Skardu
| |
|---|---|
City | |
     Top left to right:Shangrila Resort,Deosai National Park,Trango Towers,Satpara Lake, andManthokha Waterfall | |
 Interactive map of Skardu | |
![A map showing Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan shaded in sage green in the disputed Kashmir region[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aKashmir_region._LOC_2003626427_-_showing_sub-regions_administered_by_different_countries.jpg) A map showing Pakistan-administeredGilgit-Baltistan shaded insage green in the disputedKashmir region[1] | |
| Coordinates:35°17′25″N75°38′40″E / 35.29028°N 75.64444°E /35.29028; 75.64444 | |
| Administering country | Pakistan |
| Adm. Unit | Gilgit–Baltistan |
| District | Skardu |
| Government | |
| • Type | Divisional Administration |
| • Commissioner | Shuja Alam (PAS) |
| • Deputy Inspector General (DIG) | Cap. (R) Liaquat Ali Malik (PSP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 77 km2 (30 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2,228 m (7,310 ft) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Total | 112,996 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:00 (PKT) |
| Website | gilgitbaltistan |
Skardu (Urdu:سکردو,romanized: skardū,Tibetan script: སྐར་མདོ,pronounced[skərduː]) is a city located in Pakistan-administeredGilgit-Baltistan in the disputedKashmir region.[1] Skardu serves as the capital ofSkardu District and theBaltistan Division. It is situated at an average elevation of nearly 2,500 metres (8,202 feet) above sea level in theSkardu Valley, at the confluence of theIndus andShigar rivers.[3] It is an important gateway to theeight-thousanders of the nearbyKarakoram mountain range. The Indus River running through the region separates the Karakoram from theLadakh Range.[4][5]
The name "Skardu" is believed to be derived from theBalti word meaning "a lowland between two high places."[6] The two referenced "high places" areShigar city, and the high-altitudeSatpara Lake[6] Local people might tend to write the name as སྐར་དོ་ according to how they pronounce it. But the meaning of which, as stated above, corresponds to the Tibetan word མདོ.[citation needed] In the course of the history of Balti, bilabial sound /m/ as a prefix has been lost, and the vowel /o/ has turned into /u/, the same as many other dialects of Tibetan.
The first mention of Skardu dates to the first half of the 16th century.Mirza Haidar (1499–1551) describedAskardu in the 16th-century textTarikh-i-Rashidi Baltistan as a district of the area. The first mention of Skardu in European literature was made by FrenchmanFrançois Bernier (1625–1688), who mentions the city by the name ofEskerdou. After his mention, Skardu was quickly drawn into Asian maps produced in Europe, and was first mentioned asEskerdow the map "Indiae orientalis nec non insularum adiacentium nova descriptio" publisbed by the Dutch engraverNicolaes Visscher II between 1680 and 1700.[7]
The Valley is located approximately 180 kilometers off the mainKarakorum Highway. The road linking Skardu to the Karakoram Highway is winding and treacherous, with numerous sharp bends and steep drop-offs that demand cautious driving.
At the confluence of theIndus andShigar Rivers, the valley is 10 kilometres (6 miles) wide by 40 kilometres (25 miles) long. Active erosion in the nearbyKarakoram Mountains has resulted in enormous deposits of sediment throughout the Skardu valley.[8] Glaciers from the Indus and Shigar valleys broadened the Skardu valley between 3.2 million years ago up to theHolocene approximately 11,700 years ago by scientists estimate.[8]
%2c_Skardu%2c_Mix_view.JPG)
The Skardu region was part of the cultural sphere of BuddhistTibet as early as the founding of theTibetan Empire underSongtsen Gampo in the mid 7th-century CE.[6] Tibetantantric scriptures were found all overBaltistan until about the 9th century.[6] Given the region's close proximity, Skardu remained in contact with tribes nearKashgar, in what is nowChina's westernmost province ofXinjiang.[10]
Following the dissolution of Tibetan suzerainty over Baltistan around the 9th–10th century CE, Baltistan came under the control of the localMaqpon Dynasty, a dynasty ofTurkic extraction,[6] which according to local tradition, is said to have been founded after a migrant fromKashmir named Ibrahim Shah married a local princess.[6]
 | This sectionpossibly containsoriginal research. Pleaseimprove it byverifying the claims made and addinginline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed.(February 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Maqpon kingdom | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1190–1840 | |||||||||||
 Map ofKashmir region. Maqpon Kingdom existed in north inGilgit Baltistan | |||||||||||
| Capital | Skardu | ||||||||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
• Established | 1190 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1840 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | Pakistan India | ||||||||||
TheMaqpon kingdom (Balti:དམག་པོན་རྒྱལ་པོ) was located inBaltistan. TheMaqpon dynasty, aBalti royal house ofKashmiri origin based in Skardu, ruled over the region for around 700 years.[11] The kings of the Maqpon dynasty extended the frontiers of Baltistan to as far asGilgit Agency,[12]Chitral, andLadakh.[13]
Around the year 1500, Maqpon Bokha was crowned ruler and founded the city of Skardu as his capital.[6]Skardu Fort was established around this time.[6] During his reign, Makpon Bokha imported craftsmen to Skardu from Kashmir andChilas to help develop the area's economy.[6] While nearbyGilgit fell out of the orbit of Tibetan influence, Skardu's Baltistan region remained connected due to its close proximity toLadakh,[14] the region against which Skardu and neighbouringKhaplu routinely fought.[10] Sikhs traditionally believe thatGuru Nanak, the founder ofSikhism, visited Skardu during his secondudasi journey between 1510 and 1515.[15] Gurudwara Chota Nana Kiana, locally known as Asthan Nanak Peer, is believed to be the place where the Guru stayed in Skardu.
