Khaplu (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: , pronounced: əpluː Balti: ཁཔ་ལུ།), also spelt Khapalu, is a city that serves as the administrative capital of the

Ghanche District Ghanche District (; ) is a district of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the te ...

in Pakistan-administered

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...

, within the disputed

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, 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 P ...

region. Located east of

Skardu Skardu (, Tibetan script: སྐར་མདོ, ) is a city located in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...

, Khaplu was historically the second-largest kingdom in

Baltistan Baltistan (); also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet, is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan and constitutes a northern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

under the Yabgo dynasty and played a key role in guarding the trade route to

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

along the

Shyok River The Shyok River (sometimes spelled Shayok) is a major tributary of the Indus River that flows through northern Ladakh in India and into Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. Originating from the Central Rimo Glacier in the eastern Karakoram, it runs f ...

, near its confluence with the

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northwest through the dis ...

. Khaplu is a popular base for trekking into the

Hushe Hushe (; ) is the last village of the Ghangche District of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It is the highest village in the once extremely remote and impoverished Hushe Valley. Hushe men began working as cooks and porters for mountaineering expedi ...

Valley, which provides access to the high peaks of Masherbrum, K6, K7, and Chogolisa. The city is home to the 700-year-old mosque, Chaqchan Mosque, founded by Ameer Kabeer Syed Ali Hamadani (RA). Other notable tourist sites include Ehlie Broq, Hanjor, Thoqsi Khar, Kaldaq, and the Shyok River.

History

Khaplu existed as an independent Kingdom since the disintegration of

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (,) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. It expanded further under the 38th king, Trisong De ...

in the 10th century CE. The rulers of Khapalu used the Tibetan title of ''Cho'' ('master'), in addition to the well known Turkish title of Yabghu. According to tradition, Ali Hamdani arrived in Khaplu in the late

14th century The 14th century lasted from 1 January 1301 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCCI) to 31 December 1400 (MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and natural disasters in both Euro ...

and converted locals to Islam. To this day, mosques and khanqahs attributed to him exist in the region. The first mention of the former small kingdom called Khápula is in Mirza Haidar's work ''Tarikh-i-Rashidi'', which lists the Khaplu district of Balti(stan). Khaplu was also very well known in the 17th and 18th centuries due to its close political and family ties with the royal family of the neighbouring country of

. The first European to visit Khaplu was probably Captain Claude Martin Wade, who mentioned "Chílú" in 1835 in an essay in the ''Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal''. Subsequently, William Moorcroft and George Trebeck wrote in their 1841 book: "Kafalun is a province west of Nobra, on the left bank of the Shayuk." Godfrey Vigne was in the area in 1835–1838.

Alexander Cunningham Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham (23 January 1814 – 28 November 1893) was a British Army engineer with the Bengal Sappers who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. In 1861, he was appointed to the newly crea ...

, who did not visit Baltistan, published a brief geographical description of Khaplu and a genealogy of its rulers in 1854. Thomas Thomson travelled there in November 1847 and briefly described a place of remarkable beauty. Jane Duncan reached Khaplu in 1904 and stayed there for three weeks. De Filippi, who reached Khaplu in 1913, characterized the site as follows: "It is, perhaps, the loveliest oasis in all the region." Further information on Khaplu was included in a travel report by Arthur Neve.

Geography

In contrast to

and Shigar, the territory of Khaplu was not focused on a single large river valley, but was instead spread over the three valleys of Shayok, namely on the territory of the present town of Khaplu, the valley of Thalle River, and the

/ Saltoro Valley. The area around the mouth of the river in the Thalle Shayok formed the western border of the kingdom. Today Ganache district, whose administrative centre is located in Khaplu, covers Balghar and Daghoni in addition to the mouth of the Indus in Shayok. It includes the former Kingdom of Kiris as a military bulwark against incursions of the Skardu and Shigar. In Haldi, in eastern Hushe/Saltoro Tal, was another fortress.

Tourism

Raja Palace is a beautiful building and the last and best Tibetan-style palace in Pakistan. Khaplu Khanqah is attributed to Mir Mukhtar Akhyar and was built in 1712 AD/1124 AH. Khaplu is the gateway to Masherbrum Peak, K-7, K-6, Chogolisa for mountaineers and Gondogoro la, Gondogoro Peak, Saraksa Glacier, Gondogoro Glacier, Masherbrum Glacier, Aling Glacier, Machlu Broq, Thaely La, Daholi lake, Kharfaq Lake, Ghangche Lake and Bara Lake for trekkers. There is rafting on the Shyok River and rock climbing places like Biamari Thoqsikhar and DowoKraming (hot spring).Dongsa Rock Kuro (Dongsa view point)

Architecture

The most important religious monuments in Khaplu are the great Khanqa prayer hall and the Chaqchan Mosque. The former was built in 1712 by Sayyed Mohammad, a saint of the Islamic Nūrbkahshīya sect, whose Astana grave monument is in the immediate vicinity. The Astana grave monument has been restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Pakistan and thereby saved from total disintegration.

Transport

Khaplu is only approachable by road. The normal road into Khaplu is a link road from the

Valley. Four or five other roads link to

and Yarqand.Baltistan aik nazar, usaf Abadi

References

Bibliography

*Shridhar Kaul: ''Ladakh through the Ages, towards a New Identity''. Indus Publishing 1992,
resricted online copy (Google Books)
*Sarina Singh, Lindsay Brown, Paul Clammer, Rodney Cocks, John Mock, Kimberley O'Neil: ''Pakistan & the Karakoram Highway''. Lonely Planet 2008, , pp. 292–293
resricted online copy (Google Books)

External links

Khaplu

in th
Tibet-Encyclopaedia
– contains a variety of photos of Khaplu as well
''Fort Khaplu'' auf archnet.orgView of the village at panoramio.comPhotos from Khaplu by Atif Khan YouguviTarikh-i-Rashidi on Wikisource
{{Ghanche District Populated places in Ghanche District Baltistan