Skardu Travel Guide Hotel Information and History

Skardu is the name of the city and district too. Sometimes whole Baltistan division is called Skardu. It is the central district of Gilgit Baltistan. The district starts from Shengus Rondu valley to Sermik. It is bordered by Gilgit district in North West, Shigar district in the south, Ghanche district in the east, Kharmang district in the southeast and Astore district in south. The capital of Baltistan division is also Skardu city. The city is the largest city in Gilgit Baltistan in terms of both area and population.

Geography

The valley is located between the great mountain ranges of the Karakoram and the Himalayas. The geography of the district is very interesting. You can see snow-covered peaks, lush green valleys and deserts at a time. Most of its southwestern part is lush green and forested. Basho valley and the upper parts of Rondu valley are forested by junipers, birch and pine trees. Similarly in the south lush green Deosai plateau is located which covers an area of 3000 Sq Km. The central parts of the valley consist of sand dunes and agricultural fields alongside the Indus River. These sand dunes are sometimes called cold deserts. Besides these, there are numerous natural water springs and wetlands. The famous among them is Katpnana. Katpana is located next to the airport.

History of Skardu

The history of Skardu dates back to Alexander the great era. Some historians suggest that the city was founded by Sikander (Alexander ) and it was called Sikandaria. But there is no solid evidence of this theory. The name Skardu may be derived from two Balti words “Skar” and “Rdou” which means Star Stone. The original settlers were Tibetan Nomads who travelled from western Tibet to Karakoram while grazing their herds. Then gradually Dards, Kashmiris, Sadat (Arabs) and Sufis(Iranian) came here and settled. Due to the admixture of these different ethnic groups a new civilization came into existence which is called Balti.

Maqpoun of Skardu

Skardu was ruled by Shakar and Maqpon royal families. There is no detailed information about the Shakar family, only some ruined forts can be seen in Shagari Gamba. Maqpon dynasty is famous in Gilgit Baltistan. The Maqpon dynasty was founded by Ibrahim Shah. The history of Ibrahim is interesting. It is said that Ibrahim Shah was either Greek or Kashmiri. He got married to a princess of Shakar raja. In the Balti language groom is called Maqpa. Later he became the ruler and the name stuck. This family was later called Maqpon.

During the era of Ali Sher Khan Anchan Maqpon’s kingdom extended from western Tibet to Chitral. Ali Sher Khan Anchan annexed Ladakh, western Tibet, Gilgit, Hunza, Nagar, Puniyal and Chitral in the 16th century AD. He had friendly relations with Mughal Empire after the Mughals failed to conquer his kingdom. He is mentioned as Ali Rai in Mughal history. In Mughal history books like “Tarikh e Hindustan” Ali Sher Khan is mentioned as Ail Rai and Baltistan as Little Tibet. Many failed attempts to conquer the Maqpon kingdom have been mentioned in this historical book.