The construction of the Kharphocho Fort or the “King of Forts “ has been attributed by Hashmatullah (a historian) to Maqpoon Bukha or more correctly Bugha, the founder of the kingdom of the skardu (1490 - 1515 AD) and Mughal historians are of the view that the fort was constructed by Ali Sher Khan Anchan (1560 - 1625 AD) grandson of Maqpoon Bukha, the most famous Ruler of Baltistan.
Fosco Maraini ( a historian ) describes the fort in these words :-“
This ancient pile is perched like a veritable eyrie on rock of tawny hue rising sheer and to immense height from the Indus. It’s site is in effect a massive promontory of rock, 1300 feet in height, washed by the river at its foot. It is almost an island in the midst of the plain, and its choice as a perch for a fortress by the early inhabitants of the valley is not very puzzling one. Even today its battle-mented flanks touch one of the promontory’s lesser peaks with the romance of the age of chivalry. The place enjoys the reputation of impregnability and even in recent time, in the course of the disorders which followed the India Pakistan partition in 1947 , the people of Skardu flocked to it for safety “
SKARDU is the capital city of Baltistan the most popular destinations in Pakistan for the local as well as foreign tourists due to variety of mountains, lakes, forts, deserts, streams and plateaus which are extremely beautiful.
Skardu located in the 10 km wide by 40km long Valley at an altitude of nearly 2,500 at the confluence of the Indus river,the longest river of Pakistan It flows from Tibet northwest across the Indian-controlled portion of Jammu and Kashmir, passing between the western extremity of the Himalayas and the northern extremity of the Hindu Kush mountain range; it then courses generally south through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea.
The town is surrounded by grey-brown coloured mountains, which hide the 8,000 metre peaks of the nearby Karakoram range.
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