.jpg)
Following the dissolution of Tibetan suzerainty over Baltistan in the 9th–10th century CE, Baltistan came under control of the local Maqpon dynasty, which, according to local tradition, is said to have been founded after a migrant fromKashmir named Ibrahim Shah married a local princess.[6]
In the 14th century, Muslim scholars from Kashmir crossedBaltistan's mountains to spread Islam.[16] TheNoorbakshia Sufi order further propagated the faith in Baltistan, and Islam became dominant by the end of the 17th century. With the passage of time a large number also converted toShia Islam and a few converted toSunni Islam.[17]
Around the year 1500, Maqpon Bokha was crowned ruler, and founded the city of Skardu as his capital.[6] TheSkardu Fort was established around this time.[6] During his reign, King Makpon Bokha imported craftsmen from Kashmir andChilas to help develop the area's economy.[6] While nearbyGilgit fell out of the orbit of Tibetan influence, Baltistan region remained connected due to its close proximity toLadakh,[14] the region which the dynasty routinely fought against.[10]
In the early 1500s,Sultan Said Khan of the TimuridYarkent Khanate in what is nowXinjiang province of China, raided Baltistan.[18] Given the threat illustrated by Sultan Said's invasion,Mughal attention was roused, prompting the 1586 conquest of Baltistan by the Mughal EmperorAkbar.[10] The local Maqpon rulers pledged allegiance, and from that point onwards, beginning withAli Sher Khan Anchan, the kings of Skardu were mentioned as rulers of Little Tibet in thehistoriography of theMughal Empire.[19][unreliable source?]
In 1580,Ali Sher Khan Anchan became the Maqpon king. He expanded the borders of the kingdom fromGilgit toLadakh. When the Raja ofLaddakh, Jamyang Namgyal, attacked the principalities in the district of Purik (Kargil), annihilating the Skardu garrison at Kharbu and putting to sword a number of petty Muslim rulers in the Muslim principalities in Purik (Kargil), Ali Sher Khan Anchan left with a strong army by way ofMarol and, bypassing the Laddakhi army, occupiedLeh, the capital of Laddakh. It appears that the Balti conquest of Laddakh took place in about 1594 A.D. The Raja of Laddakh was ultimately taken prisoner.[20][21][22] Then Ali Sher Khan Anchan went to march on Gilgit with an army,[23] and conquered Astore, Gilgit,Hunza, Nagar, and Chilas. From Gilgit he advanced to, and conquered,Chitral and Kafiristan.
In 1839, Dogra commanderZorawar Singh Kahluria defeated Balti forces in battles at Wanko Pass and the Thano Kun plains, clearing his path for the invasion of the Skardu valley.[24] He seized Skardu Fort on behalf of theDogra dynasty based in Jammu, under the suzerainty of theSikh Empire at that time.[3] Singh's forces massacred a large number of the garrison's defenders, and publicly tortured Kahlon Rahim Khan of Chigtan in front of a crowd of local Baltis and their chiefs.[25] In 1845, the region was completely subjugated by theDogra rulers ofKashmir.[26][27] and the last Maqpon King was taken as prisoner.
