STRONG BALA HISSAR

The fort was built by the Mughal Emperor Babur in 1526-1530. Later, the Afghan Durrani dynasty seized it and made it its winter residence (the summer capital was in Kabul). The Bala Hissar ("very high" in Persian) was destroyed during the Battle of Nowshera in 1823 by the Sikhs, who rebuilt it under the direction of French engineers in the 1830s. Since 1949, the fort has been the residence of the Frontier Corps (paramilitary troops). You will therefore need permission from their headquarters to visit it. If you are lucky enough to get in, check out the small collection of weapons, dresses and other historical artifacts from the province on display in the museum.