Background
Ayasho II, Tham/Mir (ruler) of Hunza valley, who wed Princess Shah Khatoon (Sha Qhatun) from Baltistan in the early 15th century, is credited with creating Baltit Fort’s rich splendor 700 years ago.
In the subcontinent’s past, monarchs and princes frequently constructed opulent castles and palaces for their mistresses. Every king seemed to have gone above and beyond to express his love, as evidenced by the Taj Mahal and the Noor Mahal.
As a dowry for the princess’s father-in-law, a ruler picked and constructed an old fort in the heart of the Karakoram mountain range in northern Pakistan for his daughter. Although historians disagree on the exact date that this fort was built, Prince Ayasu II, the fourth Crown Prince of the Hunza-valley-based Ayashu dynasty, married Shah Khatun, the daughter of Raja Abdal, the ruler of Baltistan.
