Skardu

Wednesday, 19 December 2012

11th Part, Gilgit Baltistan Tour (Skardu Shangrila & PIA's DC-10)

SKARDU SHIA SUNI ETIHAD HAMED MIR GEO NEWS 18/04/2012/ PART 1.

NADEEM SARWAR LIVE - SKARDU HIGHLIGHTS 2012

9 Days Travel Story Shounter Astore Deosai Skardu 2012

FARHAN ALI WARIS , Skardu , Baltistan , Pakistan ( ALI(as) WARIS )

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Abbottabad
Abbottabad /əˈbɒtəbɑːd/ (Urdu, Hindko: ایبٹ آباد Ābṭābād [aːbʈaːˈbaːd̪]) is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, 50 kilometres (31 mi) northeast of the capital Islamabad and 150 kilometres (93 mi) east of Peshawar at an altitude of 1,260 metres (4,134 ft) and is the capital of the Abbottabad District. It borders Azad Kashmir to the east. The city is well-known throughout Pakistan for its pleasant weather, high-standard educational institutions and military establishments.
The town of Abbottabad, under the British Raj, was the headquarters of the Hazara District during British rule of India. It was named after Major James Abbott who founded the town and district in January 1853 after the annexation of Punjab. He remained the first Deputy Commissioner of the Hazara district from 1849 until April 1853. Major Abbott is noted for having written a poem titled "Abbottabad", before he went back to Britain, in which he wrote of his fondness for the town and his sadness at having to leave it. In the early 20th century, Abbottabad became an important military cantonment and sanatorium, serving as the headquarters of a brigade in the Second Division of the Northern Army Corps. The garrison consisted of four battalions of native infantry, of the Frontier Force (including the 5th Gurkha Rifles) and two native mountain batteries.

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Askole
Askole or Askoly is a small town located in the Braldu Valley in the most remote region of Karakoram mountains in Northern Areas, Pakistan. It is the last settlement before the wilderness of the Karakoram. Askole is the gateway to four of the world's fourteen highest peaks known as Eight-thousanders (above 8,000m). Askole is located at 35°41′N 75°49'E.
Expeditions to the following peaks are launched from Askole:
Coordinates: 35°41′N 75°49′E / 35.683°N 75.817°E / 35.683; 75.817

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Attock
Attock (Urdu: اٹک) (formerly Campbellpur) is a city located in the northern border of the Punjab province of Pakistan and the headquarters of Attock District. In the 1901 census, Attock was reported to have had a population of 2866 people, a figure which has grown dramatically during the 20th century with 69,588 reported in the 1998 census and contemporary estimates approaching 100,000.
It is located on the bank of the Indus, just 80 km (50 mi) from Rawalpindi, 100 km (62 mi) from Peshawar, and 10 km (6 mi) from the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Kamra.
Gandhara was a historic region of ancient India (which corresponds to areas of north west Pakistan including Attock). Situated astride the middle Indus River, the region had Taxila and Peshawar as its chief cities. It was originally a province of the Persian Empire and was reached (327 B.C.) by Alexander the Great. The region passed to Chandragupta, founder of the Maurya empire, in the late 4th century B.C., and under Asoka was converted (mid-3d cent.) to Buddhism. It was part of Bactria from the late 3d cent. to the 1st cent. B.C. Under the Kushan dynasty (1st cent.–3d cent. A.D.), and especially under Kanishka, Gandhara developed a noted school of sculpture, consisting mainly of images of Buddha and relief’s representing scenes from Buddhist texts, but with marked Greco-Roman elements of style. The art form flourished in Gandhara until the 5th century, when the region was conquered by the Huns.

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Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Urdu: آزاد جموں و کشمیر, Azaad Jammu o- Kashmir, literally Free Jammu and Kashmir ; AJK) or Azad Kashmir (literally Free Kashmir) for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Kashmir and Jammu. It borders the present-day Indian-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir to the east (separated from it by the Line of Control), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to the west, Gilgit–Baltistan to the north, and the Punjab province to the south. With its capital at Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir covers an area of 13,297 square kilometres (5,134 sq mi) and has an estimated population of about four million. Brad Adams the Asia director at Human Rights Watch has said in 2006
Although ‘azad’ means ‘free,’ the residents of Azad Kashmir are anything but, The Pakistani authorities govern Azad Kashmir with strict controls on basic freedoms.
Azad Kashmir and Gilgit–Baltistan together constitute the disputed region, referred to as Pakistan-administered Kashmir by the United Nations and other international organisations, and as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in India in contrast to the name Indian-occupied Kashmir which is given to the Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan. The territories have been under control of the two countries since the first Kashmir war after which Azad Kashmir was successfully captured from the princely state by the rebelling militias with the help of Pakistan army.

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Bahawalpur
Bahawalpur (Urdu, Saraiki: بہاولپور), located in Punjab, is the twelfth largest city in Pakistan. The city was once the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The city was home to various Nawabs (rulers) and counted as part of the Rajputana states (now Rajasthan, India). The city is known for its famous palaces such as the Noor Mahal, Sadiq Ghar Palace, and Darbar Mahal, as well as the ancient fort of Derawar in the Cholistan Desert bordering India. The city is located near the historical and ancient cities of Uch and Harappa, which were once a stronghold of the Delhi Sultanate and Indus Valley Civilisation. The city is home to one of the few natural safari parks in Pakistan, Lal Suhanra National Park.
In 2007, the city's population was recorded to have risen to 798,509 from 403,408 in 1998.Punjabi and Saraiki are the major languages of local people, while Urdu is well understood and English is the official languages used in various educational and government institutions. Bahawalpur is located south of the Sutlej River and lies in the Cholistan region near the Thar Desert. It is situated 90 km from Multan, 420 km from Lahore, and 270 km from Faisalabad.

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Bhimber
Bhimber (Urdu: بھمبر) is the chief town of Bhimber District, Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. The town is situated on the border between Azad Kashmir and Pakistan at a distance of about 50 km from Mirpur, about 48 km from Gujrat, about 37 km from Jhelum, about 166 km from Islamabad and about 241 km from Srinagar.
Famous Chinese tourist Hune Sang has talked about Bhimber in his journeys in seventh century A.D. For centuries, Bhimber has remained as capital city of Chibhal. Raja Chib Chand who was the first Chib came to Bhimber about 1400 years ago. In Chibs, the first who embraced Islam was Sirsadi who is famous as Hazrat Baba Shadi Shaheed. He died during the reign of King Aurangzeb Alamgir. The last ruler of Chibhals was Raja Sultan Khan (1800-1840). Bhimber has been important strategically. It lies on the route that was followed by the Mughal Emperors for their frequent visits to the Kashmir Valley. It is also known as "Baab-e-Kashmir" (Door to Kashmir) because of its importance and geographical location which was ideal for Mughal Emperors to enter Kashmir. Therefore, the Mughals used Bhimber as a staging point for journey to Srinagar. Mughal Emperor Jahangir discussed Bhimber in his book Tuzk-e-Jahangiri.

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Biafo Glacier
The Biafo Glacier is a 63 km (39 mi) long glacier in the Karakoram Mountains of the Northern Areas, Pakistan which meets the 49 km (30 mi) long Hispar Glacier at an altitude of 5,128 m (16,824 ft) at Hispar La (Pass) to create the world's longest glacial system outside the polar regions. This highway of ice connects two ancient mountain kingdoms, Nagar (immediately south of Hunza) in the west with Baltistan in the east. The traverse uses 51 of the Biafo Glacier's 63 km and all of the Hispar Glacier to form a 100 km (62 mi) glacial route.
The Biafo Glacier presents a trekker with several days of very strenuous, often hectic boulder hopping, with spectacular views throughout and Snow Lake near the high point. Snow Lake, consisting of parts of the upper Biafo Glacier and its tributary glacier Sim Gang, is one of the world's largest basins of snow or ice in the world outside of the polar regions, up to 1,600 m (0.99 mi) in depth.
The Biafo Glacier is the world's third longest glacier outside of the polar regions, second only to the 70 km (43 mi) Siachen Glacier disputed between Pakistan and India and Tajikistan's 77 km (48 mi) long Fedchenko Glacier.

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Chakwal
Coordinates: 32°55′49″N 72°51′20″E / 32.93028°N 72.85556°E / 32.93028; 72.85556
Chakwal (Punjabi, Urdu: چکوال) is the capital of Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located 90 km south-east of the federal capital, Islamabad and is named after Chaudhary Chaku Khan, chief of the Mair Minhas tribe from Jammu, who founded it in 1525 CE during the era of the Mughal Emperor, Zaheerudun Babur. It remained a small but central town of the Dhan Chaurasi Taluka for many centuries. In 1881, during the British era, it was declared the Tehsil Headquarters. It was finally upgraded to district status in 1985. The area of Chakwal city is about 10 square kilometres.^{[citation needed]}
Chakwal is located in the Dhanni region of the Pothohar Plateau in northern Punjab, Pakistan. The Pothohar Plateau (also spelled Potwar or Potohar) (Urdu: سطح مرتفع پوٹھوہار) was the home of the ancient Soan valley civilization, which is evidenced by the discovery of fossils, tools, coins, and remains of ancient archaeological sites. The Indus Valley civilization flourished in this region between the 23rd and 18th centuries BC. Some of the earliest Stone Age artefacts in the world have been found on the plateau, dating from 500,000 to 100,000 years ago. The crude stone recovered from the terraces of the Soan testify to human endeavour in this part of the world from the inter-glacial period.

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Chaman
Chaman (also spelt Chamman) (Pashto/Urdu: چمن ) is the capital of Qilla Abdullah District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is situated just south of the border with Afghanistan. Across the border in Afghanistan is the neighbouring town of Spin Boldak, in Kandahar Province. The city has a population of 20,000, several thousand of whom are Hindu.
Chaman has a railway station which accommodates services with Kandahar as well as other parts of Afghanistan. A slow passenger train runs between Chaman and Quetta daily. In 2008, it was proposed to extend this railway through Afghanistan to Central Asia.^{[citation needed]} Chaman is among the most beautiful places in the world with good naturist environment.
The town is an important trade point in the Balochistan region, providing a gateway on the trade routes between Afghanistan and Karachi. It underwent development during the martial law period of the 1980s.
Chaman has been known for its football since the 1940s, and is home to Afghan FC, which plays in the Pakistan Premier League, and the Muslim Football Club. The Jamal Nasir Shaheed Stadium is located in the town.

wn.com/Chaman
Chitral
Coordinates: 35°50′N 71°47′E / 35.833°N 71.783°E / 35.833; 71.783
Chitral or Chetrar (Urdu: چترال) (Khowar:چھترار) (Persian: چیترال‎), translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River (also called Chitral River), in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, 25,289 ft (7,708 m) high. It has a population of 20,000, while the district (of 14,833 km² or 5,727 sq mi), has a population of 300,000. The altitude of the valley is 3,700 ft (1,100 m).
The easiest access to Chitral is in the southwest along the Chitral or Kunar Valley towards Jalalabad. This route is open all year and provides direct access to Kabul. However the Pakistan–Afghanistan border (Durand Line) prevents this being used as an internal route to Peshawar and the south. The other routes are over mountain passes. To the south, the Lowari Pass (3,200 m or 10,499 ft) leads 365 km (227 mi) to Peshawar. In the north, the easiest route during summer runs over the Broghol Pass (3,798 m or 12,460 ft) to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor, however during winter this route is usually closed. To the east, there is a 405 kilometres (252 mi) route to Gilgit over the 3,719 metres (12,201 ft) Shandur Pass. In the west, the 4,300 metres (14,100 ft) Dorah Pass provides an additional route to Afghanistan. The territory is home to rare falcons and the snow leopard, and is cut off by snow from the rest of the country for six months a year, a problem soon to be relieved by the completion of the Lowari Tunnel which will reduce transit time to Chitral as well as allow the district to be connected to the rest of the country even during the cold winter months.

