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69-624: Upal is on the Karakoram Highway , which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan . Travelling from China, it is about 50 km southwest of Kashgar or about 180 km north of Tashkurgan (which is about 120 km over the Khunjerab Pass from Sust in Pakistan). Mahmud al-Kashgari died in 1102 at the age of 97 in Upal. There is now a mausoleum erected on his gravesite. He

138-422: A cold desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWk ). Weather conditions for Gilgit are dominated by its geographical location, a valley in a mountainous area, southwest of Karakoram range. The prevalent season of Gilgit is winter, occupying the valley eight to nine months a year. Gilgit lacks significant rainfall, averaging in 120 to 240 mm (4.7 to 9.4 in) annually, as monsoon breaks against

207-471: A Mohammedan adventurer, who married his daughter and founded a new dynasty, since called Trakhàn , from a celebrated Ra named Trakhan, who reigned about the commencement of the fourteenth century. The previous rulers—of whom Shri Ba'dut was the last—were called Shahreis . Gilgit was ruled for centuries by the local Trakhàn Dynasty, which ended about 1810 with the death of Raja Abas, the last Trakhàn Raja. The rulers of Hunza and Nager also claim origin with

276-636: A major operation could not have been launched without Jinnah's knowledge and approval. The 'Azad Forces' that were part of the so-called tribal invasion were led by Pakistan army officers, and the UNCIP report records Pakistan's admission that they were under Pakistan's 'tactical command'. Gilgit's military leaders did not favour the State's accession to India. However, there was also written evidence of Gilgit troop leaders wanting to set up an independent Islamic state. Major William Brown in his book Gilgit Rebellion describes

345-706: A new road goes west over the Kulma Pass to join the Pamir Highway in Gorno-Badakhshan , Tajikistan. The main road continues over a low pass (where the population becomes Tajik) and descends to Tashkurgan . Further south, a valley and jeep track leads west toward the Wakhjir Pass to the Wakhan Corridor . Next the road turns west to a checkpost and small settlement at Pirali, and then the Khunjerab Pass , beyond which

414-553: Is 3,360 m (11,020 ft), followed by 2,736 m (8,976 ft), 435 m (1,427 ft), 410 m (1,350 ft) and 195 m (640 ft), while the Shishkat Great Bridge on Hunza River is 1,480 m (4,860 ft) long. The realignment restored the road link between Pakistan and China. The Chinese section of the Karakoram Highway follows the north-south Sarykol ("Yellow Lake") valley just west of

483-483: Is Pakistan, the Khunjerab River and Hunza . In recent years the highway has sought to become a 'niche' adventure tourism destination although Pakistan attracts few international tourists compared to domestic ones. But in recent years, owing to the improved security situation in the country, the number of foreign tourists coming to Pakistan has more than tripled since 2013, standing at 1.75 million in 2016. Among

552-706: Is a city in Pakistani -administered Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the capital of the Gilgit-Baltistan region. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit and the Hunza rivers. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan , serving as a hub for trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Karakoram mountain range. Gilgit

621-399: Is a popular tourist attraction and is one of the highest paved roads in the world, passing through the Karakoram mountain range, at 36°51′00″N 75°25′40″E  /  36.85000°N 75.42778°E  / 36.85000; 75.42778 at maximum elevation of 4,714 m (15,466 ft) near Khunjerab Pass . Due to its high elevation and the difficult conditions under which it

690-695: Is famous for its glaciers and meadows. Karakoram Highway provides the pathway to expeditions for almost all peaks in Gilgit–Baltistan , Kashmir and several peaks in Xinjiang China. The region includes some of the world's largest glaciers like the Baltoro and Siachen Glaciers . Two of the Eight-thousanders (mountains taller than 8,000 m (26,000 ft)) of the world that are in Pakistan are accessible by

759-473: Is remembered as a prominent Turkic language scholar. A bazaar ( Chinese : 乌帕尔乡的周一巴扎 ) is held every Monday. Being that this village is along the Karakoram Highway , it is frequently visited not only by local people but also by the tourists on their way back from Karakul Lake , a popular sightseeing site in Kashgar. This simplistic, but colorful bazaar is held along the national highway , especially under

