Bala Hissar, Peshawar

Bala Hissar Fort
قلعہ بالاحصار
Location within Pakistan
Former names	Samīr Gaṛh
General information
Type	Cultural
Location	Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Country	Pakistan
Completed	1849
Demolished	1823
Owner	Durrani Empire (1747-1758 & 1761-1823) Maratha Empire (1758-1761) Sikh Empire (1823–1846) British India (1846–1947) Pakistan (1947-present)

Bala Hissar (Pashto/Urdu/Hindko: قلعه بالاحصار), also spelt Bala Hisar, is an historic fortress located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. First mentioned by 7th-century explorer Xuanzang, the fort was used as a royal residence for the Durrani Empire since 1747, when the Afghan king, Ahmad Shah Durrani, conquered Peshawar. The Marathas briefly occupied it after capturing Peshawar in 1758 but it was soon retaken by the Afghans. The Sikhs destroyed and reconstructed the fort after capturing Peshawar in March 1823. In 1849, the British East India Company reconstructed the fort's outer walls.

The fort now serves as headquarters for Pakistan's Frontier Corps.^[1]