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Deosai Plains
The Deosai National Park (Urdu: دیوسائی نیشنل پارک) is located in the Skardu, Astore Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan province, in northernmost Pakistan. The park is located on the Deosai Plains of the Greater Kashmir geographic region. Deosai means the "Land of Giants".
Deosai National Park is at an average elevation of 4,114 metres (13,497 ft) above the sea level, making the Deosai Plains the second highest plateau in the world, after the adjacent Tibetan Plateau. The park protects an area of 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi). It is well known for its rich flora and fauna of the Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe ecoregion. In the Spring season it is covered by sweeps wildflowers and a wide variety of butterflies.
Deosai Lake, or Sheosar Lake from the Shina language meaning "Blind lake" (Sheo - Blind, Sar - lake) is in the park. The lake, at an elevation of 4,142 metres (13,589 ft), is one of the highest lakes in the world. Its length is 2.3 kilometres (7,500 ft), width 1.8 kilometres (5,900 ft) and average depth 40 metres (130 ft). It is located near the Chilim Valley on the Deosai Plains.

wn.com/Deosai_Plains
Deosai plains
The Deosai National Park (Urdu: دیوسائی نیشنل پارک) is located in the Skardu, Astore Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan province, in northernmost Pakistan. The park is located on the Deosai Plains of the Greater Kashmir geographic region. Deosai means the "Land of Giants".
Deosai National Park is at an average elevation of 4,114 metres (13,497 ft) above the sea level, making the Deosai Plains the second highest plateau in the world, after the adjacent Tibetan Plateau. The park protects an area of 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi). It is well known for its rich flora and fauna of the Karakoram-West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe ecoregion. In the Spring season it is covered by sweeps wildflowers and a wide variety of butterflies.
Deosai Lake, or Sheosar Lake from the Shina language meaning "Blind lake" (Sheo - Blind, Sar - lake) is in the park. The lake, at an elevation of 4,142 metres (13,589 ft), is one of the highest lakes in the world. Its length is 2.3 kilometres (7,500 ft), width 1.8 kilometres (5,900 ft) and average depth 40 metres (130 ft). It is located near the Chilim Valley on the Deosai Plains.

wn.com/Deosai_plains
Faisalabad
Faisalabad, (Urdu: فیصل آباد) formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan.
Nicknamed the Manchester of Asia, Faisalabad remains an important industrial city west of Lahore. The city-district of Faisalabad is bound on the north by the districts of Hafizabad and Chiniot, on the east by Nankana Sahib, on the south by Sahiwal, and Toba Tek Singh and on the west by Jhang.
The city is at a road and railway junction, which has played an influential role in the development of Faisalabad's trade and economy. The surrounding countryside, irrigated by the Lower Chenab River, has seen expanded production of cotton, wheat, sugarcane, vegetables, and fruits, which form 55% of Pakistan's exports. The city is an industrial centre with major railway repair yards, engineering works, and mills that process sugar, flour, and oil seed. Produce includes superphosphates, cotton and silk textiles, hosiery, dyes, industrial chemicals, beverages, apparels, pulp and paper, printing, agricultural equipment, and ghee (clarified butter). Faisalabad is the site of the prestigious University of Agriculture, founded in 1909.

wn.com/Faisalabad
Gasherbrum
Gasherbrum is a remote group of peaks located at the northeastern end of the Baltoro Glacier in the Karakoram range of the Himalaya on the border of the Chinese Shaksgam Valley and the Gilgit-Baltistan territory of Pakistan. The massif contains three of the world's 8,000 metre peaks (if one includes Broad Peak). Gasherbrum is often claimed to mean "Shining Wall", presumably a reference to the highly visible face of Gasherbrum IV; but in fact it comes from "rgasha" (beautiful) + "brum" (mountain) in Balti, hence it actually means "beautiful mountain".
In 1856, Thomas George Montgomerie, a British Royal Engineers lieutenant and a member of the Great Trigonometric Survey of India, sighted a group of high peaks in the Karakoram from more than 200 km away. He named five of these peaks K1, K2, K3, K4 and K5 where the K denotes Karakoram. Today, K1 is known as Masherbrum, K3 as Broad Peak, K4 as Gasherbrum II and K5 as Gasherbrum I. Only K2, the second highest mountain in the world, has kept Montgomerie's name.

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Gilgit
Gilgit (Urdu, Shina: گلگت) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. Gilgit City forms a tehsil of Gilgit, within Gilgit District. Its ancient name was Sargin, later to be known as Gilit, and it is still called Gilit or Sargin-Gilit by local people. In the Burushaski language, it is named Geelt and in Wakhi and Khowar it is called Gilt. Ghallata is considered its name in ancient Sanskrit literature. Gilgit City is one of the two major hubs in Gilgit Baltistan for mountaineering expeditions to the Karakoram and other the peaks in the Himalayas, the other hub being Skardu.^{[citation needed]}
Gilgit was an important city on the Silk Road, along which Buddhism was spread from South Asia to the rest of Asia.^{[citation needed]}
The Dards and Chinas appear in many of the old Pauranic lists of peoples who lived in the region, with the former also mentioned in Ptolemy's accounts of the region. Two famous travellers, Faxian and Xuanzang, traversed Gilgit according to their accounts.^{[citation needed]}

wn.com/Gilgit
Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan (Urdu: گوجرخان ) is a city in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Gujar Khan Tehsil, the largest tehsil of Punjab. It is approximately 55 kilometres southeast of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan and 220 km to the north west of Lahore, capital of Punjab. Gujar Khan is bounded on the north by Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Attock, on the south by Jhelum, Lahore and Gujrat, on the east by Azad Kashmir and Kahuta and on the west by Chakwal and Khushab. The city has a population of approximately 73,000. Gujar Khan lies at the heart of the Pothohar cultural region. The area has considerable natural resources in the form of petroleum and natural gas.
The place was named after Gujjars, while they formerly ruled the Gurjara Pratihara Kingdom for centuries.
The Region is also the ancestral land of all the Kukhrains of India. these include the sub castes of Anand, Bhasin, Suri, Bhalla, Sethi, Ghandhoke, Chadha, Kohli. Many famous Indians (Including the current prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh) are ancestrally from this region.

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Gujranwala
Gujranwala (Punjabi, Urdu: گوجرانوالہ ) is an industrial city in the north-east of the Punjab province. It is the 7th largest city in Pakistan with a population of approximately 2,661,360 as on 24 June 2011 (Extrapolated from a population of 1,415,711 in 2006 and a population of 2,569,090 on February 4, 2011). Gujranwala is located at 32.16° North, 74.18° East and is 226 metres (744 ft) above sea level. It shares borders with Ghakhar Mandi, Alipur Chatha, kamonke and some small towns and villages. Punjabi is the local language, but English and Urdu are also common, particularly in schools and offices. Due to extensive road and rail links the city has flourished within the manufacturing and agricultural markets. The city is on the Grand Trunk Road, which allows logistical connections to the provincial capitals such as Peshawar and Lahore and also to the capital of Pakistan Islamabad.It is in between Lahore and [Gujrat,Wazirabad]. its small and medium industries. Gujranwala is known for its extensive production of sugarcane, melons and grains for international export.Gujranwala exports one of the world's finest quality Rice. The city has set up several commercial and industrial centres allowing the manufacturing of ceramics,Fans,electrical switch gears,engineering tools,Agricultural/earth moving machinery, steel, cutlery, crockery, iron safes, metal tool, utensils, textiles,Wollen Sweaters, sanitary Fittings and tannery production. The city has produced some of the finest wrestlers and bodybuilders of the subcontinent, which has resulted in the nickname 'City of wrestlers' or Phelwana da shehar in Punjabi. The city is also the birthplace of the legendary Sikh warrior-king, Ranjit Singh.

wn.com/Gujranwala
Gujrat
Gujrat (Punjabi, Urdu: گجرات) is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. The major sources of livelihood among the Gujrat populace are agriculture and small industries. Gujrat is also known as the city of King Porus.
Gujrat is situated on the bank of Chenab River, situated about 120 kilometres (75 mi) north of Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province, and 150 kilometres (93 mi) from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Prominent nearby locations include Jalalpur Jattan, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Lalamusa and Bhimber-Azad Kashmir. The city is surrounded by many villages and towns, which supply significant labour to the local market.
Gujrat was founded by Raja Bachhan Pal Gurjar in 460 BC, according to General Cunningham, the British historian. Historical consensus is that it existed in the time of Alexander the Great, and that the city's Raja Porus put up a fierce challenge to Alexander's invasion at the bank of the Jehlum River. The establishment of Gujrat City was realised early in the 19th century after the British Empire and in support of regional landlords (e.g., Daswandi Khan of Daswandi Pura).

wn.com/Gujrat
Gwadar
Coordinates: 25°07′35″N 62°19′21″E / 25.12639°N 62.3225°E / 25.12639; 62.3225
Gwadar (Baloch and Urdu: گوادر; Arabic: جوادر‎) is a port city on the Arabian Sea in the south-west of Pakistan. It is the district capital of Gwadar District in Balochistan province as well as its winter capital.
Gwadar is strategically located at the apex of the Arabian Sea and at the mouth of the Gulf of Oman. The city's strategic, warm-water, deep-sea Gwadar Port was completed in 2007. The port is 14 metres (46 ft) deep and handles the largest cargo ships to Pakistan. The city is emerging as a trade hub and a transit for Chinese oil and timber imports and transshipments. The city has also been taking an increasing role in China's String of Pearls.
Gwadar is one of the few planned cities in Pakistan (others being Faisalabad, Jauharabad, and Islamabad), which have been developed from scratch under an urban master plan. Before development, the town was a fishing village.

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Haripur, Pakistan
Haripur (Urdu: ہری پور) is a city in Haripur District in the Hazara Division of Hazara, some 65 km (40 mi) north of Islamabad and 35 km (22 mi) south of Abbottabad, in a hilly plain area at an altitude of 520 m (1,706 ft). The city is situated on the Karakoram Highway (N35).
Haripur was founded by the Sikh general Hari Singh Nalwa in 1822 and became the headquarters of Hazara (until 1853). Hari Singh Nalwa was appointed by Sikh leader Ranjit Singh as the second Nazim of Hazara after the first Nazim Amar Singh Majithia was killed by the local populace at Nara.
Haripur was built as a fortress surrounded by a wall which was 4 yards (3.7 m) thick and 16 yards (15 m) high and had only four openings. That fort later became the city police station. There is a famous Campus of Allama Iqbal Open University, and a campus of the Hazara University, Dhodial Mansehra. Haripur is famous for its greenery and is a source of nursery plants, ornamentals and forest plants for the rest of NWFP and Pakistan.
Drinking water was provided by digging a tank. Many small drainages were dug to carry sullage water. A small river, the river Dore, passes through the city, feeding the Tarbela Dam.

wn.com/Haripur,_Pakistan
Hushe
Hushe is the last village of the Ghangche District of northern Pakistan. It is the highest village in the once extremely remote and impoverished valley. Hushe men began working as cooks and porters for expeditions in the 1960s. Reinhold Messner's cook Rozi Ali, is from Hushe. Now, the sons of these men have turned wholeheartedly to tourism and the Hushe-pa have developed an excellent reputation as guides, cooks and high-altitude porters.
Hushe villagers are environmentally conscious and work to keep their area nice. Hushe is no longer the poorest of villages, and its popularity as a trekking and climbing destination continues to grow. Abdul Karim of Hushe, famous as Little Karim, who carried 25KG of weight up to 8000m on an expedition on Gasherbrum II, is working with a Spanish team to build a new luxurious hotel in the village, overlooking mighty Masherbrum.

wn.com/Hushe
Hyderabad, Sindh
Hyderabad (help·info) (Sindhi: حيدرآباد, Urdu: حیدرآباد Haidarābād) is the 2nd largest city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the 6th largest city in the country. The city was founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro upon the ruins of a Mauryan fishing village along the bank of the Indus known as Neroon Kot (Sindhi: نيرُون ڪوٽ). Formerly the capital of Sindh, it serves as the HQ of the district of Hyderabad. The last Battle of Amir Talpor and British took place in this city in 1843. Before the creation of Pakistan, it was known as the Paris of India, for its roads used to be washed with river water.
The political boundaries stage the city as a district and the region has seen major political turmoil. From the battles fought against the British occupation to the civilian unrest in the 1980s, the city has lost its glory of past and much of its cultural and architectural heritage lies in tattered ruins.
Hyderabad is a hot and humid city in the south of the nation and has been a staging point for literary campaigns particularly oriented towards the Sindhi language and a birthplace of a few influential poets and Sufi dervishes. Rich with culture and tradition, the city is the largest bangle producer in the world and serves as a transit between the rural and the urban Sindh.

wn.com/Hyderabad,_Sindh
Indus
The Indus River (Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: دریائے سندھ Daryā-e Sindh; Hindi: सिन्धु नदी Sindhu; Sindhi: سنڌو Sindhu; Punjabi: سندھ Sindh; Gujarati: સિંધુ નદી Sindhu; Pashto: اباسين Abāsin "Father of Rivers"; Persian: رود سند Rūd-e Sind‎; Arabic: السند Al-Sind‎; Tibetan: སེང་གེ།་གཙང་པོ Sênggê Zangbo "Lion River"; Greek: Ινδός Indós; Turki: Nilab) is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It has courses through western Tibet (in China) and Northern India.
Originating in the Tibetan plateau in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar, the river runs a course through the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit, Baltistan and flows through Pakistan in a southerly direction along the entire length of Pakistan to merge into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh. The total length of the river is 3,180 km (1,980 mi). It is Pakistan's longest river.
The river has a total drainage area exceeding 1,165,000 km² (450,000 sq mi). Its estimated annual flow stands at around 207 km³ (50 cu mi), making it the twenty-first largest river in the world in terms of annual flow. Zanskar is its left bank tributary in Ladakh. In the plains, its left bank tributary is Chenab which itself has four major tributaries, namely, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas and Satluj. Its principal right bank tributaries are Shyok, Gilgit, Kabul, Gomal and Kurram. Beginning at the heights of the world in a spring and fed with glaciers and rivers in the Himalayas, the river supports ecosystems of temperate forests, plains and arid countryside.

