Shigar Fort Palace

The Shigar Fort - Palace is located 30 km away from the town of Skardu, Baltistan, on the bank of the Shigar stream, and lies on route to the Baltoro glacier and the famous K2 Mountain. Locally known as Fong Khar, meaning the fort on the rock, the Shigar Palace was once the seat of the ruling dynasty of Shigar. Although the fort appears to be a singular integrated mass of building, it is actually a collection of three adjacent structures, each built in a different style during a different time period. The site has forty rooms of varying sizes, including a kitchen, servant quarters, and a family mosque. The timber -framed elements of the fort gleam with a Kashmiri and Tibetan artistic influence richly embellished with carvings of animal figures, floral designs, and geometric patterns. There is a Mughal style garden on the forts east that houses the remains of a Baradari (covered pavilion) on an elevated square platform. The moat around the platform may once have been a water pool surrounding the Baradari, a typical feature of Mughal gardens. There is a large garden to the north of the fort, and the Chinpa settlement and chaara (communal open space) lie to its west. The remains of an even older fort are situated on the edge of a cliff, visible on the eastern side of the Shigar Fort. Some materials from this old fort were reused in the construction of the present fort.