Following the Mughal conquest of Kashmir, Akbar carried out his first architectural project in Srinagar of creating a fortress atop Hari Parbat.

[2] The rampart encloses a more recent fortification, built by Atta Mohammad Khan, the longest-serving governor of Kashmir under the Afghan Durrani Empire.

The Durrani fort structure utilizes the same construction method as the Akbar-era ramparts of Nāgar Nagar (stone rubble masonry).

Hamdani notes that the Durrani fort displays less strength and durability than the Mughal structures, opining that this may have been due to the turbulent and ephemeral nature of Afghan rule in Kashmir.

By 23 October 1846, Imamuddin lifted the siege and surrendered, allowing Gulab Singh to fully take possession of the fort and province.