Attock Fort

Attock Fort is a historic fort located in Attock, Punjab, Pakistan.

GPGreenPak Field GuidesSourced from Green Tourism Pakistan · 2 min read

Akbar ordered this fort built in 1581 and it was finished in 1583, at the point on the imperial road that could not be left open: the crossing of the Indus where the Kabul river joins it.

Why go

✦Built for Akbar between 1581 and 1583
✦Raised under the supervision of Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, sometime Governor of Lahore
✦Holds the crossing of the Indus at its meeting with the Kabul river
✦The stronghold that controlled the Grand Trunk Road at its most vulnerable point
✦Commanded the trade and military routes between the subcontinent and Central Asia
✦Stands at Attock Khurd, in Hazro tehsil

History

Construction was supervised by Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, who served for a time as Governor of Lahore and spent about five years in the Attock and Hasan Abdal country. He built his own tomb at Hasan Abdal in the same years; the two works are exact contemporaries. Whoever held this bank held the crossing, and with it the Grand Trunk Road and the traffic between the subcontinent and Central Asia.

Historical Significance

The western anchor of Mughal control over the Grand Trunk Road, and one of Akbar's major military works.

Why Visit

Read the fort from the river. The confluence of the Kabul and the Indus explains every decision in its design.

Interesting Facts

Built in just two years, 1581 to 1583
It stands where the Kabul river runs into the Indus
Its supervisor, Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi, built Hakim's Tomb at Hasan Abdal at the same time
It controlled the only practical crossing on the road to Central Asia

Planning tip

Best Time to Visit, October to March.

Getting there, Strung along the Grand Trunk Road between Rawalpindi and Attock, roughly 40–80 km west of Islamabad. Hasan Abdal's monuments cluster together and pair naturally with Taxila.

Allow, Twenty to forty minutes each; a half day for the Hasan Abdal and Attock group.

What to Do

◆Read the fort from the river first — the confluence of the Kabul and the Indus is the reason every part of it is where it is

◆Follow the line of the walls above the crossing and consider what an army on the Grand Trunk Road faced here

◆Pair it with Hakim's Tomb at Hasan Abdal, built in the same years under the same man's supervision

◆Take in the Attock group together: the tomb on the GT Road, Begum ki Sarai and Behram ki Baradari are all within a short drive

Nearby

Straight-line distance from Attock Fort, within 30 km.

Behram ki Baradari

~1 km from Attock Fort

Begum ki Sarai

~1 km from Attock Fort

Hindu Temple-I (East of Indus View Hotel)

~1 km from Attock Fort

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History

What to Do

◆Read the fort from the river first — the confluence of the Kabul and the Indus is the reason every part of it is where it is

◆Follow the line of the walls above the crossing and consider what an army on the Grand Trunk Road faced here

◆Pair it with Hakim's Tomb at Hasan Abdal, built in the same years under the same man's supervision

◆Take in the Attock group together: the tomb on the GT Road, Begum ki Sarai and Behram ki Baradari are all within a short drive