Type: Monument - Fort
Province: Azad Jammu and Kashmir
District: Muzaffarabad
Period: Historic
Relative Chronology: 1526 - 1857 CE
Description: The site is located in the main city of Muzaffarabad and on the western bank of the Neelum River. It is also called Rutta Qila, which literally means Red Fort in English. The fort was for the first time built by the Chak rulers of Kashmir during 1559 by realizing the potential threat from the Mughals. The fort was, thus, built to serve as a raised defensive post, in order to counter foreign offenses - a strategically important location appearing to be chosen for building this fort. This fort was built to develop a second line of defense after Fateh Garh Fort at Dub Gali Pass, towards the west of Muzaffarabad. The Red Fort can be classified into three terraces, the main gate, on the eastern side, is the uppermost terrace. The second lower terrace of the fort, once had stairs. Despite the massive damage to it by the earthquake of 2005, the fort still stands with all its inherent glory, grandeur, and history. The fort is tentatively assigned to the 16th century CE.
Latitude: 34.382189390
Longitude: 73.464810036
Ownership: Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Legal Status: Protected by Azad Jammu & Kashmir Preservation and Protection of Antiquities Act, 1986
Title of Publication: Threat to the Cultural Heritage of Pakistan Survey and Documentation of Tangible and Intangible Heritage of Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan
Published In: Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 2020
Year of Publication: 2020
Bibliography/Reference: Khan, Ashraf, Ghani-ur-Rahman