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828-619: Is the only airline operating in Gilgit. The Government of Pakistan is planning to build a new international standard airport in Gilgit to meet the requirements of international tourists and demand from domestic investors. Gilgit is located approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) from the Karakoram Highway (KKH). The roadway is being upgraded as part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor . The KKH connects Gilgit to Chilas , Dasu , Besham , Mansehra , Abbottabad and Islamabad in

897-525: The Adam Khor (literally "man-eater"), often demanding a child a day from his subjects, his demise is still celebrated to this very day by locals in traditional annual celebrations. In the beginning of the new year, where a Juniper procession walks along the river, in memory of chasing the cannibal king Sri Badat away. Azur Jamshid abdicated after 16 years of rule in favour of his wife Nur Bakht Khatùn until their son and heir Garg , grew of age and assumed

966-521: The Eurasian Plate and Indian Plate , where China, Tajikistan , Afghanistan , and Pakistan come within 250 km (160 mi) of each other. Owing largely to the extremely sensitive state of the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan, the Karakoram Highway has strategic and military importance to these nations, but particularly Pakistan and China. On 30 June 2006, a memorandum of understanding

1035-558: The Gilgit–Baltistan region to the ancient Silk Road , runs approximately 1,300 km (810 mi) from Kashgar , a city in the Xinjiang region of China, to Abbottabad , of Pakistan. An extension of the highway southwest from Abbottabad , in the form of the N-35 highway , meets the Grand Trunk Road, N-5 , at Hasan Abdal , Pakistan. The highway cuts through the collision zone between

1104-801: The KKH , National Highway 35 ( Urdu : قومی شاہراہ ۳۵ ), N-35 , and the China–Pakistan Friendship Highway , is a 1,300 km (810 mi) national highway which extends from Hasan Abdal in the Punjab province of Pakistan to the Khunjerab Pass in Gilgit-Baltistan , where it crosses into China and becomes China National Highway 314 . The highway connects the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa plus Gilgit-Baltistan with China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region . The highway

1173-572: The Ra'issiya Dynasty . The period of greatest prosperity was probably under the Shin Ras, whose rule seems to have been peaceable and settled. The whole population, from the Ra to the poorest subject lived by agriculture. According to tradition, Shri Buddutt's rule extended over Chitral , Yassin , Tangir , Darel , Chilas , Gor , Astor , Hunza , Nagar and Haramosh all of which were held by tributary princes of

1242-508: The Tarim Basin . The road from Kashgar goes southwest about 80 km (50 mi) and then turns west to enter the Gez (Ghez) River canyon between Chakragil mountain on the north and Kongur Tagh mountain on the south. From the Gez canyon the population becomes Kirgiz. Having climbed up to the valley, the road turns south past Kongur, Karakul Lake , and Muztagh Ata on the east. Below Muztagh Ata,

1311-630: The UNESCO Memory of the World register. They are among the oldest manuscripts in the world, and the oldest manuscript collection surviving in Pakistan, having major significance in Buddhist studies and the evolution of Asian and Sanskrit literature . The manuscripts are believed to have been written in the 5th to 6th centuries AD, though more manuscripts were discovered from the succeeding centuries, which were also classified as Gilgit manuscripts. Many of

1380-518: The $ 46 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor , reconstruction and upgrade works on the Pakistani portion of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) are underway. The KKH spans the 806 km (501 mi) long distance between the China-Pakistan border and the town of Hasan Abdal . At Burhan Interchange near Hasan Abdal, the existing M1 motorway will intersect the Karakoram Highway. From there, access onwards to Islamabad and Lahore continues as part of

1449-583: The 600s and 700s, the city was governed by a Buddhist dynasty referred to as Little Balur or Lesser Bolü ( Chinese : 小勃律 ). They are believed to have been the Patola Shahis dynasty mentioned in a Brahmi inscription, and are devout adherents of Vajrayana Buddhism . In mid-600s, Gilgit came under Chinese suzerainty after the fall of the Western Turkic Khaganate to the Tang military campaigns in

