Altit Fort ( ur, قلعہ التیت) is an ancient fort in the Altit town in the

Hunza valley The Hunza Valley ( bsk, , Wakhi: '; ur, ) is a mountainous valley in the northern part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, formed by the Hunza River, bordering Ishkoman to the northwest, Shigar to the southeast, Afghanistan's Wa ...

Gilgit Baltistan Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. It was originally home to the hereditary rulers of the

Hunza Hunza may refer to: * Hunza, Iran * Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan ** Hunza (princely state), a former principality ** Hunza District, a recently established district ** Hunza River, a waterway ** Hunza Peak, a mou ...

state who carried the title of '

Mir ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

', although they moved to the somewhat younger

Baltit fort Baltit Fort () is a fort in the Hunza valley, near the town of Karimabad, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. Founded in the 8th century CE, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list since 2004. The Mirs of Hunza ...

nearby three centuries later. Altit Fort and in particular the Shikari tower is around 1100 years old, which makes it the oldest monument in the Gilgit–Baltistan. The fort has received the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2011.

History

The word 'Altit' means this side down''' and the area around the fort is inhabited by

Burusho people The Burusho, or Brusho, also known as the Botraj, are an ethnolinguistic group indigenous to the Yasin, Hunza, Nagar, and other valleys of Gilgit–Baltistan in northern Pakistan, as well as in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Their language, Burus ...

. In the 16th century the local prince married a princess from Baltistan who brought master Balti craftsmen to built two forts (Altit and Baltit forts). The people of Altit are said to belong to the White Huns, although not much research has gone into the matter. There are several theories about their origin but local indigenous origin holds much value among the people. It is also said that the present language

Burushaski Burushaski (; ) is a language isolate spoken by Burusho people, who reside almost entirely in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, with a few hundred speakers in northern Jammu and Kashmir, India. In Pakistan, Burushaski is spoken by people ...

was brought here by the White Huns in 47 A.D but there is no link between Burushaski and any other language of today. According to the legend the first name for Altit village was Hunukushal, meaning ''the village of Huns''. The Huns came from the Huang-Ho valley in China. The name later changed to Broshal, translated as ''a village of Bruchiski speakers''. They were spirit worshipers as Shamanism was in practice and also followed Buddhism and Hinduism. In the 15th century Islam was introduced. Around 1830 in turn many converted to

Ismailism Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-S ...

Restoration

Altit Fort, Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan

The Altit Fort was in great disrepair, but has recently been restored by the

Aga Khan Trust for Culture The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a family of institutions created by Aga Khan IV with distinct but complementary mandates to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developin ...

Historic Cities Support Programme and the Government of Norway. It is characterized by small rooms and low portals with exquisite wood carvings. Altit Fort is a tourist site which has been open to the public since 2007.

Tribes

According to the local elders white Huns from the soldier of Alexander started human settlement in Altit when they were on way back from China. It is said that these were the ancestors of the Khanu Kuts tribe of Altit. Presently, majority of households of this tribe are living within the old cluster settlement known as Burum Khan. The Khunu kuts still has the status of Saath Guy; the privilege of starting any activity/event/work/festival within the village. On the other hand, people from Hussain kuts also claim to be the earlier settler in Altit. They claim that Hussain is modified from Hun. It is said that for centuries Hussain kuts remained as a ruling and strong tribe within the village. It is narrated that this tribe was strong and thus creating troubles for the Raja of Gilgit. Therefore, the Raja with the help of other tribes ordered mass killing of the people of this tribe. The origin of different tribes and sub-tribes reveals that people from different regions migrated to Altit and permanently settled down. Presently, the people of Altit belong to one of these four major tribes. These tribes are divided into Gutti. The origin of the sub-tribes may also be different from the major one.

Husain Kuts

It is said that the ancestor of this tribe migrated from Tibet or Ladakh. The local people also relate their arrival with the invasion of Kisar on Altit. The Husain Kuts is divided into below sub-tribes or Gutti: # Bakoo kuts, # Bhuthe kuts, # Faratu kuts, # Ghauin kuts, # Ghulapee kuts, # Matum kuts, # Rosh kuts, # Shalanga kuts, # Shamir kuts, # Shahthurai kuts, # Quttosh kuts

Khano Kuts

According to the elders of this tribe the ancestors of different Gutti migrated from Tajikistan, Zabak, Diamer and Thakar Khan, Hopper, Nagar. Sub-tribes include: # Dhathu kuts # Hun kuts (Laghan kuts) # Jerovf kuts # Bai kuts # Jaturi kuts # Dhudu kuts # Khanjafa kuts # Lachur kuts # Abdulali kuts # Masak Kutz # Fuk kutz

Hukalo Kuts

According to the elders of the tribe, the ancestor of this tribe migrated from Baltistan and was belonging to the Royal family. Later on some other people migrated from Shigar and Nagar and joined this tribe. The tribe is subdivided into below Gutti: # Moankuts a)Mamu kuts, b) Moukuts # Sort kuts # Nazar kutz # Mushkil kuts # Baghorik # Jinu kuts # Bathu kuts # Bulush kuts # Toq kuts # Attakuz # Galyu kutz #Habib Kutz

Shoshorating

According to the elders of the tribe the ancestor of this tribe migrated to Altit from Rome. According to oral traditions some people from Rome migrated to Bakhtar in Eastern Iran where they ruled for about 3–4 years. After that they had a battle with the troops of central government and thus left the area and entered in Afghanistan and to Hidukush region. After many years they reached to the present day Altit and settled there. However, different Gutti relate their origins from different areas. Presently, the tribe has below main Gutti: # Noormuhammed kuts # Almaaz kuts # Khoja kuts # Mumbara kuts # Su kuts # Adai kuts # Muyo kuts # Aman kuts # Ashur kuts # Pashu kuts

Gallery

File:Altit Fort view form basement .jpg, Altit fort Hunza view for basment File:Altit Fort with Hunza Peak.jpg, A view of the Altit Fort taken from the Karakoram Highway, Pakistan. In the background, snow-covered Hunza peak is seen. File:Altit Fort Hunza, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan view from base.jpg, A view of fort from its base File:Altit Fort, Hunza.jpg, View over Hunza from the fort File:Altit Fort interior.jpg, An interior view of fort File:Altit Fort structure made on the rocks.jpg, Altit fort made on the rocks which give a strong base File:Altit Fort structure made with stone, wood and mud .jpg, stone, wood and mud structure made Altit fort strong File:Rooftop of Altit Fort.jpg, Rooftop of Altit fort in Hunza Valley File:Altit Fort structure .jpg, Altit fort structure made with stones and wood

References

External links

Hunza Nagar - Altit FortOriental Architecture - Altit Fort
{{Castles in Pakistan Forts in Gilgit-Baltistan Aga Khan Trust for Culture projects Hunza