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Indus River
The Indus River (Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: دریائے سندھ Daryā-e Sindh; Hindi: सिन्धु नदी Sindhu; Sindhi: سنڌو Sindhu; Punjabi: سندھ Sindh; Gujarati: સિંધુ નદી Sindhu; Pashto: اباسين Abāsin "Father of Rivers"; Persian: رود سند Rūd-e Sind‎; Arabic: السند Al-Sind‎; Tibetan: སེང་གེ།་གཙང་པོ Sênggê Zangbo "Lion River"; Greek: Ινδός Indós; Turki: Nilab) is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It has courses through western Tibet (in China) and Northern India.
Originating in the Tibetan plateau in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar, the river runs a course through the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit, Baltistan and flows through Pakistan in a southerly direction along the entire length of Pakistan to merge into the Arabian Sea near the port city of Karachi in Sindh. The total length of the river is 3,180 km (1,980 mi). It is Pakistan's longest river.
The river has a total drainage area exceeding 1,165,000 km² (450,000 sq mi). Its estimated annual flow stands at around 207 km³ (50 cu mi), making it the twenty-first largest river in the world in terms of annual flow. Zanskar is its left bank tributary in Ladakh. In the plains, its left bank tributary is Chenab which itself has four major tributaries, namely, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas and Satluj. Its principal right bank tributaries are Shyok, Gilgit, Kabul, Gomal and Kurram. Beginning at the heights of the world in a spring and fed with glaciers and rivers in the Himalayas, the river supports ecosystems of temperate forests, plains and arid countryside.

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Islamabad
Islamabad (Urdu: اسلام آباد Islām ābād, lit. Abode of Islam) is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.152 million in 2011. The greater Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metropolitan Area is the third largest conurbation in Pakistan with a population of over 4.5 million inhabitants.
Islamabad is located in the Pothohar Plateau in the northern part of the country, within the Islamabad Capital Territory. The region has historically been a part of the crossroads of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Margalla pass acting as the gateway between the two regions. The city was built during the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital. Islamabad is a well-organized city divided into different sectors and zones. It is regarded as the most developed city in Pakistan. Islamabad is ranked as a Gamma world city. The city is home to Faisal Mosque, the largest mosque in South Asia and the sixth largest mosque in the world.

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Jacobabad
Jacobabad or Yaqubabad (Sindhi: جیکب آباد) is the capital city of Jacobabad District, Sindh, Pakistan.This is one of old city of Sind state. The city is also the administrative centre of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivision of the district, the city is subdivided into 8 Union Councils. The city is crossed by the Pakistan Railway and many main roads of the province.
During British rule, as part of British Raj, the town was the administrative headquarters of the Upper Sind Frontier District of the Bombay Presidency; with a station on the Quetta branch of the North-Western Railway. It became well known for consistently having the highest temperature in the South Asia, and has a mean summer average of 98°F, and during the month of June the temperature can consistently reach between 120° and 131°F (49 to 55°C).
The town was founded on the site of the village of Khangarh in 1847 by General John Jacob, for many years commandant of the Sind Horse, who died here in 1858. A memorial exists at the Victoria Tower in the heart of the city.

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Jhang
Jhang (Punjabi, Urdu: جھنگ) is the capital city of Jhang District, in the state of Punjab, Pakistan. It is situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, about 210 kilometres from Lahore and 35 kilometres from Gojra. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 387,418
Jhang is situated at place where two rivers Jhelum and Chenab join together to make a great looking sight. It is situated on the left banks of both rivers. Jhang is the capital city of Jhang District located at the coordinates 31.30677 N, 72.32814 E.
Climate of Jhang has extreme summer and extreme winter like most areas of Pakistan, it has four seasons.
According to 1981 census of Pakistan population of Jhang was 1,970,944 with the 434,495 housing units in Jhang. In 1998 census, population of Jhang was 2,834,545, whose annually growth rate was 2.16%. Male population was 1,474,099 (52.00%) and female population was 1,360,446 (48.00%). Languages mostly spoken in Jhang are Punjabi and Urdu.
The area was inhabited at the time of Alexander but the present city of Jhang is said to have been founded in the twelwth century by Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari. Its first inhabitants were sials who were his followers or murids. It was then destroyed by the river and re-founded during the reign of Aurangzeb by Mehboob Alam - called Shah Jewna - who asked his followers to settle again in that area in 1402. Under Mughal rule, the city flourished and was notable for commerce and trade.

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Jhelum
Coordinates: 32°55′43″N 73°43′53″E / 32.92861°N 73.73139°E / 32.92861; 73.73139
Jhelum ( /ˈdʒeɪləm/) (Urdu, Punjabi: جہلم) (Greek: Alexandria Bucephalous) is a city on the right bank of the Jhelum River, in the district of the same name in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. Jhelum is known for providing a large number of soldiers to the British and later to the Pakistan armed forces due to which it is also known as city of soldiers or land of martyrs and warriors. Jhelum is a few miles upstream from the site of the Battle of the Hydaspes between the armies of Alexander the Great and Raja Porus. A city called Bucephala was founded nearby to commemorate the death of Alexander's horse, Sarosh. Other notable sites nearby include the 16th century Rohtas Fort, the Tilla Jogian complex of ancient temples, and the 16th-century Grand Trunk Road which passes through the city. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the population of Jhelum was 145,647 and in 2010 its population is 174,679. The name of the city is derived from the words Jal (pure water) and Ham (snow), as the river that flows through the river originates in the Himalayas. There are a number of industries in and around Jhelum city, including a tobacco factory, wood, marble, glass and flour mills.

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Karachi
Karachi ( Karācī (help·info), Urdu: کراچی; Sindhi: ڪراچي) is the largest city, main seaport and financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 13 million. Results in April 2012 of Pakistan's latest census initial tabulations show that the district is home to over 21 million people, at a density of nearly 6,000 people per square kilometer (15,500 per square mile). Karachi is the most populous city in the country, one of the world's largest cities in terms of population and also the 10th largest urban agglomeration in the world. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, economic activity and trade and is home to Pakistan's largest corporations, including those involved in textiles, shipping, automotive industry, entertainment, the arts, fashion, advertising, publishing, software development and medical research. The city is a major hub of higher education in South Asia and the wider Muslim world.

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Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum (simplified Chinese: 喀喇昆仑山脉; traditional Chinese: 喀喇崑崙山脈; pinyin: Kālǎkūnlún Shānmài; Hindi: काराकोरम, Kārākōrama; Urdu: سلسلہ کوہ قراقرم), is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit–Baltistan (Pakistan), Ladakh (India), and Xinjiang region, (China). It is one of the Greater Ranges of Asia, a part of the greater Himalaya while north of the actual Himalaya Range.
The Karakoram is home to the highest concentration of peaks over eight kilometres (five miles) in height to be found anywhere on earth, including K2, the second highest peak of the world (8,611 m/28,251 ft). K2 is just 237 m (778 ft) lower than the 8,848 m (29,029 ft) tall Mount Everest.
The range is about 500 km (311 mi) in length, and is the most heavily glaciated part of the world outside the polar regions. The Siachen Glacier at 70 km and the Biafo Glacier at 63 km rank as the world's second and third longest glaciers outside the polar regions.

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Karakorum Highway
Coordinates: 35°36′N 74°39′E / 35.6°N 74.65°E / 35.6; 74.65
The Karakoram Highway (KKH) is the highest paved international road in the world. It connects China and Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4,693 m/15,397 ft as confirmed by both SRTM and multiple GPS readings. It connects China's Xinjiang region with Pakistan's Gilgit–Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions and also serves as a popular tourist attraction. Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions in which it was constructed, it is also referred to as the "Ninth Wonder of the World."
The Karakorum Highway is known informally as the KKH, and — within Pakistan — officially as the N-35; within China, officially as China National Highway 314 (G314).
The Karakoram Highway, also known as the Friendship Highway in China, was built by the governments of Pakistan and China, it was started in 1959 and was completed in 1979 (open to the public since 1986) about 810 Pakistanis and about 200 Chinese workers lost their lives, mostly in landslides and falls, while building the highway. The route of the KKH traces one of the many paths of the ancient Silk Road.

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Kasur
Kasur (Urdu/Punjabi: قصور), the capital of Kasur District in Pakistan. Kasur is located adjacent to the border of Ganda Singh Wala between Pakistan and India, and is a tourist attraction because of the daily occurring Flags lowering ceremony. Kasur district is surrounded at north by Lahore, at east and south by India, at southern west Depalpur tehsil of Okara district and at northern west Sheikhupura district.
Though the city Kasur is famous for Baba Bullah Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, a humanist and philosopher.However,Kasur is also famous for its cosine,Spicy fish of Sh.Javed, Kasuri Falooda are of unique taste. Famous sweets include Andrassa and Sohan Halwa. Kasuri methi is also famous across the Pakistan.
The main crops in Kasur are wheat, corn, potato, sugar cane and turmeric. Turmeric fields of Changa Manga and Dhing Shah are unique agricultural features of Pakistan.
Coordinates: 31°07′01″N 74°27′01″E / 31.1170277778°N 74.4502222222°E / 31.1170277778; 74.4502222222

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Khairpur, Pakistan
Khairpur (Sindhi: خیرپور, Urdu: خیرپور) (khīr´poor) is the twelfth largest city in the province of Sindh in southeast Pakistan. It was founded in 1783 by Mir Sohrab Khan, who established the Khairpur branch of the Talpur clan. The settlement was selected as the seat of the Mirs of northern Sindh. It is the capital of the modern Khairpur District and was the capital of the former princely state of Khayrpur. The great mystic Sufi Sachal Sarmast came from this city. The city is famous for its dates, known in the Sindhi language as Khark, and in Urdu as Khajoor.Its famous cities are Ranipur, Gambat, Kot Diji and Sobhodero.There is one university named Shah Abdul Latif University.
It has some fine historic buildings notably the Faiz Mahal.
At the 1998 census, the population of the city of Khairpur was 102,188 having increased from 61,447 at the 1981 census. The city had an estimated population of 127,857 in 2006.
In Khairpur, Muslims live in large number, on 2nd Hindus majority live in it and Christianity is quite less in number means even though it exists in Khairpur but very less.

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Kharian
Kharian (Urdu: کھاریاں ) (Pronunciation: Khariah) is a city of Gujrat District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Kharian is the chief city of Kharian Tehsil, which administrates all of the numerous surrounding villages and towns of Greater Kharian.
Kharian is located almost midway between the Capital city of Pakistan, Islamabad (about 125 km) and provincial capital of Punjab, Lahore (about 145 km). The most northern parts of Greater Kharian lies in front of the beautiful foothills of the Himalaya mountains of Azad Kashmir.
Kharian is located on the Grand Trunk Road (colloquially known as the GT road). This is the road which connects Kharian, all the way from Bangladesh, through India across Pakistan and to Afghanistan. It was used during British Rule to transport goods across South Asia. The main railway line also passes through Kharian, thus providing good transportation to the northern and southern parts of Pakistan.
The closest major cities to Kharian are Jhelum (about 10 miles) and Gujrat (around 20 miles).

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Khuzdar
Khuzdar or Khozdar (Balochi: خضدار) is a town located in Khuzdar District in Balochistan, Pakistan. Khuzdar is the capital of Khuzdar District, which was created on 1 March 1974. Previously, Khuzdar was part of Kalat District.
Khuzdar was the capital of the Brahui kingdom of Makran.
In the early 17th century it was part of the Jhalawan kingdom, but it soon fell under the Kingdom of Kalat, where it remained until a series of revolts during the reign of Khudadad Khan (1857-1893). By 1896, after Khudadad's death, the authority of Kalat was restored.
Under a treaty with Kalat, the British appointed a political agent at Khuzdar in 1903. British assistance continued until 1947, after which the area was acceded to Pakistan as part of the two nation theory and became a Democracy. When the Baluchistan States Union became Kalat Division, Khuzdar was established as the divisional headquarters. The divisional administration of Pakistan ended in 2000. Khuzdar was again established as the Divisional headquarters in June 2009 by the Pakistan Peoples Party Government.

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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pashto: خیبر پښتونخوا [xaiˈbər pəxtunˈxwɑ]; Urdu: خیبر پختونخوا [ˈxɛːbər pəxˈtuːnxwaː]), locally called Pukhtunkhwa, and formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country. It borders Afghanistan to the north-west, Gilgit–Baltistan to the north-east, Azad Kashmir to the east, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to the west and south, Balochistan to the south and Punjab and the Islamabad Capital Territory to the south-east. The main ethnic group in the province is the Pashtuns; other smaller ethnic groups include most notably the Hindkowanss, Gujjar's and Chitralis. The principal languages are Pashto (locally referred to as Pukhto) The provincial capital is Peshawar.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sits primarily on the Iranian plateau and comprises the junction where the slopes of the Hindu Kush mountains on the Eurasian plate give way to the Indus-watered hills approaching South Asia. This situation has led to seismic activity in the past. The famous Khyber Pass links the province to Afghanistan, while the Kohalla Bridge in Circle Bakote Abbottabad is a major crossing point over the Jhelum River in the east.

