The Shigar Valley () is a valley in
Gilgit Baltistan in northern
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
that is watered by the
Shigar River, and centred on the town of
Shigar. The valley stretches about 170 km from
Skardu to
Askole and is the gateway to the high mountains of the
Karakoram
The Karakoram () is a mountain range in the Kashmir region spanning the border of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwestern extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range is withi ...
. The town of
Shigar is the largest settlement in the valley. Even though the Shigar Valley is a remote and largely inaccessible place, there are several villages in the valley. Askole is the last settlement in the Shigar Valley, which is still far from the high mountains.
Shigar was an administrative sub-division of
Skardu District before it was made a district in its own right.
This valley is a popular destination for hiking, trekking and mountaineering, despite the tough conditions there. Also, the valley is an attraction for the tourists as it is a gateway to Karakoram Hills, one of the world's highest peaks is
K2.
The local language is only Balti here.
The local Balti community’s use of medicinal plants has been surveyed in an ethnobotanical study.
See also
*
Askole
*
Skardu
*
Khurid
References
External links
*https://gbit.pk/10-beautiful-places-visit-shigar-valley-skardu-baltistan/
Photos from Shigar by Arif A Khan
Baltistan
Populated places in Shigar District
Valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan
Shigar District
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