Imam Ali al-Haq (الامام علي الحق) lived in the 10th century. He is referenced in a Persian manuscript by Ganesh Das Wadhera titled "Chār Bāgh-i-Panjāb", an account which is later published by Indu Banga and J. S. Grewal in their book "Early Nineteenth-Century Panjab." Imam Ali al-Haq led an army to Sialkot from Arabia between 965-971 A.D during the Samanid appointment of Bilgetegin.[1] He was killed in Sialkot in a battle with Raja Sahan Pal, who assumed the title of Salbahan the second, in the course of his brothers rule of Sirhind.
Peer Muradiya Sialkot History & Hazrat Imam Ali ul Haq Sialkot History - Biography Hindi
Many Muslim associates, who were riding with Imam Ali al-Haq, also lost their lives in the battle, to the sword of Hindu Shahis. Amongst these killed was Syed Sabzwar. After this happened, Sultan Nasir al-Din Sabuktigin of Ghazni invaded the Punjab in 980 A.D. To avenge the Imam, he massacred all the inhabitants, completely devastated the city and demolished the solid walls of its fort.[2]
Syed Imam Ali al-Haq is hailed as a Muslim knight and warrior saint and is referred to as "Shahid awwal", meaning the first martyr (in Punjab), because he was the first person to lead an army to South Asia after the Arab military commander, Muhammad bin Qasim. His efforts not only invited the Ghaznavids but set in motion a long process which culminated in the creation of the Delhi Sultanate.
Syed Imam Ali al-Haq's shrine is situated in Sialkot city at the place where he died. The path leading to his tomb is often lined with numerous pilgrims. The mausoleum complex is a maze of narrow corridors and steps leading to several other tombs of men from his army whose names are not known, including the shrines of pir (holy men). The tomb of Imam Ali-ul-Haq is to the right, through a mirrored gateway and is tiled with Quranic inscriptions and geometric designs.
Sialkot Fort is one of the oldest forts in Pakistan. The city of Sialkot, which is one of the oldest cities of Pakistan, has historical significance due to the Fort. Historian Diayas Jee has stated that Raja Sálbán re-established Sialkot city around the 2nd century CE. and ruled over the area between the rivers Ravi and Chenab. Sálbán built the Sialkot Fort in two years (which, at the time, had double walls) for the defense of the city. Raja Sálbán, supposedly, used more than 10,000 laborers and masons for the repair and extension of the Fort with stone slabs and rocks which were brought to the location from Pathankot
From 1179 to 1186, Shahab ud-Din Ghori ruled Lahore and Sindh. With the help of the Raja of Jammu, he captured the Sialkot Fort. The Sialkot Fort was given to the Janjua tribes by Sultan Firuz Shah Tughluq who accepted their suzerainty in that region around late 14th century CE.
Rashid Niaz, another historian who has authored Tareekh-i-Sialkot, has written that the second wall of the ancient Sialkot Fort was discovered by the Sialkot Municipal Corporation in 1923 while carrying out civil works in the city. At that time, archaeology experts from Taxila and Delhi visited Sialkot and confirmed that the stone wall (faseel) was 5,000 years old. Later, that wall was re-buried.
At present, few ruins, including a bastion, are all that is left of the Fort. Among the many ills plaguing it is the growing number of encroachments which are a blot on its face. The offices of the district government are located on the premises of the Fort.