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Kohat
Kohat (Pashto: کوهاټ) is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres (1607 feet) and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge railway runs through the town. Kohat Pass is to the north.
The town of Kohat is situated on the left bank of the Kohat toi at a point where, after running nearly due east for 50 miles (80 km), is takes a turn to south. The total area of the district is 2,545 square kilometres (983 sq mi).^{[citation needed]}
Before the partition there were only two high School in Kohat, Islima High School and Barathery High School.^{[citation needed]}
http://www.kohatpressclub.n.nu
List of airports in Pakistan, Kohat Airbase
Much of the transport is privately operated within the city limits. There are also many buses that pass through the city via the Indus Highway. Most going to Peshawar and running between Bannu, D.I. Khan, Islamabad and rest of Pakistan. The railway line is operated between Kohat and Rawalpindi only.

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Kotli
Kotli (Urdu: کوٹلی, Pahari-Potohari/Hindko/Pashto: کوٹلی) or Cotly, as known in Britain, is the chief town of Kotli District, in the Pakistani-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Kotli is linked with Mirpur by two metalled roads, one via Rajdhani, (90 km) and the other via Charhoi. It is also directly linked with Rawalakot via Trarkhal (82 km) and a double road which links Kotli with the rest of Pakistan via Sehnsa, another major town in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Kotli is roughly a three hours drive from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, at a distance of 117 km via Sehnsa.
As stated in History of the Punjab Hill States by J.Hutchinson and J.P. Vogel: "Kotli was founded about the fifteenth century by a branch of the royal family of Kashmir. Kotli and Poonch remained independent until subdued by Ranjit Singh in 1815 and 1819 respectively."
The royal family of Kashmir Hutchinson and Vogel are referring to is the family of Raja Mangar Pal. Before its name was Kohtali mean (under mountain) after that people changed its name to Kotli. Kotli was historically known as Kotli.

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Ladakh
Ladakh (Wylie: la-dwags, Ladakhi [lad̪ɑks], Hindi: लद्दाख़, Urdu: لدّاخ [ləd̪ˈd̪aːx]; "land of high passes") is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in the control of the Republic of India. It is however disputed territory between Pakistan and India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Jammu and Kashmir.
Historically, the region included the Baltistan (Baltiyul) valleys, the Indus Valley, the remote Zangskar, Lahaul and Spiti to the south, Aksai Chin and Ngari, including the Rudok region and Guge, in the east, and the Nubra valleys to the north.
Contemporary Ladakh borders Tibet to the east, the Lahaul and Spiti to the south, the Vale of Kashmir, Jammu and Baltiyul regions to the west, and the trans–Kunlun territory of Xinjiang to the far north. Ladakh is renowned for its remote mountain beauty and culture. It is sometimes called "Little Tibet" as it has been strongly influenced by Tibetan culture.

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Lahore
Lahore (Punjabi: لہور, Urdu: لاہور) is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich history dating back over a millennium, Lahore is a main cultural centre of Pakistan. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains an economic, political, transportation, entertainment, and educational hub.
Lahore successively served as regional capital of the empires of the Shahi kingdoms in the 11th century, the Ghaznavids in the 12th century, the Ghurid State in the 12th and 13th centuries the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, the Sikh expansion in the early 19th century, and it was the capital of the Punjab region under the British Raj in the mid 19th and early 20th century. The traditional capital of Punjab for a thousand years, Lahore was the cultural center of the northern Indian subcontinent which extends from the eastern banks of the Indus River to New Delhi. Mughal structures such as the Badshahi Mosque, the Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens, and the mausolea of Jehangir and Nur Jehan are tourist attractions. Lahore is also home to many British colonial structures built in the Indo-Saracenic style, such as the Lahore High Court, the General Post Office, Lahore Museum and many older universities including the University of the Punjab. The Lahore Zoo, thought to be the fourth oldest in the world, is also situated here.

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Larkana
Coordinates: 27°33′36″N 68°13′35″E / 27.56°N 68.22639°E / 27.56; 68.22639
Larkana or Larkano (Urdu:لاڑکانہ [laːɽkaːnaː], Sindhi: لاڙڪاڻو [laːɽkaːnoː]1901) is the fourth largest city in the north-western part of Sindh Province, Pakistan, and is located within Larkana District.The old name of larkano is chandka which was changed in 1901. In August 2000 Larkana celebrated its hundred years of existence. It is located on the south bank of the Ghar canal, 40 miles south of Shikarpur town, and 36 miles north-east of Mehar.
During British rule Larkana became the headquarters of Larkana District and Larkana Taluka, and for a time was part of the Bombay Presidency of British India. The city lay on the route of the North-Western Railway, and the population according to the 1901 census of India was 14,543. The name was taken from the Larik (caste) as Larkana, at that time the chief of the caste was Sardar Saeed Nawaz Larik.
The Imperial Gazetteer of India describes the town as follows:
Chandka Medical College (CMC), a gift from former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto for the people of Sindh, was inaugurated on 20th April, 1973 as 4th medical college of the Sindh. First Batch of 150 students was admitted in 1973. It was necessary to provide accommodation (hostels) to the students for which Polytechnic Institute Elementary Teachers Training College and Nursing hostel were utilized for boys & girls respectively. Second Batch of 250 students was admitted in 1974. due to shortage of accommodation as a result of increasing number of admissions, one, four story, girls hostel & two boys hostels were constructed,. Now it has six boys hostels and two girls which can accommodates about 1100 students.

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Leh Palace
Leh Palace overlooks the Ladakhi Himalayan town of Leh, modelled on the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The palace was built by King Sengge Namgyal in the 17th century, but was later abandoned when Dogra forces took control of Ladakh in the mid-19th century. The royal family moved to Stok Palace. Leh Palace is nine storeys high; the upper floors accommodated the royal family, the stables and store rooms were in the lower floors. The palace, a ruin, is currently being restored by the Archaeological Survey of India. The palace is open to the public and the roof provides panoramic views of Leh and the surrounding areas. The mountain of Stok Kangri in the Zangskar mountain range is visible across the Indus valley to the south, with the Ladakh mountain range rising behind the palace to the north.
The richest collection of jewellery, ornaments, Thangkas and so on is in the Palace Museum. One finds in the museum ceremonial dresses, crowns, and centuries-old pieces of jewellery. There are Chinese Thangka or sooth paintings which are more than 450 years old. They still look new. The bright and pleasing colours and the intricate designs are breathtaking. The colours are said to have been derived from crushing and powdering gems and stones.

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Lhasa
Lhasa ( /ˈlɑːsə/, Tibetan: ལྷ་ས་གྲོང་ཁྱིར།, ZYPY: Lhasa Chongkyir, [l̥ásə] or [l̥ɜ́ːsə]; simplified Chinese: 拉萨; traditional Chinese: 拉薩; pinyin: Lāsà; sometimes spelled Lasa) is the administrative capital and a prefecture-level city of the Tibet Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China. It is the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining, and at an altitude of 3,490 metres (11,450 ft), Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world. The city contains many culturally significant Tibetan Buddhist sites such as the Potala Palace, Jokhang temple and Norbulingka palaces, many of which are located in Chengguan District, the city seat.
Lhasa literally means "place of the gods". Ancient Tibetan documents and inscriptions demonstrate that the place was called Rasa, which either meant "goats' place", or, as a contraction of rawe sa, a "place surrounded by a wall," or 'enclosure', suggesting that the site was originally a hunting preserve within the royal residence on Marpori Hill. Lhasa is first recorded as the name, referring to the area's temple of Jowo, in a treaty drawn up between China and Tibet in 822 C.E.

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Mansehra
Mansehra (Hindko/Urdu: مانسہرہ) city is located at 34°20′N 73°12′E / 34.333°N 73.2°E / 34.333; 73.2Coordinates: 34°20′N 73°12′E / 34.333°N 73.2°E / 34.333; 73.2 in Mansehra District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is very near to Abbottabad city. It is a major stop for tourists on the Karakoram Highway which leads to China. It is also a major transit point to the northern areas and locations such as the Kaghan Valley, Naran, Shogran, Lake Saiful Mulook and Babusar Top.
The area of Mansehra has been under the rule of various emperors and governments, including Alexander the Great, Ashoka the Great, the Turks and the British Empire.
Alexander the Great conquered and established his rule over a large part of northern India, including the Mansehra area. In the year 327 B.C. Alexander handed the area over to the Indian king Abisares.
During the Maurya dynasty, Mansehra was a part of Taxila. Ashoka the Great was the governor of this area when he was a prince. After the death of his father, the Mauryan emperor Bindusara, Ashoka ascended to the throne around 272 B.C. and made this area one of the major seats of his government. The Edicts of Ashoka inscribed on three large boulders on the side of a rocky outcrop near Mansehra serve as evidence of his rule here. The Mansehra rocks record fourteen of Ashoka's edicts, presenting aspects of the emperor's dharma or righteous law, and represent the earliest irrefutable evidence of writing in South Asia. Dating to middle of the third century BC, they are written from right to left in the Kharosthi script.

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Mianwali
Mianwali (Punjabi, Urdu: میانوالی) is the capital city of Mianwali District and situated in the north-west of Punjab province, Pakistan. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Indus River. Thal canal traverses the city and makes the surroundings a picturesque place.
According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the Mianwali city had a population of 85,000 inhabitants.^{[citation needed]}
In November 1901, present day towns of Mianwali, Bhakkar, Isa Khel, Kalabagh, and Kundian were separated from Bannu District and hence a new district named as Mianwali District was created with the headquarters in Mianwali city. The municipal committee was founded in December 1903 and has remained operational since then.
The city has a FM Radio Station (FM 93), municipal library now called Professor Muhammad Feroz Shah Library, sports complex, and hockey stadium. There are several educational institutions from elementary to post-graduate level. .
The city has an airport built near the old World War II aerodrome and known as PAF Base Mianwali. It is one of the major operational bases of the country. The No.1 Fighter Conversion Unit of the PAF is stationed here.

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Mirpur, Azad Kashmir
Mirpur (Urdu: میر پور) is the capital and largest city of Mirpur district and one of the largest cities in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Since Mirpur adjoins the northern plains of the Punjab, the climate is quite hot during the summer times. The city itself has gone through a process of modernization while most of the surrounding area remains agricultural. Mirpur is known for its grand buildings and large bungalow-houses primarily funded through its ex-pat community mainly which is resident in the United Kingdom. The main crop cultivated during spring is millet. However, there are places where other crops such as wheat, maize and vegetables are also grown. The production of electricity, through Mangla Dam makes this district somewhat unique in the entire region which provides energy needs for Azad Kashmir and Northern Punjab province much to the consternation of the locals which typically leads to unannounced energy blackouts.
The main language of the area is Potwari or its variants known as Pahari. In addition the Gojri dialect is also spoken by the Gujars who emigrated from the neighboring Rajouri district of the Indian administered Kashmir.

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Multan
Multan (Saraiki, Punjabi, Urdu: : مُلتان pronunciation (help·info)), is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan.According to area its 3rd largest city of Pakistan,but according to population its on 5th number. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about 562 km (349 mi) from Islamabad, 356 km (221 mi) from Lahore and 966 km (600 mi) from Karachi. Multan District has a population of 3.1 million (1998).
Multan is known as the City of Sufis or City of Saints and Madinah-Tul-Awleyah due to the large number of shrines and Sufi saints from the city. According to area its 3rd largest city of Pakistan,but according to population its on 3rd number. The city is full of bazaars, mosques, shrines and ornate tombs. Multan is also the birthplace of Fariduddin Ganjshakar popularly known as Baba Farid who is considered a father of Punjabi language and one of the pioneers in developing Shahmukhī script of Punjabi language which was later adopted by almost all Muslim saints and intellectuals in Punjab region and even in whole of India. Celebrated sufi saint of Punjab and North India Khwaja Ghulam Farid also adopted Shahmukhī script of Punjabi language to convey his teachings.Multan is located in a bend created by five rivers of central Pakistan. The Sutlej River separates it from Bahawalpur and the Chenab River from Muzaffar Garh. The city has grown to become an influential political and economical center for the country, with a dry port and excellent transport links. Multan is famous for its crops: wheat, cotton and sugar cane as well as mangoes, citrus, guavas and pomegranates.

