Skardu
Skardu
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City administered by Pakistan | |
Top left to right: UTC+5:00 (PKT) | |
Website | gilgitbaltistan |
Skardu (
Etymology
The name "Skardu" is believed to be derived from the Balti word meaning "a lowland between two high places."[5] The two referenced "high places" are Shigar city, and the high-altitude Satpara Lake[5] 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. 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) described Askardu in the 16th-century text Tarikh-i-Rashidi Baltistan as a district of the area. The first mention of Skardu in European literature was made by Frenchman François Bernier (1625–1688), who mentions the city by the name of Eskerdou. After his mention, Skardu was quickly drawn into Asian maps produced in Europe, and was first mentioned as Eskerdow the map "Indiae orientalis nec non insularum adiacentium nova descriptio" publisbed by the Dutch engraver Nicolaes Visscher II between 1680 and 1700.[6]
Location
The
History
Early history
The Skardu region was part of the cultural sphere of Buddhist Tibet as early as the founding of the Tibetan Empire under Songtsen Gampo in the mid 7th-century CE.[5] Tibetan tantric scriptures were found all over Baltistan until about the 9th century.[5] Given the region's close proximity, Skardu remained in contact with tribes near Kashgar, in what is now China's westernmost province of Xinjiang.[9]
Following the dissolution of Tibetan suzerainty over Baltistan around the 9th–10th century CE, Baltistan came under the control of the local
Maqpon period
This section possibly contains original research. (February 2023) |
Maqpon kingdom | |||||||||||
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1190–1840 | |||||||||||
Capital | Skardu | ||||||||||
Religion | Islam | ||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
• Established | 1190 | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | 1840 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Today part of | Pakistan India |
The Maqpon kingdom (Balti: དམག་པོན་རྒྱལ་པོ ) was located in Baltistan. The Maqpon dynasty, a Balti royal house based in Skardu, ruled over the region for around 700 years.[10] The kings of the Maqpon dynasty extended the frontiers of Baltistan to as far as Gilgit Agency,[11] Chitral, and Ladakh.[12]
Around the year 1500, Maqpon Bokha was crowned ruler and founded the city of Skardu as his capital.[5] Skardu Fort was established around this time.[5] During his reign, Makpon Bokha imported craftsmen to Skardu from Kashmir and Chilas to help develop the area's economy.[5] While nearby Gilgit fell out of the orbit of Tibetan influence, Skardu's Baltistan region remained connected due to its close proximity to Ladakh,[13] the region against which Skardu and neighbouring Khaplu routinely fought.[9] Sikhs traditionally believe that Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, visited Skardu during his second udasi journey between 1510 and 1515.[14] Gurudwara Chota Nanakiana, locally known as Asthan Nanak Peer, is believed to be the place where the Guru stayed in Skardu.
Medieval History
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 from Kashmir named Ibrahim Shah married a local princess.[5]
In the 14th century, Muslim scholars from Kashmir crossed
Around the year 1500, Maqpon Bokha was crowned ruler, and founded the city of Skardu as his capital.[5] The Skardu Fort was established around this time.[5] During his reign, King Makpon Bokha imported craftsmen from Kashmir and Chilas to help develop the area's economy.[5] While nearby Gilgit fell out of the orbit of Tibetan influence, Baltistan region remained connected due to its close proximity to Ladakh,[13] the region which the dynasty routinely fought against.[9]
In the early 1500s, Sultan Said Khan of the Timurid Yarkent Khanate in what is now Xinjiang province of China, raided Baltistan.[17] Given the threat illustrated by the Sultan Said's invasion, Mughal attention was roused, prompting the 1586 conquest of Baltistan by the Mughal Emperor Akbar.[9] The local Maqpon rulers pledged allegiance, and from that point onwards, beginning with Ali Sher Khan Anchan, the kings of Skardu were mentioned as rulers of Little Tibet in the historiography of the Mughal Empire.[18][unreliable source?]
In 1580,
Decline
In 1839, Dogra commander
Rulers
Genealogy of Maqpon rulers:[27]
- 1190–1220 Ibrahim
- 1220–1250 Astak Sange
- 1250–1280 Zak Sange
- 1280–1310 Bardak Sange
- 1310–1340 Sek Sange
- 1340–1370 Tam Gori Tham
- 1370–1400 Sa Gori Tham
- 1400–1437 Khohkor Sange
- 1437–1464 Ghota Cho Sange
- 1464–1490 Bahram Cho
- 1490–1515 Bo Kha
- 1515–1540 Sher Shah
- 1540–1565 Ali Khan
- 1565–1590 Ghazi Mir
- 1580–1624 Ali Sher Khan Anchan
- 1624–1636 Abdal Khan
- 1636–1655 Adam Khan
- 1655–1670 Murad Khan
- 1670–1678 Sher Khan
- 1678–1680 Muhammad Rafi Khan
- 1680–1710 Shir Khan
- 1710–1745 Mohammad Rafi
- 1745–1780 Sultan Murad
- 1780–1785 Azam Khan
- 1785–1787 Mohammad Zafar Khan
- 1787–1811 Ali Shir Khan
- 1811–1840 Ahmed Shah
(May 1840
Gallery
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Skardu Fort was the seat of power of the Maqpon Dynasty
-
The Chaqchan Mosque was built in 1370 in Baltistan
-
Amburiq Mosque was built in the 14th century
Mughal period
In the early 1500s, Sultan Said Khan of the Timurid Yarkent Khanate, of what is now Xinjiang, raided Skardu and Baltistan.[28] Given the threat illustrated by Sultan Said's invasion, Mughal attention was aroused, prompting the 1586 conquest of Baltistan by the Mughal Emperor Akbar.[9] The local Maqpon rulers pledged allegiance, and from that point onwards, beginning with Ali Sher Khan Anchan, the kings of Skardu were mentioned as rulers of Little Tibet in the historiography of the Mughal Empire.[29][unreliable source?]
