Chitral Fort

Chitral Fort
قلعہ چترال
Chitral Fort, Chitral
Location within Pakistan
General information
Location	Lower Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Country	Pakistan
Coordinates	35°51′18″N 71°47′30″E / 35.8551°N 71.7917°E / 35.8551; 71.7917

The Chitral Fort is a fortification in Chitral town, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.^[1] The fort is situated on the banks of the Chitral River. Chitral Fort, City of Chitral was constructed by Maharaja of Parmar Rajputs, before the 3rd century, which occupied the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. In the 3rd century AD, Kanishka, the ruler of the Kushan Empire, occupied Chitral. In the 4th century AD, the Chinese overran the valley. Raees rule over Chitral began in 1320 and came to an end in the 15th century. From 1571 onwards Chitral was the capital of the princely state of Chitral under the rule of the Katur Dynasty^[2].

The fort has a commanding position on the river and is believed to have been built in 1774 during the reign of Mohtaram Shah Katur II and restored in 1911 by His Highness Sir Shuja ul-Mulk.^[3] The compound used to house the barracks of the guards of Mehtar of Chitral.^[3]

The fort was declared as the personal property of the last ruler of Chitral following the merger of Chitral State in 1969. It is now occupied by the current ceremonial Mehtar, Fateh-ul-Mulk Ali Nasir who has renovated the old Darbar Hall and state rooms following damage sustained during the earthquake of 2015.

The Chitral Expedition was a military expedition in 1895 sent by the British authorities to relieve the fort which was under siege after a local coup. After the death of the old ruler, power changed hands several times. An intervening British force of about 400 men was besieged in the fort until it was relieved by two expeditions, a small one from Gilgit and a larger one from Peshawar.^[4][5]

• Chitral Valley
• Chitral (princely state)
• List of forts in Pakistan