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Murree
Murree (Punjabi, Urdu: مری) is a hill station and summer resort and the administrative centre of Murree Tehsil, which is a subdivision of Rawalpindi District and includes the Murree Hills.
Murree was the summer capital of the British Raj in the Punjab Province (British India). A popular tourist destination, Murree is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British. Located in the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of 2,291 metres (7,516 ft), the city of Murree, draped in forests of pine, and oak, experiences pleasant summers and cold, snowy winters. The city is famous for its buildings styled in tudorbethan and neo-gothic architecture dating from the colonial era.
Murree is located along the Islamabad-Murree Highway, some 58.3 km (36.2 mi) northeast of Islamabad.
The name Murree is derived from 'marhi', "high place",
Murree was developed in 1851 by the (then) President of the Punjab Administrative Board, Sir Henry Lawrence, and was originally established for the British troops garrisoned on the Afghan frontier as a sanatorium. Officially, the municipality was created in 1850.

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Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad (Urdu: مظفر آباد, Pahari, Potwari, on mountain there are sexy girl
The residents of Muzaffarabad are a highly literate and business orientated class maintaining close ties with the financial capitals of Northern Pakistan, primarily Rawalpindi and the KPK. Muzaffarabad is a prime destination for further and higher education for the youth of Azad Kashmir and also produces the elite class of Azad Kashmir such as doctors, lawyers and businessmen. Rawalpindi is also a prime destination for further education and training.
An interesting point to note is that the entrance to the Kashmir valley faces northwards and passes westwardly through Neelum and down towards Muzaffarabad, where trade had flourished prior to the Kashmir dispute between the valley and Azad Kashmir.
Muzaffarabad is situated at the confluence of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers. The city is 138 kilometres from Rawalpindi and Islamabad and about 76 kilometres from Abbottabad. Muzaffarabad city is connected to Islamabad by a motorway, increasing trade between the mainland and the autonomous region. Cradled by lofty mountains, Muzaffarabad reflects a blend of various cultures and languages. The main language is a form of potohari and Pahari. The Neelum river plays a dominant role in the microclimate of Muzaffarabad which joins Jehlum River near Domail.

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Nawabshah
Nawabshah (Sindhi: نوابشاهه), or Shaheed Benazirabad, is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is headquarter of Shaheed Benazir Abad District (formerly Nawabshah District). It has a population of 1,135,131.
By road it is a 4 hour drive from Karachi on the National Highway, Sakrand along the left bank of River Indus near Sakrand Taluka, Pakistan.
Nawabshah formerly formed part of Sukkur division. The deputy commissioner is responsible for overall administration of the District. Nawabshah is furthermore sub-divided into 4 Talukas:

Nawabshah is famous for sugarcane, mango and banana production. The climate is usually very hot and dry, with summer temperatures soaring as high as 53 degrees Celsius. Winters start late, around mid-November, lasting to around mid-February, with night-time temperatures often reaching 4 degrees Ccelsius. Temperatures below zero are very rare. The city is one of Pakistan's hottest areas.
The highest temperatures each year in Pakistan, typically rising to above 50 °C (122 °F), are usually recorded in Nawabshah District and Sibbi from May to August. The climate is generally dry and hot, but sometimes the temperature falls to 0 °C (32 °F). On January 7, 2011 temperatures dropped to 4 °C (39 °F) in the city.

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Northern Areas
Gilgit–Baltistan (Urdu: گلگت - بلتستان, Balti: གིལྒིཏ་བལྟིསྟན, formerly known as the Northern Areas (Urdu: شمالی علاقہ جات, Shumālī Ilāqe Jāt)), is the northernmost political entity within Pakistan. It borders Pakistan's Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province to the west, Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor to the north, China to the east and northeast, Azad Kashmir to the southwest, and Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to the southeast. Gilgit–Baltistan covers an area of 72,971 km² (28,174 mi²) and is highly mountainous. It has an estimated population approaching 1,000,000. Its administrative center is the city of Gilgit (population 216,760).
Formerly a part of the erstwhile Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu, which governed the larger historic region of Kashmir and subsequently Azad Kashmir, the territory became a separate administrative unit in 1970 under the name Northern Areas and was formed by the amalgamation of the Gilgit Agency, the Baltistan District of the Ladakh Wazarat, and the states of Hunza and Nagar.

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Pakistan
Pakistan (ⁱ/ˈpækɨstæn/ or ⁱ/pɑːkiˈstɑːn/; Urdu: پاکستان) (Urdu pronunciation: [paːkɪˈst̪aːn] ( listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان), is a sovereign country in South Asia. It sits at the crossroads of the strategically important regions of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west and north, Iran to the southwest and China in the far northeast. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, and it shares a marine border with Oman.
The territory of modern Pakistan was the site of several ancient cultures, including the Neolithic Mehrgarh and the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilisation, and has undergone invasions or settlements by Hindu, Persian, Indo-Greek, Islamic, Turco-Mongol, Afghan and Sikh cultures. Thus the area has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Indian Mauryan Empire, the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the Arab Umayyad Caliphate, the Mongol Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Durrani Empire, the Sikh Empire and the British Empire. As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and India's struggle for independence, Pakistan was created in 1947 as an independent nation for Muslims from the regions in the east and west of India where there was a Muslim majority. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a new constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic. A civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh.

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Peshawar
Peshawar (Pashto: پېښور Pēx̌awar; Hindko: پيشور Pishōr; Urdu: پشاور Pishāwar; Persian: پیشاور‎ P īshāwar; pronunciation (help·info)) is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as NWFP), and the administrative centre and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated in a large valley near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass. Known as "City on the Frontier", Peshawar's strategic location on the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia has made it one of the most culturally vibrant and lively cities in the greater region. Peshawar is irrigated by various canals of the Kabul River and by its right tributary, the Bara River.
Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities. In the last three decades, there has been a significant increase in urban population, in part due to internal migration of people in search of better employment opportunities, education, and services, and in part because of the influx of Afghan refugees and other people displaced by military operations and civil unrest in neighboring regions. Peshawar is the major educational, political and business center of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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Potala Palace
The Potala Palace (Tibetan: པོ་ཏ་ལ, Wylie: Po ta la, ZYPY: Bodala; simplified Chinese: 布达拉宫; traditional Chinese: 布達拉宮; pinyin: Bùdálā Gōng) is located in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is named after Mount Potalaka, the mythical abode of Chenresig or Avalokitesvara. The Potala Palace was the chief residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, during the 1959 Tibetan uprising.
Lozang Gyatso, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama, started the construction of the Potala Palace in 1645 after one of his spiritual advisers, Konchog Chophel (d. 1646), pointed out that the site was ideal as a seat of government, situated as it is between Drepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa. It may overlay the remains of an earlier fortress, called the White or Red Palace, on the site built by Songtsen Gampo in 637. Today, the Potala Palace is a museum.
The building measures 400 metres east-west and 350 metres north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3 m. thick, and 5 m. (more than 16 ft) thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes. Thirteen stories of buildings – containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues – soar 117 metres (384 ft) on top of Marpo Ri, the "Red Hill", rising more than 300 m (about 1,000 ft) in total above the valley floor.

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Quetta
Quetta (Pashto: کوټه, Urdu: کوئٹہ pronunciation (help·info)) is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the Fruit Garden of Balochistan due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains rare wildlife.
The city is situated at an average elevation of 1,680 meters (5,500 ft) above sea level, making it Pakistan's only high-altitude major city. Located in a river valley, Quetta derives its name from the Pashto word "Kuwatta", which means "a fort".
Sitting near the Durand Line border with Afghanistan and close to Kandahar province, Quetta is a trade and communications center between the two countries as well as an important military location which occupies a strategic position for the Pakistani Armed Forces. The city lies on the Bolan Pass route which was once the only gateway to and from South Asia. Due to its proximity to Afghanistan and Central Asia, the city is a major stronghold along the western frontier of the country.

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Rahim Yar Khan
Rahim Yar Khan ( رحیم یار خان) is a city in South Punjab, Pakistan. Rahim Yar Khan is the capital city of Rahim Yar Khan District as well as the tehsil of the same name. The city itself is administratively subdivided into 9 Union councils. According to the 1998 census, the city population was 233,537 with an annual growth rate of 3.50%. As of in 2009, it is around 340,810. The area of Rahim Yar Khan City is about 22 Square Kilometre.
Alexander was the warrior and conqueror when he entered Multan the City which is known by its Saints. He Appointed One of his Famous General Phillipos to Rule the Area. Rahim Yar Khan and Neighboring Cities Came under Alexander Successors Rule. His Rule was Spread from the City of Multan Till Sukkur (then known as Poros) He was Challenged by Raja Poros in the Battle of Poros and got defeated. With this the Alexander Era Came to an End.
The Buddhist Empire was headed by Asoka. During his quest of power he invade almost whole of the subcontinent. His influence in this area is still unknown to many but it is believed that Rahim Yar Khan was the Part of His Empire before 493 A.D.

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Rawalakot
Rawalakot (Urdu: راولا کوٹ), is a town in Azad Kashmir, and is the district headquarter of Poonch Division and Poonch District. It is in a beautiful valley surrounded by hills.
Rawalakot is located at Latitude 33°51'32.18"N, Longitude 73° 45'34.93"E and an Elevation of 5374 feet. Rawalakot is approximately 76 kilometres (47 mi) from Kohala, Pakistan and about 120 km (75 mi) from the city of Rawalpindi. It is linked with Rawalpindi and Islamabad via Goyain Nala and Tayeen roads. It is also linked with Rawalpindi via Sudhnuti.
Surrounding villages of Rawalakot are Pachiot, Chirooti, Baghina, Datote, Barien, Ballari, Argali, Paniola, Zairat, Kharian, Laghriat,Singola Awanabad, Thorar, Mong, Androte, Rehara, Hurna Maira, Kottera, Barian Pothi, Khayi Gala, Kharick, Rairbun, Topa Soon (Soon Topa 8 km from Rawalakot), Kaimon, Titrot, Motialmara, Trar Dewan, Chaire, Chapanidahar, Chuck, Tranni, Dahmni, Parat, Pothi Bala/Makwalan, Kharek, Pakgali, Paniola, Banakha, Khayt Chrian, Mohri Farman Shah, Dreak, Banjosa, Hussainkot, Hurnamaira, Thorar, Rehara, Bangoin, Jandala, Timrot and Thala Tain. Bagh District lies to the north and Sudhnuti District lies to the south of Rawalakot.

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Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi (Urdu: راولپنڈی,Rāwalpindī), locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad. In the 1950s, Rawalpindi was smaller than Hyderabad and Multan, but the city's economy received a boost during the building of Islamabad (1959–1969), during which time Rawalpindi served as the national capital and its population increased from 180,000 at the time of independence to over 4.5 million in 2007.^{[citation needed]} Rawalpindi is located in the northernmost part of the Punjab province, 275 km (171 mi) to the north-west of Lahore. It is the administrative seat of the Rawalpindi District. The total area of the city is approximately 154 square kilometres (59 sq mi). Rawalpindi is the military headquarters of the Pakistani Armed Forces.
Rawalpindi, named after Raja Pindi, is a bustling city on the northernmost part of the Punjab province, strategically located between the NWFP and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Many tourists use the city as a stop before traveling towards the northern areas. Rawalpindi is also a prime destination for the expatriate community of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Numerous shopping bazaars, parks and a cosmopolitan population attract shoppers from all over Pakistan and abroad. The city is home to several industries and factories. Islamabad International Airport is actually located in Rawalpindi and serves both cities.

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Sadiqabad
Sadiqabad or Sadiq Abad or Sadik Abad or Sadikabad (Punjabi, Urdu: صادق آباد) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. Sadiqabad is also the administrative centre of Sadiqabad Tehsil, which is a sub-division of Rahim Yar Khan District.
It is situated at the border of Sindh and Punjab. Sadiqabad is the main transport hub between Punjab and Sindh.You can get from here the transport to travel to any city of Pakistan. Sadiqabad is getting stronger economically as well as better in education. There are now at least 5 colleges teaching the higher secondary school level. Iqra Degree girls college is spreading knowledge specially for girls and teaching the classes at masters level. Sadiqabad has always been good in sports.Cricket team of Govt High school have won many times the BISE championships.

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Sahiwal
Sahiwal (Urdu: ساہیوال) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative centre of Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is approximately 180 km from the major city Lahore and is the city between Lahore and Multan. The population is 207,388 (1998 Pakistan Census).
A small village on the Karachi-Lahore railway line during 1865 was named Montgomery after Sir Robert Montgomery, then Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab. was made the capital of the Montgomery District. It was renamed Sahiwal in 1967 after the Sahi clan of Kharal Jatt who were the inhabitants of this area.
The city is in the densely populated region between the Sutlej and Ravi rivers. The principal crops are wheat, cotton, tobacco, legumes, potato and oilseeds. Cotton goods and lacquered woodwork are manufactured.
Sahiwal is twinned with the town of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester, North West England. There is a direction sign in Rochdale's town centre pointing in Sahiwal's direction with "Sahiwal 3960 miles" written on it.^{[citation needed]}

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Sargodha
Sargodha (Urdu: سرگودھا) is a major city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan sargodha is the 9th largest city of pakistan and 5th largest of punjab.
Sargodha is located in the northwest of Pakistan. It is the twelfth largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan's best citrus-producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries. Sargodha is one of the few planned cities in Pakistan, the other being Gwadar, Jauharabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Faisalabad and Islamabad.
Pakistan's largest airbase, PAF Base Mushaf (formerly PAF Base Sargodha), is situated in Sarghoda and hosts the headquarters of the Pakistan Air Force's Central Air Command. The airbase is also home to the Combat Commanders School (CCS), formerly the Fighter Leader's School, an elite training facility for training Pakistan Air Force pilots in fighter tactics and weapons. The city is also home to Sargodha Medical College.
The term Sargodha has its origins in the words Sar, meaning pond (Talab), and Godha, meaning sadhu(Baba).

