Nandna Fort

Pakistan, Pakistan

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Nandna Fort, located on a hilltop near Baghanwala village in the Jhelum district of Punjab, Pakistan, was built during the 8th or 9th century by the Hindu Shahi dynasty.

It was strategically positioned on the eastern flanks of the Salt Range to control the Nandna Pass, an ancient route connecting Delhi with Afghanistan and Central Asia. The fort and surrounding area were the site where the Persian scholar Al-Biruni conducted his famous measurements of the Earth's circumference in the early 11th century.

Nandna was ruled by Hindu Shahi kings until Mahmud of Ghazni seized it in the early 1000s. The site includes ruins of temples, a town, and defensive structures and was historically important as a military and cultural hub. Over time, the fort lost strategic significance after new trade and military routes developed, but it remains an archaeological site with rich heritage reflecting centuries of regional history.