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1518-610: The British India government demanded from the Jammu and Kashmir state to lease them Gilgit town plus most of the Gilgit Agency and the hill-states Hunza, Nagar, Yasin and Ishkoman for 60 years. Abdullah Sahib was an Arain and belonged to Chimkor Sahib village of Ambala district Punjab, British India . Abdullah Sahib was the first Muslim governor of the Gilgit in British time period and

1587-643: The Gilgit troop leaders stating, " We know of course that you are loyal to Pakistan-all Britishers are-but it is not our intention to join Pakistan. We intend to set up an independent Islamic State called the United States of Gilgit, and although we shall keep the friendliest relation with Pakistan we shall in no way owe allegiance to that dominion ." The military leaders of the Frontier Districts Province (modern day Gilgit-Baltistan) wanted to join Pakistan. Sensing their discontent, Major William Brown ,

1656-604: The Himalayas, marked by the ninth highest peak in the world, Nanga Parbat , can be seen from the highway. The highway passes through the capital of Gilgit–Baltistan , Gilgit , and continues through the valleys of Nagar and Hunza , along the Hunza River . Some of the highest mountains and famous glaciers in Karakoram can be seen in this section. The highway meets the Pakistani-Chinese border at Khunjerab Pass . As part of

1725-486: The Hunza and their Yasin and Punial allies but was soon reconquered by Gulab Singh's Dogra troops. With the support of Raja Gohar Aman, Gilgit's inhabitants drove their new rulers out in an uprising in 1852. Raja Gohar Aman then ruled Gilgit until his death in 1860, just before new Dogra forces from Ranbir Singh , son of Gulab Singh, captured the fort and town. In the 1870s Chitral was threatened by Afghans, Maharaja Ranbir Singh

1794-732: The Karakoram Highway to the southern port of Gwadar in Balochistan through the Chinese-aided Gwadar - Dalbandin railway, which extends to Rawalpindi . On 4 January 2010, the KKH was closed in the Hunza Valley , eliminating through traffic to China except by small boats. A massive landslide 15 km (9.3 mi) upstream from Hunza's capital of Karimabad created the potentially unstable Attabad Lake , which reached 22 km (14 mi) in length and over 100 m (330 ft) in depth by

1863-725: The Khushwakhte Dynasty when he took Gilgit. Then in 1842, Shah Sakandar's brother, Karim Khan, expelled Yasin rulers with the support of a Sikh army from Kashmir. The Sikh general, Nathu Shah, left garrison troops and Karim Khan ruled until Gilgit was ceded to Gulab Singh of Jammu and Kashmir in 1846 by the Treaty of Amritsar , and Dogra troops replaced the Sikh in Gilgit. Nathu Shah and Karim Khan both transferred their allegiance to Gulab Singh, continuing local administration. When Hunza attacked in 1848, both of them were killed. Gilgit fell to

1932-626: The Maharaja's commander of the Gilgit Scouts , mutinied on 1 November 1947, overthrowing the Governor Ghansara Singh . The bloodless coup d'etat was planned by Brown to the last detail under the code name "Datta Khel", which was also joined by a rebellious section of the Jammu and Kashmir 6th Infantry under Mirza Hassan Khan . Brown ensured that the treasury was secured and minorities were protected. A provisional government ( Aburi Hakoomat )

2001-617: The Pakistani section of the highway starts at Abbottabad , although the N-35 of which KKH is now part, officially starts from Hasan Abdal. The highway meets the Indus River at Thakot and continues along the river until Jaglot , where the Gilgit River joins the Indus River . This is where three great mountain ranges meet: the Hindukush , the Himalayas , and the Karakoram . The western end of

