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The Baltit Fort building is a basically very interesting
wooden and stone structure with mud plaster.
It is a three story building, with granaries
and some stores in the basement on a glacier
moraine hill with man made narrow terraces
for the stability of its ancient
foundations above the ancient cluster
village of Baltit.
By Knight. E.F December
1891
Historically this fortified village of central Hunza, was
called Agaai Koot*, the “Heavenly
Fort” which eventually became Baltit,
because of a slight language influence of
some Balti migrants to Hunza in the early
fifteenth century along with princess Shah
Khaton from Baltistan as craftsmen. Because
in Baltit language the words “Elte and
Delte” are used to say Here and There,
hence from word Elte, to day sister
village of Altit and from word Delte
village of Baltit has manifested.
On the first floor of Baltit Fort, most of the stores, main
kitchen, guards rooms, a dungeon, a winter
guest room, large winter house and private
meeting room are existing connected to each
other through labyrinths. The second floor
of the building contains a very impressive
open terrace with a royal throne under a
beautiful Mogul
style wooden canopy, living rooms, bay
windows with balcony and breath taking views
of the Hunza and Nager valley on both sides
of river Hunza, running from east to west
surrounded by awesome high mountains of
Rakaposhi (7788 mtr),
Diran Peak
(7257 mtr),
Golden Peak (7027 mtr), Ultar (7388 mtr),
Bubulimoting / Leady Finger 6000 mtr high.
On the third floor of the Fort, there is
beautiful tiny mosque with a verandah on two
sides and a shelter for night guards on its
north eastern corner.
By D.L.R. Lorimer 1930s
But the most important and very interesting feature of this
structure is, its wooden cribbage work
called by locals “Kator”, which is
the real reason of its stability over
centuries, despite various natural hazards
until today.
By Gulraiz Ghouri
October 2008
The old
beautiful woodcarvings are very prominent
eye catching impressions of this building,
which are adopted in many new constructions
now in Hunza valley. To have an idea of its
structural arrangement it is helpful to have
a look on these sketches and photos.
*Agaai
is a Shina language word, and its origin is
Sanskrit word Aakaash meaning sky |
