Altit Fort - A Living Tale of Hunza's History

by Hassan Ali (Pakistan)

I didn't expect to find Pakistan

We never take enough time out of the day to question the flow of life. We use calendars, schedules, itineraries or virtual assistants to mold our lives down to the infinitesimal of details but oftentimes life finds ways to surprise us. Just like how I didn’t expect to find myself posing next to a nameless vertical tomb, it wasn't something I ever aspired to do either but it did happen. This surprise came when I visited the Altit Fort. The Tibetan architecture inspired fort that was built by Hunza's Mir dynasty, the rulers of Hunza State, as a show of power to the Mirs of Nagar, who ruled the rivaling Nagar state situated across the Hunza river. The fort is surrounded by Altit Town where I met my guide Kareem. He walked me through the history of the fort on our way to its entrance. He spoke of its 1100 years old existence and of the rulers that resided it. He then told about a dispute that erupted nearly 700 years ago between the sons of the then ruler Sultan, Prince Shaboos and his younger brother Prince Alikhan over rightful inheritance of the throne which led to Prince Shaboos moving to a newer built Baltit fort while Prince Alikhan consolidated his power within the Altit Fort and later launched an offensive against his brother. As he was narrating the history, we walked into this towering structure standing 1000 feet above the Hunza river. The fort had an imposing demeanor, singing songs praising the might of its rulers that inhabit it but all in silence. The tan aging walls of the fort showed a few signs of decay but that didn't take anything away from its persona. If anything it only added to the charm of it like that of a fine gentleman's graying sideburns. Once I hunched inside the local's-physique-appropriate door, Kareem showed me around the fort and introduced me to the lifestyle of the royals. The first room from the entrance was the common room where the Mir of Hunza answered calls from his people or visitors. The conference room where he held meetings with his aides. The kitchen had samples of the crockery made of brass and copper. The bedroom surprisingly did not have a bed in it, as its tradition in Hunza to sleep on the floor, but there was a fully-functional solar clock. The balcony of the Mir's bedroom had the most picturesque view ever to have blessed my retinas. The balcony overlooked those snow-capped mountains where the Hunza river can be seen piercing through the white blankets of snow in a beautiful stream of blue for miles. The fort also had a dungeon. Yes, a dungeon. It had barely enough room to fit a person but I was informed it had hosted more than a few at times depending on the magnitude of their crimes. If the scope of the crimes exceeded the criteria of being imprisoned in a tiny dungeon, they were taken to a designated sight to throw them off a cliff. Mutiny happened to qualify for that punishment. When I looked down the last path the rebels took, the brash mountain edges and the stone-filled landing looked painful enough to repel any rebellious thoughts I would have had. After visiting all the quarters of the house we came back to the common room and Kareem continued with the story. Prince Shaboos eventually emerged victorious and Baltit Fort became the prime seat of power of Hunza state. "Was the younger brother then imprisoned or thrown off the cliff?" I inquired, Kareem answered he was buried inside the Altit Fort to subdue any remaining dissenting voices and to quell the idea of any future revolts. He pointed towards the mud-pillar that I leaned against to click a picture, which I now know was a vertical tomb of a dissenting royal serving almost as a welcome mat for visitors of the Fort. The thought unsettled me but there it was for 700 years now and there it shall be for centuries to come, conveying the exact message that Prince Shaboos intended to deliver without uttering a single word, for eternity now.