2070-521: The Pakistani side, the road was constructed by FWO (Frontier Works Organisation), employing the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers . The Engineer-in-Chief's Branch of the Pakistani Army completed a project documenting the history of the highway. The book History of Karakoram Highway was written by Brigadier (Retired) Muhammad Mumtaz Khalid in two volumes. In the first volume, the author discusses

2139-450: The Trakhàn dynasty. They claim descent from a heroic Kayani Prince of Persia, Azur Jamshid (also known as Shamsher ), who secretly married the daughter of the king Shri Badat . She conspired with him to overthrow her cannibal father. Sri Badat's faith is theorised as Hindu by some and Buddhist by others. Prince Azur Jamshid succeeded in overthrowing King Badat who was known as

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2208-520: The approval of the mirs and rajas for accession to Pakistan. Browns's actions surprised the British Government. The provisional government lasted 16 days. The provisional government lacked sway over the population. The Gilgit rebellion did not have civilian involvement and was solely the work of military leaders, not all of whom had been in favor of joining Pakistan, at least in the short term. Historian Ahmed Hasan Dani mentions that although there

2277-440: The completion of the bypass, all vehicular traffic had to be loaded onto boats to traverse the new reservoir. Construction of the tunnels began in 2012 and required 36 months for completion. The 24 km (15 mi) long series of bridges and tunnels was inaugurated on 15 September 2015 at a cost of $ 275 million and was hailed as a major accomplishment. The route comprises five tunnels and several bridges. The longest tunnel

2346-586: The existing M1 and M2 motorways, while Hasan Abdal will also be at intersection of the Eastern Alignment , and the Western Alignment which will lead towards the port city of Gwadar . A large section of the highway was damaged by a landslide in 2010 that created Attabad Lake . The resulting landslides cut off both the Hunza River and Karakoram Highway resulting in the formation of the reservoir. Prior to

2415-471: The fact that Mintaka would be more susceptible to air strikes, recommended the steeper Khunjerab Pass instead. About 810 Pakistanis and about 200 Chinese workers died, mostly in landslides and falls, while building the highway. Over 140 Chinese workers who died during the construction are buried in the Chinese cemetery in Gilgit. The route of the KKH traces one of the many paths of the ancient Silk Road . On

2484-522: The first week of June 2010 when it finally began flowing over the landslide dam. The landslide destroyed parts of villages while killing many inhabitants. The subsequent lake displaced thousands and inundated over 20 km (12 mi) of the KKH, including the 310 m (1,020 ft) long KKH bridge 4 km (2.5 mi) south of Gulmit . It is highly questionable whether the lake, which reached 27 km (17 mi) in length in 2011, will drain. Goods from and to further north were transported over

2553-453: The highway and from Rawalpindi and Lahore . The largest company is Northern Areas Transport Corporation (NATCO). Other companies are Masherbrum Travel, Silk Route Travel, K-2 movers, Anchan Travel, and Saeed Travel. On 1 June 2006, daily bus service began between Gilgit , Gilgit–Baltistan , and Kashgar , Xinjiang, through the Sust and Tashkorgan border area. The KKH is best travelled in

2622-473: The highway. The notable mountains that can be directly seen while travelling on the highway are: Many glaciers can be seen while travelling on the highway: Several rivers and lakes are made accessible by the highway. These include: There are more than 50,000 pieces of rock art and petroglyphs all along the highway that are concentrated at ten major sites between Hunza and Shatial . The carvings were left by invaders, traders, and pilgrims who passed along

2691-511: The lake by small vessels, to be reloaded onto trucks at the other end. In July 2012, Pakistan began constructing a revised route around the lake at a higher elevation with five new tunnels, with a total length of 7.12 km and two new bridges. The work was contracted out to the China Road & Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and was completed in September 2015. At 806 km (501 mi) in length,

2760-640: The land and the people, the pre-historic communication system in the Northern Areas, the need for an all-weather road link with Gilgit , and the construction of Indus Valley Road. The second volume records events leading to the conversion of the Indus Valley Road to the Karakoram Highway, the difficulties in its construction, and the role of the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers and their Chinese counterparts in its construction. The highway, connecting

