Sialkot Fort
Encyclopedia
Sialkot Fort is one of the oldest forts in Pakistan. The city of Sialkot
, which is one of the oldest cities of Pakistan (more than 5000 years old), has historical significance due to the Fort, The well-known historian, Diayas Jee, has stated that Raja Sálbán re-established Sialkot city around the 2nd century CE. and ruled over the area between the rivers Ravi
and Chenab. Sálbán
built the Sialkot Fort (which, at the time, had double walls) for the defence of the city.
Raja Sálbán
, supposedly, used more than 10,000 laborers and masons for the repair and extension of the Fort with huge stone slabs and rocks which were brought to the location from Pathankot
. This work was completed in a stipulated period of two years, at which point, the fort had two huge walls and 12 bastion
s. Raja Salbahan had a great respect for his wife, Rani Achchran, and loved her very much, so he built a very attractive palace for her which was (approximately) 9 square miles (23.3 km²) in area near Roras (Ugoki) and was designed and constructed by the architects and engineers from Greece
. A wonderful road was built from the Fort to Rani Achchran's palace (present-day Sahabpura Road in Sialkot).
From 1179 to 1186, Shahab ud-Din Ghori
occupied Lahore and Sindh. With the help of the Raja of Jammu, he occupied the Sialkot Fort. The Sialkot Fort was given to the Janjua tribes by Sultan Firuz Shah Tughluq
who accepted their suzerainty in that region around late 14th century CE.
Rashid Niaz, another historian who has authored Tareekh-i-Sialkot, has written that the second wall of the ancient Sialkot Fort was discovered by the Sialkot Municipal Corporation in 1923 while carrying out civil works in the city. At that time, archaeology experts from Taxila
and Delhi
visited Sialkot and confirmed that the stone wall (faseel) was 5,000 years old. Later, that wall was re-buried.
At present, few ruins, including a bastion
, are all that is left of the Fort. The Archaeology Department of Punjab
and the district administration have left the historical Sialkot Fort to rot. Among the many ills plaguing it is the growing number of encroachments which are a blot on its face. The offices of the district government are located on the premises of the Fort but none of the officials concerned seems willing to improve the lot of the centuries-old structure.
Sialkot
Sialkot is a city in Pakistan situated in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometers from Indian-controlled Jammu.The...
, which is one of the oldest cities of Pakistan (more than 5000 years old), has historical significance due to the Fort, The well-known historian, Diayas Jee, has stated that Raja Sálbán re-established Sialkot city around the 2nd century CE. and ruled over the area between the rivers Ravi
Ravi River
The Ravi is a trans-boundary river flowing through Northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of the six rivers of the Indus System in Punjab region ....
and Chenab. Sálbán
Sálbán
Raja Sálbán was a King of South Asia in the 2nd century CE, who is believed to have founded the fort of Sialkot. Sialkot is now in the Punjab province of Pakistan, near the country's north eastern border with India....
built the Sialkot Fort (which, at the time, had double walls) for the defence of the city.
Raja Sálbán
Sálbán
Raja Sálbán was a King of South Asia in the 2nd century CE, who is believed to have founded the fort of Sialkot. Sialkot is now in the Punjab province of Pakistan, near the country's north eastern border with India....
, supposedly, used more than 10,000 laborers and masons for the repair and extension of the Fort with huge stone slabs and rocks which were brought to the location from Pathankot
Pathankot
Pathankot became 22nd district on 28th July 2011 and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 AD. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir...
. This work was completed in a stipulated period of two years, at which point, the fort had two huge walls and 12 bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s. Raja Salbahan had a great respect for his wife, Rani Achchran, and loved her very much, so he built a very attractive palace for her which was (approximately) 9 square miles (23.3 km²) in area near Roras (Ugoki) and was designed and constructed by the architects and engineers from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. A wonderful road was built from the Fort to Rani Achchran's palace (present-day Sahabpura Road in Sialkot).
From 1179 to 1186, Shahab ud-Din Ghori
Muhammad of Ghor
Sultan Shahāb-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori , originally called Mu'izzuddīn Muḥammad Bin Sām , was a ruler of the Ghurid dynasty who reigned over a territory spanning present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India.Shahabuddin Ghori reconquered the city of Ghazna Sultan Shahāb-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori...
occupied Lahore and Sindh. With the help of the Raja of Jammu, he occupied the Sialkot Fort. The Sialkot Fort was given to the Janjua tribes by Sultan Firuz Shah Tughluq
Firuz Shah Tughluq
-External links:*...
who accepted their suzerainty in that region around late 14th century CE.
Rashid Niaz, another historian who has authored Tareekh-i-Sialkot, has written that the second wall of the ancient Sialkot Fort was discovered by the Sialkot Municipal Corporation in 1923 while carrying out civil works in the city. At that time, archaeology experts from Taxila
Taxila
Taxila is a Tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab province of Pakistan. It is an important archaeological site.Taxila is situated about northwest of Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi in Panjab; just off the Grand Trunk Road...
and Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
visited Sialkot and confirmed that the stone wall (faseel) was 5,000 years old. Later, that wall was re-buried.
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
, are all that is left of the Fort. The Archaeology Department of Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
and the district administration have left the historical Sialkot Fort to rot. Among the many ills plaguing it is the growing number of encroachments which are a blot on its face. The offices of the district government are located on the premises of the Fort but none of the officials concerned seems willing to improve the lot of the centuries-old structure.