Altit Fort is one of the most beautiful surviving fort located in Hunza Valley, Pakistan. The giant walls and unique structure of the fort concealing some of the intricately beautiful architecture in Pakistan. Altit Fort is one of the oldest standing forts at the confluence of Hunza and Nagar valleys, just above the river and ancient silk route. It is also known as the ‘birthplace’ of the Hunza Kingdom. Altit is a Tibetan word which means ‘this side down’.

It is believed that the early human settlement in Altit started with the White Huns, the soldiers of Alexander the Great when they were on their way back to China. There are many theories regarding the early settlements in the region but no such research has gone into the matter. Historic accounts state that the White Huns brought the Burushaski language to this region in 47 A.D yet there is no connection between Burushaski and some other languages of today. The Altit Village is also associated with White Huns, the village was originally known as Hunukushal which means the Village of the Huns. They were the followers of Shamanism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. During the 15th century, Islam was introduced into the region. Currently, a large number of people are following Ismailism.

According to historic reference, White Huns were ancestors of the Khanu Kuts tribe of Altit. Still, a large number of Khanu Kuts families are living inside the old group settlement known as Burum Khan and enjoy privileged status. Hussain kuts is another tribe in the region that claimed themselves as the earlier settlers in Altit. According to them, Hussain is derived from Hun. It was quite a powerful tribe in the region for centuries and thus creating problems for the Raja of Gilgit. Therefore, on the orders of Raja, a large number of people of the Hussain kuts tribe died in mass killing. The diverse culture and ethnicities in this region show that people from different regions of the world came to Altit and permanently settled down here.

The ancient Altit Fort was constructed in the 11th century by the ruling Mir family of Hunza to show their power to Mirs of Nagar. It is still quite significant not only in terms of its history but also in terms of its majestic architecture. The unique structure is over 1,000 feet above the Hunza River, and it’s the only tower known as the Shikari tower that was used as a strategic chokepoint for reconnaissance and defense, as well as to keep an eye over foreign threats and attacks, for example, Russians and Chinese armies of that time. It is said that the tower was not only used for surveillance purposes but also to throw off prisoners on death row.

For many decades, the fort was a cultural center of the sorts in the region. Traders from around the globe would bring their goods and have dealt with the colonizers of the city at the fort. It is still quite significant not only in terms of its history but also in terms of its majestic architecture.

The British army in 1891 marched on the streets of Altit to defeat the Russian Army in the region. But after the partition of the Subcontinent, Hunza governed as a princely state till 1972. In 990 the great Altit Fort was later gifted to the Aga Khan Foundation. It was restored in 2007 by its cultural service department fort which has been operating as a tourist museum. One thing incredible about the fort is that ancient life is still evident in Altit Fort. It is delightful to see that everything in the fort stairs has been restored to truthfully.