Mughal forces again incurred into the region during the reign of Shah 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.[30][31] It was only after this point in the rule of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, that Skardu's ruling family was firmly under Mughal control.[32] The ability of the Mughal crown to fund expeditions to territories of marginal value, such as Baltistan, emphasises the wealth of the Mughal coffers.[33]
Dogra rule
In 1839, Dogra commander
Dogra forces failed in their 1841 attempt to conquer Tibet. Following their defeat, Ladakhis rebelled against Dogra rule.[36] Baltis under the leadership of Raja Ahmed Shah soon also rebelled against the Dogras, so Maharaja Gulab 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.[36] 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.[36]
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.[36] Military commanders held real governing power in the area until 1851, when Kedaru Thanedar was installed as a civilian administrator of Baltistan.[36] During this time, Skardu and Kargil were governed as a single district.[36] Ladakh would later be joined to the district, while Skardu would serve as the district's winter capital, with Leh as the summer capital, up until 1947.[36]
Under the administration of Mehta Mangal between 1875 and 1885, Skardu's Ranbirgarh was built as his headquarters and residence,[36] as well as a cantonment and various other government buildings.[36] Sikhs from Punjab were also encouraged to migrate to Skardu to set up commercial enterprises during this period.[36] The Sikh population prospered, and continued to grow, eventually also settling in nearby Shigar and Khaplu.[36]
1947–48 Kashmir War
After the
Administration
The city of Skardu constitutes a tehsil within Skardu District. Skardu District itself is the part of the larger Baltistan Division. The Skardu city being a tehsil/taluka is administered by an Assistant Commissioner of BPS-17 belonging to the Pakistan Administrative service whereas Skardu District is administered by a Deputy Commissioner BPS-19 of the Pakistan Administrative Service. The Current DC Skardu is Karimdad Chughtai.
Geography
Topography
The Deosai National Park, the world's second highest alpine plain, is located upstream of Skardu as well. Downstream from Skardu is located the Nanga Parbat mountain at 8,126 metres (26,660 feet).[7]
Geology
Skardu is located along the Kohistan-Ladakh terrane, formed as a magmatic arch over a Tethyan subduction zone that was later accreted onto the Eurasian Plate.[7] The region has low seismic activity compared to surrounding regions, suggesting that Skardu is located in a passive structural element of the Himalayan thrust.[7] The stone in the Skardu region is Katzara schist, with a radiometric estimated age of 37 to 105 million years.[7]
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 Karokoram Thrust separating the metasediments (chlorite to amphibolite grade) on the Asian plate from the southern volcanoclastic rocks of the Kohistan-Ladakh island arc.
Climate
Skardu features a
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.[45]
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) |
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:00 PST )
|
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[45] |
Tourism
Skardu, along with
Mountains
Accessible from Skardu by road, the nearby Askole and Hushe are the main gateways to the snow-covered 8,000-metre (26,000-foot) peaks including K2, the Gasherbrums, Broad Peak, and the Trango Towers, and to the huge glaciers of Baltoro, Biafo and Trango. 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.
Deosai National Park
Treks to the
Skardu Fort
Kharphocho (Skardu) fort was built on a design similar to that of
Shigar Fort
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.[citation needed]
Kachura Lakes
There are two Kachura lakes in Kachura Valley — the less well-known (Upper)
The resort has a unique restaurant, set up inside the fuselage of an aircraft 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
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.
Transport
Road
The normal road route into Skardu is via the
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.
Air
On 2 December 2021, the Skardu International Airport was designated and re-inaugurated as an international airport after providing upgrades to the airport to become a tourism hub for Gilgit-Baltistan.[49]
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.
Infrastructure
Satpara Dam
The
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.[50]
Notable people
- Amen Aamir, first woman from Gilgit-Baltistan to qualify as a pilot.
- Ali Sadpara (2 February 1976 – 5 February 2021) was a Pakistani high-altitude mountaineer, born in the village of Sadpara, located near Skardu
See also
- Baltistan
- Ladakh
- Northern Areas
- Satpara Dam
- Haji Gham
References
- ^ due weightin the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (f) through (h) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (i) below).
