The Maqpon kingdom ( bft, ) was a kingdom located in

Baltistan Baltistan ( ur, ; bft, སྦལ་ཏི་སྟཱན, script=Tibt), also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet ( bft, སྦལ་ཏི་ཡུལ་།, script=Tibt), is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gil ...

. The royal family of the kingdom, the ''Maqpon dynasty'' was a Balti royal house based in

Skardu , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan , pushpin_label_position ...

which ruled over the region for around 700 years. The kings of the Maqpon dynasty extended the frontiers of Baltistan to

Gilgit Agency The Gilgit Agency ( ur, ) was an agency of the British Indian Empire consisting of the subsidiary states of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir at its northern periphery, mainly with the objective of strengthening these territories against ...

Chitral Chitral ( khw, , lit=field, translit=ćhitrār; ur, , translit=ćitrāl) is situated on the Chitral River in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Chitral District and before that as the capital of Chitral ...

, and

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu a ...

History

Following the dissolution of Tibetan suzerainty over Baltistan around the 9th-10th century CE, Baltistan came under control of the local Maqpon Dynasty, which according to local tradition, is said to have been founded after a migrant from

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

named Ibrahim Shah married a local princess. During the 14th century, Muslim scholars from Kashmir crossed Baltistan's mountainous terrain to spread Islam. The Noorbakshia Sufi order further propagated the faith in Baltistan and Islam became dominant by the end of the 17th century. With the passage of time a large number also converted to

Shia Islam Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

and a few converted to

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...

Islam. Around the year 1500, ''Maqpon Bokha'' was crowned ruler, and founded the city of Skardu as his capital. The

Skardu Fort Skardu Fort or Kharpocho ( Balti:; ur, قلعہ سکردو) means ''The king of Forts'' is a fort in Skardu city in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Australian mountaineer and film maker Greg Child writes that the fort is "perched above the ...

was established around this time. During his reign, King ''Makpon Bokha'' imported craftsmen from Kashmir and

Chilas Chilas ( ur, ) is a city and is the divisional capital of Diamer District located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, on the Indus River. It is part of the Silk Road connected by the Karakoram Highway and N-90 National Highway, which link it to I ...

to help develop the area's economy. While nearby

Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a ...

fell out of the orbit of Tibetan influence, Baltistan region remained connected due to its close proximity to

, the region which the dynasty routinely fought against. In the early 1500s,

Sultan Said Khan Sultan Said Khan (; 1487–1533) ruled the Yarkent Khanate from September 1514 to July 1533. He was born in the late 15th century in Moghulistan, and he was a direct descendant of the first Moghul Khan, Tughlugh Timur, who had founded the state ...

of the Timurid ''Yarkent'' Khanate, based in what is now

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...

province in China, raided Baltistan. Given the threat illustrated by the Sultan Said's invasion, Mughal attention was roused, prompting the 1586 conquest of Baltistan by the Mughal Emperor

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

. The local Maqpon rulers pledged allegiance, and from that point onwards, beginning with

Ali Sher Khan Anchan Ali Sher Khan Anchan ( Balti: علی شیر خان انچن) (also called Ali Rai, Ray Alī, Alī Rai, Raja Sher Ali Mir, Mir Ali, Sher Ali and Ali Zad; 1590–1625) was a famous Balti king. He was a Maqpon dynasty king who unified Baltistan an ...

, the kings of Skardu were mentioned as rulers of Little Tibet in the historiography of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

In 1580,

became Maqpon King. He proved to be the greatest of all, and expanded the borders of the kingdom from

. When the Raja of

Laddakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu an ...

, Jamyang Namgyal, attacked the principalities in the district of Purik (

Kargil Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in J ...

), annihilating the

Skardu , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan , pushpin_label_position ...

garrison at Kharbu and putting to sword a number of petty Muslim rulers in the Muslim principalities in Purik (Kargil), Ali Sher Khan Anchan left with a strong army by way of

Marol Marol is a locality in the suburb of the Andheri (East) in Mumbai, India. History The area has been inhabited for centuries, successively coming under both Portuguese and British rule. The village is filled with the Dawoodi Bohra community. T ...

and bypassing the Laddakhi army, occupied

Leh Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former ...

, the capital of Laddakh. It appears that the Balti conquest of Laddakh took place in about 1594 A.D. The Raja of Laddakh was ultimately taken prisoner. Then Ali Sher Khan Anchan went to march on Gilgit with an army, and conquered Astore, Gilgit,

Hunza Hunza may refer to: * Hunza, Iran * Hunza Valley, an area in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan ** Hunza (princely state), a former principality ** Hunza District, a recently established district ** Hunza River, a waterway ** Hunza Peak, a mou ...

, Nagar, and Chilas. From Gilgit he advanced to, and conquered,

and Kafiristan.

Decline

In 1839, Dogra commander

Zorawar Singh Kahluria Zorawar Singh Kahluria (1784–12 December 1841) was a military general of the Dogra Rajput ruler, Gulab Singh of Jammu. He served as the governor (''wazir-e-wazarat'') of Kishtwar and extended the territories of the kingdom by conquering Lad ...

defeated Balti forces in battles at Wanko Pass and the Thano Kun plains, clearing his path for the invasion of the Skardu valley. He seized Skardu Fort on behalf of the Dogra Kingdom based in Jammu. Singh's forces massacred a large number of the garrison's defenders, and publicly tortured Kahlon Rahim Khan of Chigtan in front of a crowd of local Baltis and their chiefs. In 1845, the region was completely subjugated by the

Dogra The Dogras or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group in India and Pakistan consisting of the Dogri language speakers. They live predominantly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, and in adjoining areas of Punjab, Himac ...

rulers of

. and the last Maqpon King was taken as prisoner.

Rulers

Genealogy of Maqpon rulers:{{cite book, title=Hashmatullah Kahn Lakhnavi, "History of Baltistan", 1987, year = 1987, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k0ErAAAAMAAJ *1190-1220 Ibrahim *1220-1250 Astak Sange *1250-1280 Zak Sange *1280-1310 Bardak Sange *1310-1340 Sek Sange *1340-1370 Tam Gori Tham *1370-1400 Sa Gori Tham *1400-1437 Khohkor Sange *1437-1464 Ghota Cho Sange *1464-1490 Bahram Cho *1490-1515 Bo Kha *1515-1540 Sher Shah *1540-1565 Ali Khan *1565-1590 Ghazi Mir *1580-1624

*1624-1636 Abdal Khan *1636-1655 Adam Khan *1655-1670 Murad Khan *1670-1678 Sher Khan *1678-1680 Muhammad Rafi Khan *1680-1710 Shir Khan *1710-1745 Mohammad Rafi *1745-1780 Sultan Murad *1780-1785 Azam Khan *1785-1787 Mohammad Zafar Khan *1787-1811 Ali Shir Khan *1811-1840 Ahmed Shah (May 1840 Dogra invasion)

Gallery

File:The Mighty Kharpocho Fort Skardu.jpg, Skardu Fort was the seat of power of the Maqpon Dynasty File:THOMSON(1852) p010 ISKARDO.jpg, The

in 1852 File:Chaqchan Mosque from the street.jpg, The Chaqchan Mosque was built in 1370 in Baltistan File:Amburiq Mosque.jpg,

Amburiq Mosque The Amburiq Masjid ( ur, مسجد امبوڑک) is a mosque located in Shigar, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. It is one of the oldest mosques in Baltistan. The mosque was built by Sayed Ali Hamdani and is among the famous landmarks ...

was built in the 14th century

References

History of Gilgit-Baltistan History of Baltistan Balti people