2829-410: The large tents in the back of the houses on the western side (the left side as you go back to Kashgar) of the highway. The animals market is located in the southernmost part of the market. Karakoram Highway 35°36′N 74°39′E  /  35.600°N 74.650°E  / 35.600; 74.650 The Karakoram Highway ( Urdu : شاہراہ قراقرم , Śāhirāh-i Qarāquram ), also known as

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2898-572: The main produced crops. The city's ancient name was Sargin , later to be known as Gilit , and it is still referred to as Gilit or Sargin-Gilit by the local people. The native Khowar and Wakhi -speaking people refer to the city as Gilt , and in Burushaski , it is called Geelt . Brokpas trace their settlement from Gilgit into the fertile villages of Ladakh through a rich corpus of hymns, songs, and folklore that have been passed down through generations. The Dards and Shinas appear in many of

2967-596: The major supply artery from the Karakoram Highway near Skardu city. From there, it would run south through the high-altitude Deosai Plateau to the Astore Valley . A road tunnel is proposed to be constructed through the mountains to connect Astore to the Neelum Valley in the Azad Kashmir region. Gilgit Gilgit ( / ˈ ɡ ɪ l ɡ ɪ t / ; Shina : گلیٗت ; Urdu : گلگت IPA: [ˈɡɪlɡɪt] )

3036-595: The mid-700s. Chinese records of the region continue until late the 700s, at which time the Tangs' western military campaign was weakened due to the An Lushan Rebellion . Control of the region was left to the Tibetan Empire. They referred to the region as Bruzha, a toponym that is consistent with the ethnonym " Burusho " used today. Tibetan control of the region lasted until the late 800s CE. This corpus of manuscripts

3105-407: The most beautiful destinations in the world. KKH provides a cross country road trip from Hasan Abdal, Pakistan to Kashgar. Naltar Valley is one of the most scenic valleys accessed via Karakoram Highway. The valley offers snow clad mountains, sky high peaks, alpine ski slopes, high altitude lakes, glaciers and mountain passes. Bishgiri Lake is one of the highest lakes in Pakistan. While Pakora Pass

3174-613: The old Pauranic lists of people who lived in the region, with the former also mentioned in Ptolemy 's accounts of the region. Gilgit was an important city on the Silk Road, along which Buddhism spread from South Asia to the rest of Asia . It is considered a Buddhism corridor, along which many Chinese monks came to Kashmir, to learn and to preach Buddhism. Two famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrims, Faxian and Xuanzang , traversed Gilgit, according to their accounts. According to Chinese records, in

3243-522: The ongoing flooding displacing many people. The city of Gilgit constitutes a tehsil within Gilgit District . Gilgit District itself is the part of the larger Gilgit Division which is headed by a Commissioner of BPS-20 belonging to Pakistan Administrative service . The Current Commissioner Gilgit Division is Mr Najeem Alam (PAS). Gilgit is served by the nearby Gilgit Airport , with direct flights to Islamabad. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)

3312-813: The original manuscripts from Gilgit can be found in the National Archives of India and the Pratap Singh Museum in Srinagar . Two manuscripts collected by the orientalist Sir Aurel Stein are in the British Library in London. They include a rare paper version of the Lotus Sutra . As of 6 October 2014, one source claims that the part of the collection deposited at the Sri Pratap Singh Museum in Srinagar

3381-405: The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir , established the Gilgit Agency . The Agency was re-established under control of the British Resident in Jammu and Kashmir. It comprised the Gilgit Wazarat ; the State of Hunza and Nagar; the Punial Jagir; the Governorships of Yasin, Kuh-Ghizr and Ishkoman , and Chilas. The Tajiks of Xinjiang sometimes enslaved the Gilgiti and Kunjuti Hunza. In 1935,

3450-400: The region . In the late 600s CE, the rising Tibetan Empire wrested control of the region from the Chinese. However, faced with growing influence of the Umayyad Caliphate and then the Abbasid Caliphate to the west, the Tibetans were forced to ally themselves with the Islamic caliphates. The region was then contested by the Chinese and Tibetan forces, and their respective vassal states, until

