19 Facts About Gilgit

1.

The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and Hunza River, and is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a hub for trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Karakoram mountain range.

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2.

Gilgit 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.

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3.

Gilgit was an important city on the Silk Road, along which Buddhism was spread from South Asia to the rest of Asia.

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4.

In mid-600s, Gilgit came under Chinese suzerainty after the fall of Western Turkic Khaganate due to Tang military campaigns in the region.

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5.

Gilgit manuscriptsare included in the UNESCO Memory of the World register.

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6.

Many of the original manuscripts from Gilgit can be found in the National Archives of India and the Pratap Singh Museum in Srinigar.

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7.

Gilgit was ruled for centuries by the local Trakhan Dynasty, which ended about 1810 with the death of Raja Abas, the last Trakhan Raja.

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8.

Gilgit distinguished his family line from his stepbrother Shah Rais Khan, as the now-known dynastic name of Trakhan.

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9.

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.

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10.

Gilgit fell to the Hunza and their Yasin and Punial allies but was reconquered by Gulab Singh's Dogra troops.

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11.

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.

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12.

Gilgit is situated in a valley formed by the confluence of the Indus River, Hunza River and Gilgit River.

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13.

Weather conditions for Gilgit are dominated by its geographical location, a valley in a mountainous area, southwest of Karakoram range.

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14.

The prevalent season of Gilgit is winter, occupying the valley eight to nine months a year.

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15.

Gilgit is served by the nearby Gilgit Airport, with direct flights to Islamabad.

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16.

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.

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17.

Gilgit is connected to Karimabad and Sust in the north, with further connections to the Chinese cities of Tashkurgan, Upal and Kashgar in Xinjiang.

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18.

Gilgit is linked to Chitral in the west, and Skardu to the east.

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19.

Gilgit has not received a gas pipeline infrastructure since Pakistan's independence, unlike other cities.

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