Sheikhupura Fort ( Punjabi, ) is a Mughal-era fort built in 1607 near the city of

Sheikhupura Sheikhupura ( pa, ; ur, ) also known as Qila Sheikhupura, is a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. Founded by the Mughal Empire, Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Jehangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the List of most populous citie ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, Although, there is no conclusive evidence supporting this, the

Tuzk-e-Jahangiri ''Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri'' or ''Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri'' ( fa, ) or Jahangir-nama ( fa, ) is the autobiography of Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1569–1627). Also referred to as ''Jahangirnama'', the ''Tuzk-e-Jahangiri'' is written in Persian, and follows the ...

mentions that the Emperor assigned the job of constructing the Fort to Sikandar Moeen on his hunting trip to Hiran Minar in 1607AD. It was built during the reign of

Emperor Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

. The fort was drastically altered during the Sikh-era, with numerous buildings constructed - some with exquisite Sikh-era frescoes. In 1808, the fort was conquered by the six-year-old of

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

, Prince Kharak Singh. Ranjit Singh granted this fort as “Jagir”, in 1811 to his wife and the prince's mother,

Maharani Datar Kaur Maharani Datar Kaur (born Bibi Raj Kaur Nakai; (c. 1784– 20 June 1838) was the queen consort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire and the mother of his successor, Maharaja Kharak Singh. She was the daughter of Sardar Ran ...

who had a considerable role in its rehabilitation and lived in it to her last day. In mid 19th century when power turned to the British, the fort of Sheikhupura was used for the 'house arrest' of Maharaja’s last queen,

Maharani Jind Kaur Maharani Jind Kaur ( – 1 August 1863) was regent of the Sikh Empire from 1843 until 1846. She was the youngest wife of the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh, and the mother of the last Maharaja, Duleep Singh. She was renowned fo ...

the mother of

Maharaja Duleep Singh Maharaja Sir Duleep Singh, GCSI (4 September 1838 – 22 October 1893), or Sir Dalip Singh, and later in life nicknamed the "Black Prince of Perthshire", was the last ''Maharaja'' of the Sikh Empire. He was Maharaja Ranjit Singh's youngest son, ...

. The fort is located near the

Hiran Minar Hiran Minar ( ur, ; or ''"The Deer Tower"'') is an early 16th-century Mughal era complex located in Sheikhupura, in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The complex was built at the site of a game reserve in honour of Mughal Emperor Jahangir's ...

, built as a memorial for the pet antelope of Emperor Jahangir. The fort was heavily damaged but it is repaired and now open for tourists.

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File:Sheikhupura Fort white haveli inside paintings 5.jpg File:Sheikhupura Fort white haveli inside paintings 3.jpg File:Sheikhupura Fort white haveli inside paintings 2.jpg File:Sheikhupura Fort white haveli inside paintings 4.jpg File:Sheikhupura Fort four storey Haveli.jpg File:Sheikhupura Fort Facade.jpg File:Sheikhupura Fort White Haveli.jpg File:Sheikhupura Fort outside view of Fort wall.jpg File:Sheikhupura Fort white Haveli.jpg File:Sheikhupura Fort inside paintings.jpg File:Sheikhupura Fort Haveli fron elevation.jpg

References

{{Castles in Pakistan Forts in Punjab, Pakistan Sheikhupura District 1607 establishments in Asia

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See also

References