[2] The Mustagh Tower gained attention through a photograph captured by Vittorio Sella during the 1909 Italian expedition to K2.
The picture was taken from the upper Baltoro, from a vantage point located due southeast of the mountain.
[3] Nearly five decades after Vittorio Sella's photograph was taken, in 1956, his image served as inspiration for two separate expeditions that raced to achieve the first ascent of Mustagh Tower.
[4] The British expedition, consisting of John Hartog, Joe Brown, Tom Patey and Ian McNaught-Davis, approached the peak from the Chagaran Glacier on the west side and successfully reached the summit via the Northwest Ridge on July 6.
[5][6] They achieved this feat five days ahead of the French team, consisting of Guido Magnone, fr:Robert Paragot, André Contamine, and Paul Keller, who climbed the mountain from the east.