Phander ( ur, پھنڈر) is the name of a settlement and valley in the
Gupis-Yasin District
The Gupis-Yasin District ( ur, ) is the westernmost district of the 14 districts of Pakistan-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. The Gupis-Yasin District was created in 2019 from the Gupis Tehsil and the Yasin Tehsil, which were the two ...
located in
Gilgit−Baltistan,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. It is situated about 184 Kilometers from
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 h ...
on the road to the
Shandur Pass Shandur Pass( ur, ) is a pass located in Ghizer, District of Gilgit Baltistan . It is often called 'Roof of the World.
During the annual ' Shandur Polo Festival,' there are polo matches played in Shandur Polo Ground on Shandur Top, between the ...
, which continues on to
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 ...
.
It is well known locally that there is a reason for naming this valley Phander, as "Phan" means palm in the local
Khowar language
Khowar () or Chitrali, is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in Chitral and surrounding areas in Pakistan.
Khowar is the lingua franca of Chitral, and it is also spoken in the Gupis-Yasin and Ghizer districts of Gilgit-Baltistan, as ...
and this place is flat like a palm, hence it was called Phander.
This place is a tourist attraction. There are four lakes in this small valley, of which the
Phander Lake
Phander Lake is situated in the Phander Village, in Golaghmuli Valley, Koh-i-Ghizer, Gupis-Yasin District, the westernmost part of the Gilgit–Baltistan region and northernmost territory of Pakistan. This lake is an important source of fresh wa ...
is the largest.
Phander is one of the few places where the
Gilgit River
The Gilgit River () is a tributary of the Indus River, and flows through the Gupis-Yasin, Ghizer and Gilgit districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. The Gilgit River starts from Shandur Lake, and joins the Indus River at near towns of Juglot and Bunji, ...
divides into several strands as it enters the valley, which merge again upon exit from the valley.
References
Gupis-Yasin District
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