Skardu Fort
_p232_ISKARDO_FORT.jpg) Skardu Fort or Kharpocho (Balti: کھر فچو; Urdu: قلعہ سکردو), meaning The king of Forts, is a fort in Skardu in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The fort mainly served as a military stronghold and strategic lookout. Australian mountaineer and film maker Greg Child writes that the fort is "perched above the junction of the rivers" and overlooks the Rock of Skardu.[1] HistoryThe fort was built by king Ali Sher Khan Anchan at the end of the sixteenth century.[2] The fort remained capital of Maqpoon dynasty till the fall of the Maqpoon monacrch Ahmad Shah at the hands of Dogras in 18th century.[3] During his invasion of Baltistan in 1840, the Dogra general Zorawar Singh stormed it and razed it to the ground.[4][5] The fort remains in a state of disrepair, with no visible maintenance efforts. However, the access path has recently been made safer through the installation of metal railings. The fort remains open to public with no entry fee. Dogra FortZorawar Singh had another fort built on level ground next to the Kharpocho hill. The fort remained till the First Kashmir War in 1947, when the Gilgit Scouts laid a siege to it fighting against the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces under the command of Lt. Col. Sher Jung Thapa. Thapa eventually surrendered after running out of rations.[6][7][8] See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to Skardu Fort. Gallery
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