3519-597: The same family. The area had been a flourishing tract but prosperity was destroyed by warfare over the next fifty years, and by the great flood of 1841 in which the river Indus was blocked by a landslip below the Hatu Pir and the valley was turned into a lake. After the death of Abas, Sulaiman Shah, Raja of Yasin , conquered Gilgit. Then, Azad Khan, Raja of Punial , killed Sulaiman Shah, taking Gilgit; then Tahir Shah, Raja of Buroshall ( Nagar ), took Gilgit and killed Azad Khan. Tair Shah's son Shah Sakandar inherited, only to be killed by Gohar Aman, ethnic Kho Raja of Yasin of

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3588-646: The south. Gilgit is connected to Karimabad (Hunza) and Sust in the north, with further connections to the Chinese cities of Tashkurgan , Upal and Kashgar in Xinjiang . Gilgit is also linked to Chitral in the west, and Skardu to the east. The road to Skardu will be upgraded to a 4-lane road at a cost of $ 475 million. Transport companies such as the Silk Route Transport Pvt, Masherbrum Transport Pvt and Northern Areas Transport Corporation ( NATCO ), offer passenger road transport between Islamabad, Gilgit, Sust , and Kashgar and Tashkurgan in China. The Astore - Burzil Pass Road, linking Gilgit to Srinagar

3657-541: The southern range of Himalayas . Irrigation for land cultivation is obtained from the rivers, abundant with melting snow water from higher altitudes. The summer season is brief and hot, with daily high temperatures occasionally peaking at over 40 °C (104 °F). As a result of this extremity in the weather, landslides and avalanches are frequent in the area. Climate change has adversely effected this region with more rains every year. On 26 August 2022, most villages in Ghizer district and Hunza were severely effected by

3726-526: The spring or early autumn. Heavy snow during harsh winters can shut the highway down for extended periods. Heavy monsoon rains around July and August cause occasional landslides that can block the road for hours or more. The border crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass is open only between 1 May and 31 December. The proposed Xinjiang-GB-Azad Kashmir road would be linked to Yarkant County in Xinjiang , and enter Gilgit-Baltistan through Mustagh Pass , 126 km west of Ladakh , crossing

3795-459: The title of Raja and ruled, for 55 years. The dynasty flourished under the name of the Kayani dynasty until 1421 when Raja Torra Khan assumed rulership. He ruled as a memorable king until 1475. He distinguished his family line from his stepbrother Shah Rais Khan (who fled to the king of Badakshan, and with whose help he gained Chitral from Raja Torra Khan ), as the now-known dynastic name of Trakhàn. The descendants of Shah Rais Khan were known as

3864-461: The tourist destinations in the country, KKH is deemed as the "third best" by The Guardian . BBC Travel cited its popularity to some as "the 8th wonder of the world", while also noting its negative impact on local environment and culture. The road has given mountaineers and cyclists easier access to the many high mountains, glaciers, and lakes in the area. The highway provides access to Gilgit and Skardu from Islamabad by road. These are

3933-418: The trade route, as well as by locals. The earliest date back to between 5000 and 1000 BC, showing single animals, triangular men, and hunting scenes in which the animals are larger than the hunters. These carvings were pecked into the rock with stone tools and are covered with a thick patina that yields their age. There are several transport companies in Pakistan that offer bus service between major towns of

4002-446: The two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan administered Kashmir . The Gilgit–Baltistan Administration of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Xinjiang Administration of China have signed an agreement to issue border passes to their permanent residents. This pass is valid for a calendar year and is used to travel through Khunjerab Pass only. Karakoram Highway has been described as one of

4071-414: Was close associate of Maharaja Partap Singh. Khan Bahadur Kalay Khan, a Mohammed Zai Pathan, was the Governor of Gilgit Hunza and Kashmir before partition. On 26 October 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, faced with a tribal invasion by Pakistan due to Masscre of Muslims in Jammu by Hindus and Sikh mobs , signed the Instrument of Accession , joining India. The tribal invasion by Pakistan