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Sheikhupura
Sheikhupura or Shekhupur (Urdu: شيخوپورہ), formerly Kot Dayal Das (کوٹ دیال داس) or Singhpuria (سنگھپوریہ) or Virkgarh (ورک گڑھ), is an industrial city in the province of Punjab slightly northwest to Lahore in Pakistan. It is known for its historical places, and is commonly known locally as Qila Shaikhupura, because of the fort in the city, constructed by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. The name Sheikhupura is derived from a nickname of Jahangir, who was known as Sheikhu by his father Akbar the Great. The city is the headquarters of Sheikhupura District and is approximately 35 km from Lahore. The original name of Virkgarh was renamed by Jahangir.
The city was renamed Singhpuria in Sikh rule, and had a large Sikh population prior to Partition in 1947, Gurudwaras are seen throughout the city.
The history of Virkgarh/Sheikhupura goes back to 100 BC. Historical research has established the fact that Sangla or Sakala was the capital of Punjab once, and it was here that Alexander the Great of Macedonia (known locally as Sikandar e Azam) fought one of his most serious battles of his career. Its name is spoken of, firstly in the pages of Tuzk-e-Jahangiri as Jahangirpura, after the name of Prince Salim Nur u Din Muhammad Jahangir. The fourth Mughal emperor of India named Jahangir changed the name of the city from Virkgarh to Sheikhupura after converting the majority of the population to Islam. This area belongs to the virk Jats. Virk jats created a fort in the vicinity of current day Sheikhupura and called it VirkGarh., i.e. "citadel of the Virks"

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Shigar River
Shigar River (Urdu: دریائے شگر) is located in Baltistan, Northern Areas, Pakistan. The Shigar River is formed from the melt water of the Baltoro Glacier and Biafo Glacier. It flows through the Shigar Valley. The river is tributary to Indus River and meets the Indus in Skardu Valley.
Coordinates: 35°20′10″N 75°38′13″E / 35.336°N 75.637°E / 35.336; 75.637

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Sialkot
Sialkot (Punjabi, Urdu: سیالکوٹ) is located in Pakistan in the north-east of the Punjab province at the foothills of snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. It is the capital of Sialkot District. The city is about 125 km (78 mi) north-west of Lahore The recorded history of Sialkot covers thousands of years. Sialkot has, since its foundation, changed hands from Hindu, Buddhist, Persian, Greek, Afghan, Turk, Sikh, Mughal and British rule to that of present-day Pakistan.
There are various sources tracing the origins of the city of Sialkot but the authenticity of many of these sources varies. Excavations throughout the area have revealed large amounts of Greek coins, ancient Zoroastrian temples and several Buddhist stupas. The antiquities of Sialkot have also been discussed by Sir Alexander Cunningham in his Archaeological Survey Reports, II, 21, 22, and XIV, 44 to 47.
According to the Greek historical texts, which bring mention of the city of Sialkot dating back to before 327 BC when the city was known as Sagala, it represented the eastern-most outpost and expansion of the Hellenic Empire created by Alexander the Great which has been cross-correlated to ancient Greek maps of the era and several monuments found in the Sialkot District. The Greek historians state that the city was one of the most productive Silk regions of the Achaemenid Empire. Sákala or Sagala was the capital, or one of the capitals, of the Indo-Greek Kingdom which broke-away from the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom during the Euthydemid Dynasty

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Sindh
Sindh (pronounced [sɪnd̪ʱ]; Sindhi: سنڌ; Urdu: سندھ Indica in Latin, Indus in Greek) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran" and has been given the title of Bab-ul-Islam (The gateway of Islam). The name of Sindh is derived from the Indus River that separates it from Balochistan and the greater Iranian Plateau. This river was known to the ancient Iranians in Avestan as Indus, in Sanskrit as Sindhu, to Assyrians (as early as the seventh century BC) as Sinda, to the Greeks as Indos, to the Romans as Indus, to the Persians as Ab-e-sind, to the Pashtuns as "Abasind", to the Arabs as Al-Sind, to the Chinese as Sintow, and to the Javanese as the Santri.
Sindh is bounded to the west by the Indus River and Balochistan, to the north by Punjab, the east by the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan and to the south by the Arabian Sea. The capital of the province is Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and financial hub. Most of the population in the province is Muslim, with sizeable Christian, Zoroastrian and Hindu minorities. The main language spoken is Sindhi by about 40 million people, while there exists a significant Urdu-speaking minority.

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Skardu
Skardu (Urdu: سکردو, Balti: སྐརདུ་་ from Tibetan (Balti): skar rdo སྐར་རྡོ་ - "star stone, meteorite"), is the main town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Gilgit–Baltistan.
Skardu is located in the 10 km wide by 40 km long Skardu Valley, at the confluence of the Indus river (flowing from near Kailash in Tibet and through neighbouring Ladakh before reaching Baltistan) and the Shigar River. Skardu is situated at an altitude of nearly 2,500 m (8,200 ft). The town is surrounded by grey-brown coloured mountains, which hide the 8,000 metre peaks of the nearby Karakoram range.
Skardu, along with Gilgit, are the two major tourism, trekking and expedition hubs in Gilgit–Baltistan. The mountainous terrain of the region, including four of the world's fourteen Eight-thousander peaks (8,000 m and above), attracts the attention of tourists, trekkers and mountaineers from around the world. The main tourist season is from April to October; outside this time, the area can be cut off for extended periods by the snowy, freezing winter weather.

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Skardu Fort
Skardu Fort or Karpachu Fort is a fort in Skardu city in Gilgit-Baltistan of the disputed Kashmir region that dates from the 16th century CE. An ancient mosque is also present inside the fort. The fort and its mosque are located on the eastern face of the Khardong hill 40 ft above Skardu city. A view from these monuments brings into vision the entire valley, the Indus River and the settlement below.
Coordinates: 35°18′14″N 75°38′20″E / 35.303888888889°N 75.638888888889°E / 35.303888888889; 75.638888888889

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Sukkur
Sukkur, or Sakharu (Urdu: سکھر [səkʰəru], Sindhi: سکر), formerly Aror (Urdu: اروڑ [əroːɽ]) and Bakar, is the third largest city of Sindh province, situated on the west bank of Indus River in Pakistan in Sukkur District. However, the word Sakharu in Sindhi means "superior", which the spelling of the city's name in Sindhi suggests is the origin of the name. Sukkur is nicknamed Darya Dino (درياءَ ڏنو, meaning the gift of river), as without the Indus the city would be a desert. People of Sukkur speak Sindhi (72%), Urdu (15.5%), Punjabi (4%), Pashto (1.5%), Balochi (1%), and others 1%.^{[citation needed]}
The city of Sukkur, as well as being district headquarters, is the capital of Sukkur Talukas and contains many Union council.
The district of Sukkur (whose name is derived from its head quarter Sukkur city) covers an area of 5,165 square kilometres. Geographically it is spanned from 27°05' to 28°02' north latitudes and from 68°47' to 69°43' east longitudes. The city of Sukkur is located at an altitude of 220 feet (67 m) from sea level, having terrestrial coordinates 68°52' east and 27°42' north. It is also the narrowest point of the lower Indus course.^{[citation needed]}

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Taxila
Taxila (Urdu: ٹیکسلا) is a Tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab province of Pakistan. It is an important archaeological site. Taxila is situated about 32 km (20 mi) northwest of Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi in Panjab; just off the Grand Trunk Road. Taxila lies 549 metres (1,801 ft) above sea level.
The city dates back to the Gandhara period and contains the ruins of the Gandhāran city of Takṣaśilā which was an important Hindu and Buddhist centre, and is still considered a place of religious and historical sanctity in those traditions. In 1980, Taxila was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site with multiple locations. In 2006 it was ranked as the top tourist destination in Pakistan by The Guardian newspaper.
Scattered references in later works indicate that Takshashila may have dated back to at least the 5th century BCE. Takṣaśilā is reputed to derive its name from Takṣa, who was the son of Bharata, the brother of Rama, and Mandavi. Legend has it that Takṣa ruled a kingdom called Takṣa Khanda, and founded the city of Takṣaśilā. According to another theory propounded by Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi, Takṣaśilā is related to Takṣaka, Sanskrit for "carpenter", and is an alternative name for the Nāgas of ancient India.

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Thatta
Coordinates: 24°44′46.02″N 67°55′27.61″E / 24.7461167°N 67.9243361°E / 24.7461167; 67.9243361
Thatta (Sindhi: ٺٽو, Urdu: ٹھٹہ) is a historic town of 220,000 inhabitants in the Sindh province of Pakistan, near Lake Keenjhar, the largest freshwater lake in the country. Thatta's major monument, the necropolis at Makli is listed among the World Heritage Sites. The Shah Jahan Mosque, Thatta is also mentioned separately on the tentative list since 1993. Located 62 miles (98 kilometeres) east of the provincial capital of Sindh; Karachi, it makes for a practical escape for people from the city seeking to visit the picturesque old town.
The city, formerly commanding the delta of the Indus, was the capital of Lower Sindh from the 14th century onwards. During the ruling period of the Soomro Tribe Thatta was the capital of Sindh for 95 years. Between 1592-1739, it was governed in the name of the Mughal emperors of Delhi. In 1739 however, following the Battle of Karnal, the province was ceded to Nadir Shah of Persia, after which Thatta fell into neglect as the Indus river started to silt up. In the 17th Century, the Dutch East India Company had a small tradingpost (comptoir) in Thatta.

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Toba Tek Singh
Toba Tek Singh (Punjabi(Shahmukhi)/Urdu: ٹوبہ ٹیک سنگھ) is a city and tehsil of Toba Tek Singh District in the Pakistani province of Punjab.
During British rule Toba Tek Singh was a tehsil of Lyallpur District. The population of the town in 1998 was 2549000
Toba Tek Singh originates its name from a Sikh Saint, Tek Singh. Tek Singh helped travellers by providing them shelter and food, regardless of their race or religion. In Punjabi, "Toba" means 'pond of water.' Much controversy has centered around the name of the city,^{[citation needed]} due to the fact that it is an overwhelmingly Muslim city named after a Sikh Saint - but there have been no changes uptil now.^{[citation needed]}
Toba Tek Singh has several institutions of higher education including:
Accountancy Institutes
Punjabi is the most spoken language. There is big and old religious school(madrassa)Jamia Darululoom Rabbania.It is working since 1940 It belongs to deobandi school of thought^{[citation needed]}.
Sadat Hasan Manto, an Urdu Novelist wrote a short story entitled "Toba Tek Singh" which is a satire on Partition; in the story, an inmate in an asylum frets over the question of whether his home town Toba Tek Singh is now in India or Pakistan. It was adapted into a short movie of the same name directed by Afia Nathaniel in 2005.