Genealogy of Maqpon rulers:[28]
(May 1840Dogra invasion)
In the early 1500s,Sultan Said Khan of theTimuridYarkent Khanate, of what is nowXinjiang, raided Skardu and Baltistan.[29] Given the threat illustrated by Sultan Said's invasion,Mughal attention was aroused, prompting the 1586 conquest of Baltistan by the Mughal EmperorAkbar.[10] The local Maqpon rulers pledged allegiance, and from that point onwards, beginning withAli Sher Khan Anchan, the kings of Skardu were mentioned as rulers of Little Tibet in the historiography of theMughal Empire.[30][unreliable source?]
Mughal forces again incurred into the region during the reign ofShah Jahan in 1634-6 under the forces of Zafar Khan, to settle a dispute over the throne between Adam Khan and his elder brother Abdul Khan.[31][32] It was only after this point in the rule of Shah Jahan andAurangzeb, that Skardu's ruling family was firmly under Mughal control.[33] The ability of the Mughal crown to fund expeditions to territories of marginal value, such as Baltistan, emphasises the wealth of the Mughal coffers.[34]
In 1839, Dogra commanderZorawar Singh Kahluria defeated Balti forces in battles at Wanko Pass and the Thano Kun plains, clearing his path to invade the Skardu valley.[35] He seized Skardu Fort on behalf of theDogra fiefdom ofJammu in theSikh Empire.[3] Singh's forces massacred a large number of the garrison's defenders, and publicly tortured Kahlon Rahim Khan ofChigtan in front of a crowd of local Baltis and their chiefs.[36]
Dogra forces failed in their 1841 attempt to conquerTibet. Following their defeat, Ladakhis rebelled against Dogra rule.[37] Baltis under the leadership of Raja Ahmed Shah soon also rebelled against the Dogras, so MaharajaGulab Singh dispatched his commander Wazir Lakhpat to recapture Skardu. His forces were able to convince a guard to betray the garrison by leaving a gate unlocked, thereby allowing Dogra forces to recapture the fort and massacre its Balti defenders.[37] The raja of the Baltis was forced to pay an annual tribute to the Dogra maharaja in Jammu, and also to supply the fort's provisions.[37]
Following the Dogra victory, Muhammad Shah was crowned Raja of Skardu in return for his loyalty to the Jammu crown during the rebellion, and was able to exercise some power under the Dogra administration.[37] Military commanders held real governing power in the area until 1851, when Kedaru Thanedar was installed as a civilian administrator of Baltistan.[37] During this time, Skardu and Kargil were governed as a single district.[37] Ladakh would later be joined to the district, while Skardu would serve as the district's winter capital, withLeh as the summer capital, up until 1947.[37]
Under the administration ofMehta Mangal between 1875 and 1885, Skardu'sRanbirgarh was built as his headquarters and residence,[37] as well as acantonment and various other government buildings.[37] Sikhs fromPunjab were also encouraged to migrate to Skardu to set up commercial enterprises during this period.[37] The Sikh population prospered, and continued to grow, eventually also settling in nearbyShigar andKhaplu.[37]
After thePartition of British India, on 22 October 1947, Pakistan launched atribal invasion of Kashmir byPashtuns leading to the MaharajaHari Singh acceding toIndia.[38] TheGilgit Scouts, under the leadership ofMajor William Brown, mutinied on 1 November 1948, bringing theGilgit Agency under the control of Pakistan.[39][40] MajorAslam Khan took over the command of the Gilgit Scouts, organized a force of some 600 men from the rebels and local recruits, and launched attacks on the remaining parts of the State under Indian control.[41] Skardu was an important target because Aslam Khan felt that Gilgit could be threatened from there.[42] The Skardu garrison was defended by a contingent of 6thJammu and Kashmir Infantry under the command of Col.Sher Jung Thapa.[43] The initial attack of the rebels was repulsed, but the city fell into the rebel hands, cutting off supplies to the garrison.[43] After holding the garrison for 6 months and 3 days, Thapa and his forces surrendered on 14 August 1948.[43][44][45]
The city of Skardu constitutes atehsil within Skardu District. Skardu District itself is the part of the largerBaltistan Division. The Skardu city being a tehsil/taluka is administered by anAssistant Commissioner of BPS-17 belonging to thePakistan Administrative service whereas Skardu District is administered by a Deputy Commissioner BPS-19 of thePakistan Administrative Service. The Current DC Skardu is Karim Dad Chughtai.