4140-598: Was closed in 1978. Gilgit is not served by any rail connections. Long-term plans for the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor call for construction of the 682 km (424 mi) long Khunjerab Railway , which is expected to be completed in 2030, that would also serve Gilgit. Gilgit has not received a gas pipeline infrastructure since Pakistan's independence, unlike other cities. Through the importation of gas cylinders from other provinces, many private gas contractors offer gas cylinders. The LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Air Mix Plant project by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited

4209-418: Was constructed, it is often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World . The highway is also a part of the Asian Highway AH4 . The Karakoram Highway, also known as the Friendship Highway in China, was built by the governments of China and Pakistan. It was started in 1962 and was completed and opened to the public in 1978. Pakistan initially favored routing through Mintaka Pass . In 1966, China, citing

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4278-447: Was discovered in 1931 in Gilgit, containing many Buddhist texts such as four sutras from the Buddhist canon, including the famous Lotus Sutra . The manuscripts were written on birch bark in the Buddhist form of Sanskrit in the Sharada script . They cover a wide range of themes such as iconometry , folk tales , philosophy , medicine and several related areas of life and general knowledge. The Gilgit manuscripts are included in

4347-411: Was established by the Gilgit locals with Raja Shah Rais Khan as the president and Mirza Hassan Khan as the commander-in-chief. However, Major Brown had already telegraphed Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan asking Pakistan to take over. The Pakistani political agent, Khan Mohammad Alam Khan, arrived on 16 November and took over the administration of Gilgit. Brown outmaneuvered the pro-Independence group and secured

4416-410: Was firm in protecting Chitral from Afghans, the Mehtar of Chitral asked for help. In 1876 Chitral accepted the authority of Jammu Clan and in reverse get the protection from the Dogras who have in the past took part in many victories over Afghans during the time of Gulab Singh Dogra. In 1877, in order to guard against the advance of Russia, the British India Government, acting as the suzerain power of

4485-399: Was irrecoverably destroyed during the 2014 India–Pakistan floods . The former rulers had the title of Ra , and there is a reason to suppose that they were at one time Hindus , but for the last five centuries and a half they have been Moslems . The names of the Hindu Ras have been lost, with the exception of the last of their number, Shri Ba'dut. Tradition relates that he was killed by

4554-468: Was lack of public participation in the rebellion, sentiments were intense in the civilian population and their anti-Kashmiri sentiments were also clear. According to various scholars, the people of Gilgit as well as those of Chilas, Koh Ghizr, Ishkoman, Yasin, Punial, Hunza and Nagar joined Pakistan by choice. Gilgit is situated in a valley formed by the confluence of the Indus River , Hunza River , Astore River and Gilgit River . Gilgit experiences

4623-431: Was not simply a tribal invasion. Pakistani Major General Akbar Khan has given account of the invasion in his book Raiders in Kashmir . General Akbar Khan, then serving as a colonel in the Pakistan army, has described at least four meetings with Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan to discuss the planning and conduct of the operations. Justice Muhammad Yusuf Saraf, at the time a Muslim Conference activist, has pointed out that such

4692-444: Was once a major centre for Buddhism ; it was an important stop on the ancient Silk Road , and today serves as a major junction along the Karakoram Highway with road connections to China as well as the Pakistani cities of Skardu , Chitral , Peshawar , and Islamabad . Currently, it serves as a frontier station for the local tribal areas. The city's economic activity is mainly focused on agriculture , with wheat, maize, and barley as

4761-535: Was signed between the Pakistani National Highway Authority (NHA) and China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) to rebuild and upgrade the Karakoram Highway. According to SASAC, the width will be expanded from 10 to 30 m (33 to 98 ft), and its transport capacity will be increased three times its current capacity. In addition, the upgraded road will be designed to particularly accommodate heavy-laden vehicles and extreme weather conditions. China and Pakistan are planning to link

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