(a) Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 15 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";
(b) Pletcher, Kenneth, Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 16 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state.";
(c) "Kashmir", Encyclopedia Americana, Scholastic Library Publishing, 2006, p. 328,ISBN 978-1-84904-621-3Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'." - ^ "Gilgit-Baltistan: Districts & Places – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information".
- ^ a b c Pirumshoev & Dani, The Pamirs, Badakhshan and the Trans-Pamir States 2003, p. 245.
- ^ Skardu, District. "Skardu District". www.skardu.pk. Skardu.pk. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Dani, The Western Himalayan States 1998, p. 220
- ^ "Southern Tibet : vol.7 / Page 91 (Grayscale High Resolution Image)". dsr.nii.ac.jp.
- ^ ISBN 9781134919772.
- ISBN 978-3-319-12859-7
- ^ a b c d e Dani, The Western Himalayan States 1998, p. 219
- ^ "Tareekh e Baltistan".
- ^ "Hindukush Trails > The Tribes > Baltis". www.hindukushtrails.com.
- ISBN 9781935501343.
- ^ a b Dani, The Western Himalayan States 1998, p. 221.
- ISBN 9788126908578.
- ^ "Baltistan – North Pakistan". Archived from the original on 15 June 2013.
- ^ "Little Tibet: Renaissance and Resistance in Baltistan". Himal Southasian. 30 April 1998. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ISBN 9781349226245.
- ^ "Vacations, Holiday, Travel, Climbing, Trekking". Skardu.pk. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ISBN 978-81-7387-186-3.
- ISBN 978-81-7835-437-8.
- ISBN 978-81-85431-96-3.
ali mir skardu.
- ISBN 978-0-7546-6956-2.
- ISBN 9788185182759.
- ISBN 9788123026480.
- ^ Ali, Manzoom (12 June 2004). Archaeology of Dardistan.
- ISBN 978-1-4094-2531-1.
- ^ Hashmatullah Kahn Lakhnavi, "History of Baltistan", 1987. 1987.
- ISBN 9781349226245.
- ^ "Vacations, Holiday, Travel, Climbing, Trekkinpg". Skardu.pk. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ Pirumshoev & Dani, The Pamirs, Badakhshan and the Trans-Pamir States 2003, p. 244.
- ^ Afridi, Banat Gul (1988). Baltistan in History. Emjay Books International.
- ISBN 9789004154827.
- ISBN 9781316184394.
- ISBN 9788185182759.
- ISBN 9788123026480.
- ^ ISBN 9788173870866.
- S2CID 155030407
- ^ Brown, Gilgit Rebellion 2014, p. 264.
- ^ Schofield 2003, pp. 63–64.
- ^ Dani, History of Northern Areas of Pakistan 2001, p. 362–.
- ^ Brown, Gilgit Rebellion 2014, p. 268.
- ^ ISBN 9789382652175.
- ^ Harbans Singh, Spare a thought for those defenders of Skardu, The Tribune, 19 August 2015.
- ISBN 978-81-7062-301-4
- ^ a b "Skardu Climate Data". 2014. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- ^ "First international flight from Skardu departs for Dubai with 160 passengers". Arab News. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ "Deosai National Park". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ Pakistan's Most Exciting Flight – Flying Over "Roof of the World", retrieved 10 January 2022
- ^ Dawn.com (16 December 2021). "PM Imran inaugurates Skardu International Airport, Jaglot-Skardu road in day-long visit". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ a b "SATPARA DAM PROJECT Updated as". Wapda.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- Bibliography
- M. S. Asimov; C. E. Bosworth, eds. (1998), History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Vol. IV, Part 1 — The age of achievement: A.D. 750 to the end of the fifteenth century — The historical, social and economic setting, UNESCO, ISBN 978-92-3-103467-1
- ISBN 978-92-3-103467-1
- Chahryar Adle; Irfan Habib, eds. (2003). History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Vol. V — Development in contrast: From the sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century. UNESCO. ISBN 978-92-3-103876-1.
- Pirumshoev, H. S.; ISBN 9789231038761
- Pirumshoev, H. S.;
- Brown, William (2014), Gilgit Rebelion: The Major Who Mutinied Over Partition of India, Pen and Sword, ISBN 978-1-4738-4112-3
- ISBN 978-969-35-1231-1
- Petr, T. (1999). Fish and Fisheries at Higher Altitudes: Asia. Food & Agriculture Org. ISBN 978-92-5-104309-7.
Further reading
- Jettmar, Karl et al. (1985): Zwischen Gandhara und den Seidenstrassen: Felsbilder am Karakorum Highway: Entdeckungen deutsch-pakistanischer Expeditionen 1979–1984. 1985. Mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern.
- Jettmar. Karl (1980): Bolor & Dardistan. Karl Jettmar. Islamabad, National Institute of Folk Heritage.
External links
- Skardu – Emerging Pakistan Archived 22 January 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- Skardu travel guide from Wikivoyage