Attock Fort was raised in 1581 over a period of 2 years and 2 months under the supervision of Khawaja Shams-ud-din on the directive of the Mughal Emperor Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar. The main purpose of Attock was to guard the passage through the Indus River and defend the Mughal lands from Afghan invasions.

The fort was a military garrison on the western frontiers of the Mughal Empire. It remained under Mughal control up until the end of the 18th century. In 1812 the fort was captured by the Sikhs. It eventually came into British control in 1846. Under British rule the fort defenses were upgraded and it became much stronger. It remained under their control until the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

The fort has 4 gates, namely the Delhi Gate, Mori Gate, Lahori Gate and Kabuli Gate. Delhi Gate is in the center of the fort and links the upper and lower parts of the fort. Mori Gate is the entry point to the upper fort in the east. Lahori Gate is an entry point to the lower part of the fort in the south. The Kabuli Gate is the fort’s gate in the south-east part.

Some Facts About the Fort:

• The fort is an example of Mughal Architecture and was built from 1581-1583.
• It played a crucial role during the Afghan-Sikh wars, especially during the Battle of Attock.
• Attock Fort is about 80km away from the city of Islamabad.
• The parameter wall of the fort stretches over 1600m.
• The fort is accessible by the Grand Trunk Road and through a bridge from Peshawar.
• In 1947 after Pakistan’s creation, the fort became the headquarters of the 7th Division of the Pakistan Army.
• In 1956, the fort was handed over to the 3rd Commando battalion of the Special Service Group(SSG) called ‘Powindhas’. SSG are the special operations force of the Pakistan Army.
• The fort was handed over to the 1 Commando ‘Yaldram’ battalion of SSG in 1996.
• The Yaldram battalion remained at the fort until 1st April 2012 when it was handed over to the 6 Commando or the ‘Al-Samsaam’ battalion of SSG.
• The Fort remains under the control of the Special Service Group(SSG) of the Pakistan Army.
• Apart from this, the fort is also quite famous for being the place where Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was imprisoned after the military coup by General Pervez Musharraf in 1999.
• As the fort is a military base, it’s closed to visitors in general. Any unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter the base.

The Wazir Khan Mosque is situated in Lahore, Pakistan. It is accessed easiest by the Delhi gate and located inside the Inner City. It covers an area of 85m x 48m and admired for its beautiful construction and fancy tile work. The Mosque is a popular tourist attraction, attracting visitors that come to offer prayers or to see and admire its unique construction.

Here are a few facts about the Wazir Khan Mosque:

• Construction of the Mosque started in 1634-1635 AD and took seven years to complete.
• It has 5 domes and 4 minarets in total, with the highest minaret being 100 feet.
• The mosque is also featured in a scene of the film “Khuda Ke Liye (For God Sake)”.
• Besides this, it’s also home to the tomb of Muslim Saint Syed Muhammad Ishaq which lies in the inner courtyard.
• The mosque also has a ablution tank in the middle of the courtyard where worshipers perform wudu(ablution).
• The mosque is home to some of the finest tile work from the Mughal period.
• The west side contains the prayer chamber, divided by large piers into five compartments.
• The eastern side is home to to a gallery, leading on to a magnificent spiral staircase up to the roof.
• The Wazir Khan mosque was built by Shaikh llm-ud-din Ansari who later became a physician and governor of Lahore. He become known as Wazir Khan, hence the name of the Wazir Khan mosque.

The Wazir Khan Mosque is a truly wonderful architectural construction. It is said you have to visit and see the mosque in person to fully understand and appreciate it. Constructed entirely from cut and dressed brickwork, embedded in kankar lime with red sandstone in some areas. It is colorful and patterned inside and out, filled with paintings of plants or calligraphy.

Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Originally, the only building on the property was a hunting lodge, built in 1319. In 1390, Sir William Drummond constructed a house to replace the lodge. Since then, the house and property exchanged hands several times. Then in 1847, while on a trip to the area, the cold, rainy weather prompted Queen Victoria’s physician to recommend a stay in Deeside. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert arrived for their first visit to the house in 1848. Victoria found the house “small but pretty” and recorded in her diary that “All seemed to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils.”

