Founded in the 8th century CE, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list since 2004.

[1] The Mirs of Hunza abandoned the fort in 1945, and moved to a new palace down the hill.

The fort started to decay which caused concern that it might possibly fall into ruin.

Following a survey by the Royal Geographical Society of London a restoration programme was initiated and supported by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Historic Cities Support Programme.

The programme was completed in 1996 and the fort is now a museum run by the Baltit Heritage Trust.