Sheikhupura Fort Sheikhupura is a hidden jewel of the Mughal era.
It is located about 40 km northwest of Lahore. It was founded by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1607.
Sheikhupura is the sixteenth largest city and district of Pakistan in terms of population and its boundaries are shared by Lahore, Hafizabad, and Qasur districts.
The area was initially called Virk Garh or Fort Virk (Qila Virk) by the local Jat tribe.
When the Mughal emperor Jahangir laid the formal foundation of this city and ordered the construction of a royal fort here, the city was named Jahangirpura after Jahangir, which is mentioned in Jahangir's autobiography “Tuzak e Jahangiri”.
History of Sheikhupura Fort (Qila Virk)
Jahangir's mother affectionately called him Sheikho and from this nickname, the present name of the city Sheikhupura was adopted.
Jahangir also had the Haran Minar built near this city in memory of his favorite Haran Mansi Raj.
This forest area was used as a hunting ground for the royal family.
After the end of the Mughal Empire, Sheikhupura came under the control of the Bhatti clan.
The bandits and Sikh tribes of the surrounding areas started encroachment and attacks on the city limits, then the Bhatti tribe tried to maintain their possession which could not be effective.
In 1797, the Durrani king Shah Zaman briefly captured the city and the fort during his campaign to capture Lahore, after which the city fort was captured by the Sikh bandit Inder Singh.
As a result of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's removal of the Bhatti clan from the area and limiting it to the Pindi Bhatti and Jalalpur Bhatti area, the city finally became a part of the Sikh Musal Raj in 1808 and remained a part of the Sikh Empire until 1847.
