Field guides / Punjab / Attock Fort
Field guide · Heritage
Attock Fort
Attock Fort is a historic fort located in Attock, Punjab, Pakistan.
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
Make Attock Fort Part of a Trip
GreenPak resorts within reach, and the journeys that travel this region.
Nearby
Straight-line distance from Attock Fort, within 30 km.