The couple purchased the property privately in November 1851 for £32,000. In 1853, feeling the original castle was too small, the couple began construction on the current Balmoral Castle. The new castle was completed in 1856 and the old castle was then destroyed. The architect of the current castle was William Smith of Aberdeen. His designs were reviewed and amended by Prince Albert himself. The castle has remained the private property of the royal family since that time.

Here are a few facts about Balmoral Castle:

• The castle is an example of Scots Baronial architecture. It is made up of two main blocks with a courtyard between. The south-western block contains the main rooms, while the north-eastern block houses the service wings.
• There is an 80-foot (24m) tall clock tower topped with turrets on the south-east corner.
• The castle was built from granite quarried on the estate.
• Additional land and buildings have been adding by the Royal Family since it was first purchased. It now covers an area of about 49,000 acres.
• The Balmoral Estate is a working estate. It includes grouse moors, forestry and farmland as well as managed herds of deer, cattle and ponies.
• The Royal Family employs about 50 full-time and 50–100 part-time staff to maintain the working estate.
• The purchase of a Scottish estate by Victoria and Albert and the adoption of the Scottish architectural style played a key role in influencing the revival of Scottish Highland culture.
• After Albert’s death, Victoria spent more and more time at Balmoral. During this time, she began to depend on her servant John Brown, a local ghillie or gamekeeper, who became one of her closes companions during her long mourning after Albert’s death.
• After Victoria’s death the royal family continued to use Balmoral and have periodically made improvements to buildings and the landscape.
• Since 1987 the castle is shown on the back side of £100 notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The current Queen was in residence at Balmoral at the time of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997. Although another castle was used for the film, her private discussions with Prime Minister Tony Blair during that time are dramatized in Stephen Frears’ film “The Queen” (2006).

Located near Dumfries on the southern coast of Scotland, Caerlaverock Castle offers a window into the Middle Ages, reflecting the battles for Scottish independence from England, as well as battles between the castle’s Catholic owners, the Maxwells, and England’s Protestant rule.

• Caerlaverock was important to the Scottish realm for its location across the Solway Firth from England.
• “Caerlaverock” is thought to mean “fort of the skylark.”
• Before the Caerlaverock castle was erected, the Caerlaverock lands held forts and fortifications that were used in Scotland’s battles against England.
• The first Caerlaverock Castle was built by Sir John Maxwell after he received the land from King Alexander II of Scotland in 1220 AD. It was one of Scotland’s earliest stone castles. But construction was abandoned. Today, only its foundations and the remains of a wooden enclosure remain.
• The present Caerlaverock Castle was built by Sir John’s brother, Sir Aymer Maxwell, more than 650 feet north of the first castle. Stone for the castle was quarried when the moat was dug.
• The present castle is triangular in shape. Although no one knows why it was built in that design.It does seem to have given the castle strength, as well as visual appeal. It features three defensive curtain walls linked by corner towers and a twin-towered gatehouse.
• At the turn of the 14th century, the Maxwells of Caerlaverock Castle successfully protected the castle and Scotland against King Edward I and his barons.However, in 1312, they lost the castle to King Edward II. Sir Edward Maxwell changed sides, throwing his allegiance to England, and dismantled the fortress. In return, he was allowed to live in the castle. The victory was short-lived as Sir Roger Kirkpatrick won back Caerlaverock for King David II of Scotland.
• As the Maxwells regained ownership of the castle, Sir Robert Maxwell began rebuilding the war-damaged structure. Over the next 100 years, the gatehouse and additions were built. One of the additions is the Nithsdale Lodging (1630). It features ornate Renaissance stone carvings.
• In the 1570s, in Catholic-versus-Protestant battles, Caerlaverock Castle was again badly damaged. At the end of the millennium, the 8th Lord John Maxwell again rebuilt damaged portions of the castle. His efforts proved futile, for he was killed in a family feud with the Johnstones of Annandale.
• In the 17th century, more Catholic-versus-Protestant battles caused more damage to the castle, which has not been repaired or reinhabited in the years since.

Today, Caerlaverock Castle is protected as a landmark on the Caerlaverock National Nature Preserve, where waterfowl and wading birds spend each winter. The castle is a ruin, however, it is open for exploration. Nearby, a tearoom is open daily during the summer and on weekends during the winter. A movie, The Decoy Bride (2011), was filmed at Caerlaverock Castle.