Skardu's Airport is situated at an elevation of 2,230 metres (7,320 feet)above sea level, though the mountain peaks surrounding Skardu reach elevations of 4,500–5,800 metres (14,800–19,000 feet).[8] Upstream from Skardu are some of the largest glaciers in the world, including theBaltoro Glacier,Biafo Glacier, andChogo Lungma Glacier.[8] Some of the surrounding glaciers are surrounded by some of the world's tallest mountains, includingK2, the world's second tallest mountain at 8,611 metres (28,251 feet),Gasherbrum at 8,068 metres (26,470 feet), andMasherbrum at 7,821 metres (25,659 feet), these are some of the highest peaks in the world.[8]
TheDeosai National Park, the world's second highest alpine plain, is located upstream of Skardu as well. Downstream from Skardu is located theNanga Parbat mountain at 8,126 metres (26,660 feet).[8]
Skardu is located along the Kohistan-Ladakhterrane, formed as a magmatic arch over aTethyan subduction zone that was later accreted onto theEurasian Plate.[8] The region has low seismic activity compared to surrounding regions, suggesting that Skardu is located in a passive structural element of theHimalayan thrust.[8] The stone in the Skardu region is Katzarahschist, with aradiometric estimated age of 37 to 105 million years.[8]
Numerous complex granitic pegmatites and a few alpine-cleft metamorphic rock deposits are found in the Shigar Valley and its tributaries. Shigar Valley contains the Main Karakoram Thrust separating the metasediments (chlorite to amphibolite grade) on the Asian plate from the southern volcanoclastic rocks of the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc.
Skardu features acold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classificationBSk). The climate of Skardu during the summer is moderated by its mountain setting; the intense heat of lowland Pakistan does not reach it. The mountains block out the summermonsoon, and summer rainfall is thus quite low. However, these mountains result in very severe winter weather. During the April-to-October tourist season, temperatures vary between a maximum of 27 °C (81 °F) and a minimum (in October) 8 °C (46 °F).
Temperatures can drop to below −10 °C (14 °F) in the December-to-January midwinter period. The lowest recorded temperature was −24.1 °C (−11 °F) on 7 January 1995.[46]
| Climate data for Skardu | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.9 (57.0) | 16.7 (62.1) | 24.0 (75.2) | 29.6 (85.3) | 34.4 (93.9) | 40.0 (104.0) | 41.0 (105.8) | 41.0 (105.8) | 38.2 (100.8) | 31.2 (88.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 16.2 (61.2) | 41.0 (105.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3.2 (37.8) | 6.1 (43.0) | 12.4 (54.3) | 18.8 (65.8) | 23.4 (74.1) | 28.7 (83.7) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.2 (88.2) | 27.2 (81.0) | 20.4 (68.7) | 13.2 (55.8) | 6.5 (43.7) | 14.9 (58.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.0 (17.6) | −4.4 (24.1) | 1.5 (34.7) | 6.6 (43.9) | 9.7 (49.5) | 13.4 (56.1) | 16.4 (61.5) | 16.0 (60.8) | 11.4 (52.5) | 4.3 (39.7) | −1.9 (28.6) | −5.6 (21.9) | 4.1 (39.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −24.1 (−11.4) | −20.0 (−4.0) | −13.5 (7.7) | −1.1 (30.0) | 0.4 (32.7) | 4.0 (39.2) | 7.5 (45.5) | 7.0 (44.6) | 2.6 (36.7) | −4.2 (24.4) | −9.5 (14.9) | −17.2 (1.0) | −24.1 (−11.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 27.5 (1.08) | 25.9 (1.02) | 36.9 (1.45) | 31.3 (1.23) | 25.3 (1.00) | 9.0 (0.35) | 9.8 (0.39) | 12.2 (0.48) | 9.3 (0.37) | 7.3 (0.29) | 5.6 (0.22) | 16.3 (0.64) | 172.7 (6.80) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 17:00PST) | 64.3 | 52.0 | 34.9 | 25.6 | 24.6 | 22.3 | 27.3 | 30.7 | 29.9 | 31.2 | 36.6 | 56.2 | 29.6 |
| Source: Pakistan Meteorological Department[46] | |||||||||||||
Skardu, along withGilgit, is a major tourism, trekking and expedition hub inGilgit–Baltistan. The mountainous terrain of the region, which includes four of the world's 14Eight-thousander peaks, attracts tourists, trekkers and mountaineers from around the world . The main tourist season is from April to October; at other times of the year, the area can be cut off for extended periods by the snowy, freezing winter weather. Skardu now has a scenic airport which is now open for international flights[47] courtesy of companies who relentlessly lobbied to facilitate international tourism.
_skardu._photo_by_me.jpg)
Accessible from Skardu by road, the nearbyAskole andHushe are the main gateways to the snow-covered 8,000-metre (26,000-foot) peaks includingK2, theGasherbrums,Broad Peak, and theTrango Towers, and to the huge glaciers ofBaltoro,Biafo andTrango. This makes Skardu the main tourist and mountaineering base in the area, which has led to the development of a reasonably extensive tourist infrastructure including shops and hotels. The popularity of the region results in high prices, especially during the main trekking season.
