a partial list of forts and castles in Pakistan:
See also
* Tourism in Pakistan
* List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Pakistan
* List of museums in Pakistan
* Lahore Fort
* Rohtas Fort
* Noor Mahal
* Derawar Fort
Refer ...
*
List of museums in Pakistan
This is a list of museums, galleries, and related building structures in Pakistan.
Museums and galleries
Archaeological and historical museums
* Harappa Museum, Harappa
* Baha ...
References
{{Castles in Pakistan
Forts in Punjab, Pakistan
Attock District