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Trango Glacier
Trango Glacier is a glacier in the Baltoro Muztagh range of the Karakorams in Baltistan, Northern Areas of Pakistan. It flows from north to south on the west side of the Trango Towers and joins the Baltoro Glacier. Trango towers has been declared 2nd almost vertical slope in the world^{[citation needed]} and has a height of about 6,200 metres (20,300 ft).
Coordinates: 35°46′N 76°09′E / 35.767°N 76.15°E / 35.767; 76.15

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Ziarat
Ziarat (Urdu: زیارت) is the capital of Ziarat District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located at 30°22'47N 67°43'38E with an altitude of 2543 metres (8346 ft) and is a famous holiday resort of Balochistan and nearly every trip from Karachi to Quetta stops at Ziarat. Ziarat (literally ziarat is an Islamic shrine) was the summer residence of the chief commissioner of Baluchistan, and sanatorium for the European troops at Quetta: 8,850 ft (2,700 m). above the sea and 33 m. by cart-road from the railway. There is a good water supply, and the hills around are well-wooded and picturesque.
Ziarat is also very famous for its juniper forest. Junipers species Juniperus macropoda , Juniperous exceisa polycarpus or Pashthani Juniper are found in Ziarat districts and Zarghoon mount and some other mounted areas of Balochistan known as the second largest Juniper forest in the world, which covers an area of about 247,000 acres (1,000 km²). There are many important species found in this ecosystem including animal and birds, the Chakor partridge, bushes and ground flora which local people use these plants as indigenous treatments for a variety of diseases.The junipers are considered to be the real treasure of Ziarat. There are trees in the valley which are more than 5000 to 7000 years old. In Ziarat a herb called Ephedra sinica is found in abundance from which a chemical called ephedrine is extracted, an important constituent of various medicines, especially cough syrups. When the snow falls in Ziarat's winter the juniper valley is at its most beautiful.Chiltan Adventurers Association Balochistan is raising voice on National & International level as Juniper Defenders for the conservation of this world heritage since 1984.^{[citation needed]}

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Balti people
The Balti are an ethnic group of Tibetan descent with some Dardic admixture, who live in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan. In addition, smaller populations also exist in Ladakh, a region of Jammu & Kashmir, India; others are scattered in Pakistan's major urban centres of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad/Rawalpindi. The Balti language belongs to the Tibetan language family and is a sub-dialect of Ladakhi. Balti, Ladakhi and Burig are mutually intelligible.
Modern day Balti people are not all from Tibetan stock. With the passage of time, many other tribes namely, Shins, Yashkuns (Dardic people), Kashmiris (known as Khache in local language), Arabs (mostly Sayeds), Persian (Sufis) and Turks (especially Uygurs from central Asia) made their enroads to Baltistan and gradually merged with the local population. After second or third generation they became Baltis. Today, in Skardu (land of Sakas), the capital of Baltistan region of Pakistan, the most hardened Baltis are outsiders namely Kashmiris or Dard tribes.

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Faisalabad
Faisalabad, (Urdu: فیصل آباد) formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan.
Nicknamed the Manchester of Asia, Faisalabad remains an important industrial city west of Lahore. The city-district of Faisalabad is bound on the north by the districts of Hafizabad and Chiniot, on the east by Nankana Sahib, on the south by Sahiwal, and Toba Tek Singh and on the west by Jhang.
The city is at a road and railway junction, which has played an influential role in the development of Faisalabad's trade and economy. The surrounding countryside, irrigated by the Lower Chenab River, has seen expanded production of cotton, wheat, sugarcane, vegetables, and fruits, which form 55% of Pakistan's exports. The city is an industrial centre with major railway repair yards, engineering works, and mills that process sugar, flour, and oil seed. Produce includes superphosphates, cotton and silk textiles, hosiery, dyes, industrial chemicals, beverages, apparels, pulp and paper, printing, agricultural equipment, and ghee (clarified butter). Faisalabad is the site of the prestigious University of Agriculture, founded in 1909.

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Pashtuns
Pashtuns (Pashto: پښتانه Pax̌tānə; also spelled Pushtuns, Pakhtuns or Pukhtuns), also known as ethnic Afghans (Persian: افغان‎) or Pathans (Urdu: پٹھان, Hindi: पठान Paṭhān), are an Eastern Iranian ethnic group with populations primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Pashtuns are typically characterised by their usage of the Pashto language and practice of Pashtunwali, which is a traditional set of ethics guiding individual and communal conduct. Their origins are unclear but historians have come across references to various ancient peoples called Paktha (Pactyans) between the 2nd and the 1st millennium BC, who inhabited the region between the Hindu Kush and Indus River and may be the early ancestors of Pashtuns. Since the 3rd century AD and onward, they have been referred to by the ethnonym "Afghan".
Often characterised as a warrior and martial race, their history is spread amongst various countries of South, Central and Western Asia, centred around their traditional seat of power in medieval Afghanistan. During the Delhi Sultanate era, the Pashtun Lodi dynasty replaced the Turkic kingdoms as the ruling dynasty in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Other Pashtuns fought the Persian Empire and the Mughal Empire before obtaining an independent state in the early-18th century, which began with a successful revolution by the Mirwais Hotak followed by conquests by Ahmad Shah Durrani. Pashtuns played a vital role during the Great Game from the 19th century to the 20th century as they were caught between the imperialist designs of the British and Russian empires.

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Tibetans
The Tibetan people (Tibetan: བོད་པ།་, Wylie: Bodpa; Chinese: 藏族; pinyin: Zàng Zú) are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The Khampas of Tibet are originally from Mongolia.
Tibetans speak the Tibetan language, which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan languages and has many mutually unintelligible dialects. The traditional, or mythological, explanation of the Tibetan people's origin is that they are the descendants of the monkey Pha Trelgen Changchup Sempa and rock ogress Ma Drag Sinmo. Most Tibetans practice Tibetan Buddhism, though some observe the indigenous Bön and others are Muslims. Tibetan Buddhism influences Tibetan art, drama, and architecture, while the harsh geography of Tibet has produced an adaptive culture of Tibetan medicine and cuisine.
As of 2008, there are 5.4 million Tibetans in China. The SIL Ethnologue in 2009 documents an additional 189,000 Tibetan language speakers living in India, 5,280 in Nepal, and 4,800 in Bhutan. The Central Tibetan Administration's (CTA) own refugee register counts 145,150 Tibetans outside Tibet: a little over 100,000 in India; in Nepal there are over 16,000; over 1,800 in Bhutan and more than 25,000 in other parts of the world. There are Tibetan communities in the Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Norway, Taiwan, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and USA.^{[citation needed]}

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Boeing 737 landing at Skardu Airport.

My first ever alone adventure travel to northern areas. Skardu Airport (IATA: KDU, ICAO: O...

published: 17 Jan 2012

author: Fahd Sadiq

Beautiful Skardu, Baltistan

...

published: 30 Apr 2011

author: greatalie

11th Part, Gilgit Baltistan Tour (Skardu Shangrila & PIA's DC-10)

Skardu Balti་ from Tibetan (Balti): skarrdo"star stone, meteorite"), is the main town of t...

published: 29 Jun 2012

author: hazrocity

Amazing Cold Desert, Skardu, Pakistan.

This is one of the most beautiful tourists attraction of Northern areas of Pakistan. There...

published: 01 Nov 2011

author: smfarazm

Shangrila Resort Skardu promo 2012

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published: 26 Nov 2011

author: shangriladirector

Skardu im Karakorum

Die Provinzhauptstadt Skardu ist ein hübsches kleines Städtchen "am Eingang" zum Karakorum...

published: 18 Feb 2012

author: bigmurmeltier

SKARDU SHIA SUNI ETIHAD HAMED MIR GEO NEWS 18/04/2012/ PART 1.

www.hussainzaindabad.webs.com...

published: 19 Apr 2012

author: adil taqvi

NADEEM SARWAR LIVE - SKARDU HIGHLIGHTS 2012

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published: 31 Jul 2012

author: SyedNadeemSarwar

Skardu Baltistan A Touristic Heaven

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published: 20 Jul 2012

author: baheen034

Skardu city

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published: 24 Jan 2012

author: ibrahim azhar

9 Days Travel Story Shounter Astore Deosai Skardu 2012

June 2012, A 9 days journey from Rawalpindi to Skardu via Neelum Valley, Shounter Valley, ...

published: 29 Aug 2012

author: Hasan Abbas Kazmi

FARHAN ALI WARIS , Skardu , Baltistan , Pakistan ( ALI(as) WARIS )

SYED FARHAN ALI (ALI(as) WARIS) Reciting NOHA At: Skardu, Baltistan, Pakistan 15 July 2012...

published: 22 Jul 2012

author: Qamber Ali

Skardu Protest: Protest Against Shia Killing in Pakistan

www.shiakilling.com http www.youtube.com twitter.com...

published: 06 Apr 2012

author: shiakilling1

Asad Aashura Skardu 2012 Balti Azadari

Imran Imperial Skardu...

published: 23 Jul 2012

author: baheen034

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photo: AP / Guang Niu, Pool

A Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine sails during an international fleet review to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of People's Liberation Army Navy Thursday, April 23, 2009 off Qingdao, China's Shandong Province. China on Thursday displayed for the first time its nuclear-powered submarines, a sign of the navy's growing confidence and its aspirations to become a major sea pow

Russian expert warns America about Chinese nukes

The Examiner

16 Dec 2012

Retired Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin yesterday wrapped up a visit to the United States during which he met with officials at the Pentagon, State Department as well as members of Congress warning about underestimating China’s tactical nuclear weapons buildup ... Yesin warns that U.S. and Western arms specialists are dramatically underestimating China’s nuclear arsenal ... Somewhere between the higher and lower estimates is no doubt the truth ... Mr ... Mr ... ....(size: 4.0Kb)

photo: AP / Jason DeCrow

Newtown Police Officer Maryhelen McCarthy carries flowers near a memorial for shooting victims Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012 in Newtown, Conn.

Gunman forced his way into Connecticut school, governor says

Chicago Sun-Times

16 Dec 2012

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The gunman in the Connecticut shooting rampage committed suicide as first responders closed in, the governor said Sunday, raising the specter that Adam Lanza had planned an even more gruesome massacre and was stopped short. Lanza blasted his way into the building and used a high-power rifle to kill 20 children and six adults, including the principal who tried to stop him, authorities said ... Among the questions ... H ... The Rev....(size: 8.8Kb)

photo: AP / Charles Krupa

Police officers cross the road after searching a strip mall near an elementary school, which was in a lockdown, in Ridgefield, Conn., Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, after a suspicious person was seen near a train station close by.

Gunspicuous Consumption and Bio-Cultures of Violence

WorldNews.com

18 Dec 2012

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. "Most people reason dramatically, not quantitatively." -Oliver Wendell Holmes. On the same day that a 20-year-old, described as brilliant but remote, walked into an elementary school in Connecticut and massacred 26 children and adults, the school where I teach went on "lock-down." Four students with a handgun were arrested ... That morning before school, he had posted on Twitter and Facebook....(size: 14.0Kb)

photo: AP / Khalil Hamra

Egyptian women line up outside a polling station to cast their votes during a referendum on a disputed constitution drafted by Islamist supporters of President Morsi in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Is No Longer a 'State Within a State'

WorldNews.com

16 Dec 2012

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. "Fundamentalism is good for protest, good for revolution, and good for war, but not so good for development.". After a century of being persecuted and driven underground, mainly for their vibrant nationalism and their anti-imperialist and pro-Palestinian views, Egypt's Islamist Muslim Brotherhood has finally taken center-state ... Such actions will have to be avoided....(size: 6.9Kb)

photo: AP / Jason DeCrow

A victim's name is spelled out in wooden letters at a memorial to shooting victims, Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, in Newtown, Conn. A gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Friday and opened fire, killing 26 people, including 20 children.

US school killings spark gun control debate

Al Jazeera

18 Dec 2012

An increasing number of US congressmen have called for a national dialogue about measures to curb gun violence following the shooting last week at a primary school in Connecticut that killed 26 people, including 20 children and six adults. White House officials have said that President Barack Obama would make preventing gun-related violence a priority in his second term in office and stricter laws would be part of the effort.  ... ....(size: 19.2Kb)

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J-K CM wants more India and Pakistan border routes to be opened

Newstrack India

17 Dec 2012

Tweet. Jammu, Dec 17 (ANI) ... "Even we are making the same attempt and since the borders between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, Poonch and Rawalakot have been opened, on the same lines more routes can be and should be opened, like from Jammu or from Kargil to Skardu. Many routes are there to be opened," said Abdullah ... (ANI). Post comments.. ) .. ).. Comments. ... . . . . . .. . . .. ....(size: 2.6Kb)

JK Minister for opening Kargil-Skardu road

GroundReport

16 Dec 2012

 Akhoon also advocated for opening of Kargil-Skardu road on the pattern of Poonch-Chakan-da-Bagh and Uri-Muzaffarabad roads for trade and bilateral ... He said that revival of peoples’ movement across Kargil–Skardu road will bring economic prosperity in Kargil and Leh districts also by way of trade and commerce activities....(size: 1.8Kb)

NC hailed the initiatives taken by India & Pakistan for bringing normalcy in region.

