High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The old name of Quetta was "kwatta".The word "kwatta" is a pashto word meaning "a mound of Earth" and the city was given this name because the old Quetta city fort was situated over a large mound of earth. During the time of Afghan ruler Ahmed Shah Abdali, the city was renamed "Shalkot",which has gradually transformed into the modern day name of the city "Quetta".Khwaja Naqruddin Moudood Chishti migerated to Quetta 600 years ago from Chisht Afganistan and stayed near this fort.And was buried here after his death whose shrine lies close to Quetta Fort. The powerful Khans of Kalat held the fort from 1730. In 1828 the first westerner to visit Quetta described it as a mud-walled fort surrounded by 300 mud houses.