Treks to theDeosai National Park and the Deosai Plains, the second highest in the world at 4,114 metres (13,497 ft) above sea level, after theChang Tang inTibet, either start from or end at Skardu. In the localBalti language, Deosai is called Byarsaབྱིར་ས, meaning 'summer place'. With an area of approximately 3,000 square kilometres (1,158 sq mi), the plains extend all the way to Ladakh and provide a habitat forsnow leopards,ibex,Tibetan blue bears and wild horses.[48]
Skardu Fort or Kharphocho Fort lies on the eastern face of the Khardrong or Mindoq-Khar ("Castle of Queen Mindoq") hill 15 metres (49 feet) above Skardu town. The fort dates from the 8th century CE and contains an old mosque probably dating back to the arrival of Islam in the 16th century CE. The fort provides a panoramic view of Skardu town, the Skardu valley and theIndus River. It was built byMaqpon dynasty rulers of Baltistan. It was a seven-storey building. Mostly local people say that Kharphocho is made by a ghost as they were servants of the ruler of that time.[citation needed]
Kharphocho (Skardu) fort was built on a design similar to that ofLeh Palace and thePotala Palace inLhasa,Tibet. The name Kharpochhe means the great fort —Khar inTibetan means castle or fort andChhe means great.[citation needed]
Located on the route to the world's second highest mountain, K-2 is Shigar Fort. It is also known as Fong-Khar, which in the local language means the "Palace on the Rock". The complex at Shigar comprises the 400-year-old fort/palace and two more recent buildings: the "Old House" and the "Garden House". The former palace of the Raja of Shigar has been transformed into a 20-room heritage guesthouse, with the grand audience hall serving as a museum of Balti culture and featuring select examples of fine wood-carvings, as well as other heritage objects.[49]
There are two Kachura lakes in Kachura Valley — the less well-known (Upper)Kachura Lake and the more famousShangrila Lake ("Lower Kachura Lake"). Shangrila Lake is home to the Shangrila Resort hotel complex (possibly the reason for the lake's alternative name), built in a Chinese style and another popular destination for tourists inPakistan-administered Kashmir.
The resort has a unique restaurant, set up inside thefuselage of anaircraft that crashed On 3 October 1953, a DC-3 Aircraft belonging to Orient Airways crashed landed after three minutes of taking off. Although all people on the aircraft survived the crash, the plane never saw another day in the sky.Kachura Lake is famous for its deep blue waters. The lakes, at 2,500 meters in elevation.
Satpara Lake is Skardu Valley's main lake. In 2002, the Federal Government decided to build a dam on the Satpara Lake allocating $10 million to the project, in 2004. Progress has, however, been slow. Satpara Lake is 6 miles (9.7 km) from Skardu. Satpara Lake is one of the largest fresh water lakes in the countryside offering trout fishing and row boating. This lake is the source of Skardu's drinking water. The dam was mostly completed in 2011 and four powerhouse units are operational; the latest started operation in June 2013.[citation needed]
The normal road route into Skardu is via theKarakorum Highway and aSkardu Road (S1) into theSkardu Valley from it. Roads once linked Skardu toSrinagar andLeh, though none are open for cross-LoC travel.
Skardu's weather can have adverse effects on transport in and out of the region, as Skardu is often snowbound during the winter months. Roads in and out of Skardu can be blocked for extended periods of time, sometimes leaving air travel as the only feasible alternative.
On 2 December 2021, theSkardu International Airport was designated and re-inaugurated as an international airport after providing upgrades to the airport to become a tourism hub forGilgit-Baltistan.[51]
Flydubai has submitted a request to start international operations to and from Skardu airport, which would potentially become the first airline to start international routes from Skardu.
TheSatpara Dam development project on theSatpara Lake was inaugurated in 2003. It was completed in 2011. It is 6 km (4 mi) south of Skardu city and is at an elevation of 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) above mean sea level. The main source of water is ice melt from theDeosai plains during the summer season. Now Satpara Dam provides drinking water to the whole city of Skardu and agricultural water to major areas of Skardu, for example, Gayoul, Newrangha, Khlangranga, Shigari Khurd, etc.[52]
It is a multipurpose project, which will produce 17.36 megawatts hydro generation, irrigate 15,000 acres (61 km2) of land and provide 13 cusecs drinking water daily to Skardu city.[52]
ali mir skardu.
Skardu travel guide from Wikivoyage