GroundReport

15 Dec 2012

... should be replaced by the cash transfer system and opening of Jammu-Sialkot road, Nowshera Changer-Mirpur road, Kargil-Skardu road and Mendhar-Tattapani road etc.  He said during the partition the people of the state suffered a lot and especially the people of the border area were the worst sufferers during the wars between both the countries....(size: 3.1Kb)

NC calls for sustained Indo-Pak dialogue

Zeenews

08 Dec 2012

Jammu ... The Working Committee meeting, which continued for several hours, was participated by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Cabinet ministers of the party ... The party maintained that the state government should take up with the Union Government the issue of opening of Ammu-Sialkot road, Nowshera Changer-Mirpur road, Kargil-Skardu road and Mendhar Tattapani road ... PTI ... First Published. Saturday, December 08, 2012, 21.20. ....(size: 2.5Kb)

Pakistan's army chief warns judges not to undermine military

The Star

05 Nov 2012

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's army chief warned on Monday, in a veiled challenge to the Supreme Court, that any efforts to undermine the military and "draw a wedge" between it and its citizens would not be tolerated. Pakistan's Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani speaks to the media in Skardu, northen Pakistan after visiting the site of an avalanche in Gayari camp near the Siachen glacier April 18, 2012. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood ... ....(size: 2.5Kb)

Cellular services cut for four hours in Pakistan

Zeenews

27 Oct 2012

... of Sindh (Karachi, Hyderabad and Khairpur), three cities of Punjab (Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan), Quetta, Mastung, Gwadar, Turbat, Naseerabad and Sibi in Balochistan; Peshawar, Mansehra, Buner and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Bajaur and Mohmand agencies, Gilgit and Skardu....(size: 1.5Kb)

Mobile service suspended for four hours

Khaleej Times

27 Oct 2012

... three cities of Punjab (Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan), Quetta, Mastung, Gwadar, Turbat, Naseerabad and Sibi in Balochistan; Peshawar, Mansehra, Buner and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Bajaur and Mohmand agencies, Gilgit and Skardu....(size: 1.2Kb)

Suspension of mobile phone service helped prevent attacks in Pakistan

The Examiner

27 Oct 2012

Related topics ... "Earlier on Friday, television channels had quoted their sources as saying the suspension order applied to three cities of Sindh (Karachi, Hyderabad and Khairpur), three cities of Punjab (Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan), Quetta, Mastung, Gwadar, Turbat, Naseerabad and Sibi in Balochistan; Peshawar, Mansehra, Buner and Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Bajaur and Mohmand agencies, Gilgit and Skardu" (see article ... Tweet ... MOS ... ....(size: 6.8Kb)

Shinde reviews development progress in Kargil

Zeenews

06 Oct 2012

Srinagar. Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Saturday arrived on his maiden visit to Jammu and Kashmir after assuming the charge of the Home department and reviewed the development progress in Kargil district ... Khan also demanded helicopter service for Zanskar and opening of Kargil-Skardu Road ... PTI ... First Published ... ....(size: 1.8Kb)

Great game of one-upmanship knocks at Indias doors

DNA India

17 Sep 2012

A great game of one-upmanship is being played out in the backyard of India, just across its Kargil borders in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) ... âI donât have powers to change things,â he tells DNA ... The US has in the past funded the Satapra dam project, which is located a few kilometres from Skardu (the capital of Baltistan), close to the borders of Kargil ... ....(size: 2.9Kb)

Cross-LoC Trade Chamber Aspires For Free Economic Zone

Kashmir Observer

10 Sep 2012

JKJCCI Feels India, Pak Should Have Done Much More For Intra-Kashmir Commerce. Nazir Ganaie. Srinagar, Sept 09 ... “There is a need for having a dynamic approach to make it a real source of common building measure and for restoring the relationship between both the countries,” he said ... “We expect a lot from such foreign meets ... New trade routes like Nowshera- Kotli - Mirpur as well as Kargil - Skardu were needed to be announced,” he said ... ....(size: 6.9Kb)

Visa accord historic: Peoples Democratic Party

Zeenews

09 Sep 2012

Srinagar ... "It is a great day for relations between the two nations ... "The opening of Kargil Skardu road, banking and communication facilities for cross-LoC trade and extending the travel on these routes beyond the divided families are some of the issues we have expected to be taken forward," she said ... PTI ... First Published ... ....(size: 1.8Kb)

First of All | Just my luck

Kansas City Star

09 Sep 2012

As I write this, a rather large, tethered, black balloon floats over my head. Its either to discourage low-flying Messerschmitts, or someone has had a birthday. Oh yeah, it was mine. LXV, as we used to say in my youth. An excellent time to reflect on life and luck ... No issue, you see. Bad start ... Bad luck for her ... Arrested, I was taken from the Skardu airfield and marched to the district governor ... So, no planes into Skardu until May, Sahib ... ....(size: 6.3Kb)

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Skardu
Skardu Town as seen from the Skardu Fort
Skardu Location in Gilgit–Baltistan (Pakistan)
Coordinates: 35°18′N 75°37′E / 35.3°N 75.617°E / 35.3; 75.617Coordinates: 35°18′N 75°37′E / 35.3°N 75.617°E / 35.3; 75.617
Country	Pakistan
Province	Gilgit–Baltistan
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)
• Summer (DST)	GMT+5 (UTC+6)

Skardu (Urdu: سکردو, Balti: སྐརདུ་་ from Tibetan (Balti): skar rdo སྐར་རྡོ་ - "star stone, meteorite"), is the main town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Gilgit–Baltistan.

1 Geography
2 Tourism
3 People of Skardu
4 Climate
5 Transport
6 Satpara Dam
7 Skardu Fort (Kharphocho Fort)
8 Shigar Fort
9 Lakes near Skardu
- 9.1 Kachura Lakes
- 9.2 Satpara Lake
10 See also
11 References
12 Further reading
13 External links

Geography [link]

Skardu is located in the 10 km wide by 40 km long Skardu Valley, at the confluence of the Indus river (flowing from near Kailash in Tibet and through neighbouring Ladakh before reaching Baltistan) and the Shigar River. Skardu is situated at an altitude of nearly 2,500 m (8,200 ft). The town is surrounded by grey-brown coloured mountains, which hide the 8,000 metre peaks of the nearby Karakoram range.

Tourism [link]

Skardu, along with Gilgit, are the two major tourism, trekking and expedition hubs in Gilgit–Baltistan. The mountainous terrain of the region, including four of the world's fourteen Eight-thousander peaks (8,000 m and above), attracts the attention of tourists, trekkers and mountaineers from around the world. The main tourist season is from April to October; outside this time, the area can be cut off for extended periods by the snowy, freezing winter weather.

Accessible from Skardu by road, the nearby Askole and Hushe are the main gateways to the snow covered 8,000 m peaks including K2, the Gasherbrums, Broad Peak and the Trango Towers, and also 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. However, the popularity of the region results in high prices, especially during the main trekking season.

Treks to the Deosai Plains, the second highest in the world (at 4,100 m or 13,500 feet) after the Chang Tang in Tibet, either start from or end at Skardu. In local Balti language, Deosai is called Byarsa, meaning 'summer place'. With an area of approximately 3,000 square kilometres, the plains extend all the way to Ladakh and provide habitat for snow leopards, ibex, Tibetan brown bears and wild horses.^{[citation needed]}

People of Skardu [link]

The town has developed along the main road passing through it and to either side of this road is situated the New Bazaar (Naya Bazaar), with hundreds of shops offer almost everything (trekking supplies, souvenirs, local goods, etc.). To the west one finds Yadgar Chowk (with local monument) and from there, the quarter behind Naya Bazaar, to the right hand side is the older Purana Bazaar. Travelling west from Naya Bazaar is a polo ground and next to that, Kazmi Bazaar.^{[citation needed]}

Skardu appears remote, dusty town at first glance, but the mixture of people here make it colourful and ethnically diverse. The crowded streets are mainly populated by Balti Tibetans and many of the local neighbourhoods (mohallahs) have names that reflect this too (i.e. Khache-drong, Khar-drong, Olding, Kushu-bagh, Pakora, Thsethang, Sher-thang, Nagholi-spang etc.).

However, many other ethnic groups are present in Skardu including Shins, Pashtuns, Punjabis, Hunzakuts and even Uyghur, due to the close proximity of Baltistan to the respective regions. Since the creation of Pakistan people of various ethnicities from various regions of Pakistan have emigrated here.^{[citation needed]}

All the above ethnic groups are devout Muslims. This includes the Balti-Tibetans, who converted from Tibetan Buddhism in the 16th century (the only sizeable group of Tibetans to have undergone such a conversion). Shia Islam has a strong presence in Skardu.^{[citation needed]}

Famous personalities of Skardu valley. Prof. Ghulam Hussain Saleem, present member Gilgit–Baltistan Council and adviser to Prime Minister for Gilgit Baltistan affairs, also a very high calibre religious scholar, S.Mehdi Shah, present chief minister of Baltistan Province. Sheikh Nisar of Gamba. Fida Mohamad Nashad of Hussain Abad. Wazir Shakeel Agha of Ali Abad. Syed Ahmad Ali Shah of Gamba.^{[citation needed]}

Climate [link]

Shangrila Resort, Skardu

The climate of Skardu during the summer is moderated by its mountain setting and the intense heat of lowland Pakistan does not reach here. The mountains also block out the summer monsoon 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 and a minimum (in October) 8 °C. However, temperatures can drop to below -10 °C in the December-to-January midwinter period. The lowest temperature of the year can reach -25 °C^{[citation needed]}

Transport [link]

Skardu is accessible by two methods, road or air. The normal road route into Skardu is via the Karakorum Highway and a linkroad into the Skardu Valley from it. There are also four or five other road links to Kashmir and Ladakh. Alternatively, there are normally one or two flights daily between Skardu Airport and Islamabad. The high cost of air travel means that road travel via the Karakorum Highway and the link road onward to the Skardu Valley is often the preferred option of locals and tourists alike.

The climate can have adverse effects on transport in and out of the Skardu Valley, as Skardu becomes snowbound during the winter months. Often the roads in and out of Skardu (and other Northern Areas locations) can be blocked for weeks at a time depending on conditions (though two to five days is more normal), sometimes leaving air travel as the only feasible alternative. However, air travel in winter is also subject to disruption due to the unreliable Skardu weather and flights can occasionally be delayed by several days.

Satpara Dam [link]

The Satpara Dam development project on the Satpara Lake was inaugurated in 2002 and expected to be completed soon. It is 7 km away from Skardu city and its altitude is 8,700 feet (2,700 m) moreover it will also pond the water about 90,000 acre feet (110,000,000 m³). The main source of water is melting ice of the Deosai plains during the summer season.

It is a multipurpose project, which will produce 13 Megawatts hydro generation, irrigate 15,000 acres (61 km²) of land and also provide 13 cusecis drinking water daily to Skardu city.

Skardu Fort (Kharphocho Fort)[link]

Entrance to the Skardu Fort

Skardu Fort or Kharphocho Fort lies on the eastern face of the Khardrong or Mindoq-Khar ("Castle of Queen Mindoq") hill 15 metres or 40 feet (12 m) 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 the Indus River. The fort was built by Rmakpon dynasty rulers of Baltistan and it was a seven storey building.^{[citation needed]}

Kharphocho (Skardu) fort was built on a design similar to that of Leh Palace and the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The name Kharpochhe means the great fort — Khar in Tibetan means castle or fort and Chhe means great.^{[citation needed]}

Shigar Fort [link]

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]}

Lakes near Skardu [link]

Satpara Lake in 2002

There are three lakes in the vicinity of Skardu. In local Balti-Tibetan language, a lake is a thso or tso.^{[citation needed]}

Kachura Lakes [link]

There are two Kachura Lakes—the less well known Upper Kachura lake and the more famous Lower Kachura Lake, better known as Shangrila Lake. Lower Katsura 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 in Pakistan. The resort has a unique style of restaurant, set up inside the fuselage of an aircraft that crashed nearby. Kachura lake 18m from Skardu. Kachura Lake is famous for its deep blue waters. There are numerous places to visit and things to do near Kachura Lake, situated near Skardu in the northern area.^{[citation needed]}

Satpara Lake [link]

Satpara Lake is Skardu Valley's main lake. In 2002, the Government of Pakistan decided to build a dam on the Satpara Lake allocating $10 million to the Satpara Dam project, two years later in 2004. Progress on the project 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 also the source of Skardu's drinking water.

References [link]

External links [link]

v t e Major cities in Pakistan

Islamabad Capital Territory	Islamabad*

Punjab	Attock Bahawalpur Chakwal Chiniot Faisalabad Gujar Khan Gujranwala Gujrat Jhang Jhelum Kasur Kharian Lahore** Mianwali Multan Murree Rahim Yar Khan Rawalpindi Sadiqabad Sahiwal Sargodha Sheikhupura Sialkot Taxila Toba Tek Singh

Sindh	Badin Hyderabad Jacobabad Karachi** Khairpur Larkana Nawabshah Sukkur Thatta

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa	Abbottabad Chitral Haripur Kohat Peshawar** Mansehra Mardan Nowshera

Balochistan	Chaman Gwadar Khuzdar Quetta** Ziarat

Azad Kashmir	Bhimber Kotli Mirpur Muzaffarabad** Rawalakot

Gilgit–Baltistan	Gilgit Skardu**

^Federal capital ^*Provincial/Territorial capitals

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Contents

Geography [link]

Tourism [link]

People of Skardu [link]

Climate [link]

Transport [link]

Satpara Dam [link]

Skardu Fort (Kharphocho Fort)[link]

Shigar Fort [link]

Lakes near Skardu [link]

Kachura Lakes [link]

Satpara Lake [link]

See also [link]

References [link]

Further reading [link]

External links [link]

http://wn.com/Skardu

Related pages:

http://ru.wn.com/Скарду

http://nl.wn.com/Skardu

http://de.wn.com/Skardu

http://hi.wn.com/स्कर्दू