Shigar () is the headquarter of its namesake district and tehsil in the

Baltistan Baltistan ( ur, ; bft, སྦལ་ཏི་སྟཱན, script=Tibt), also known as Baltiyul or Little Tibet ( bft, སྦལ་ཏི་ཡུལ་།, script=Tibt), is a mountainous region in the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilg ...

division of

Gilgit–Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute be ...

in northern

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 located at the bank of

Shigar River Shigar River ( ur, ) is located in the mountainous Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. The Shigar River is formed from the melted water of the Baltoro Glacier and Biafo Glacier. It flows through the Shigar Valley. The river is tributary to In ...

in the most remote and dramatic part of the region. It is a popular site for tourists and trekkers and contains many historical buildings of architectural significance associated with several different communities. The town is inhabited almost exclusively by the Balti people of

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

descent. Almost 65% of the population belongs to the

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

sect of Islam, 26% belongs to the Norbakhshi sect and the remaining belong to the Sunni sect. It is the gateway to the great mountain range of

Karakoram The Karakoram is a mountain range in Kashmir region spanning the borders of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range falls under the ...

including where 5

Eight-thousander The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) recognises eight-thousanders as the 14 mountains that are more than in height above sea level, and are considered to be sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no ...

s of the world falls, including the K2. The town serves as a gateway to the

mountains including K2, via the

Shigar Valley The Shigar Valley ( ur, وادی شگر) is a valley in Gilgit Baltistan in northern Pakistan 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 ...

History

According to tradition, Syed Ali Hamdani arrived to Shigar in the late 14th century and converted the locals to Islam. To this day, mosques and khanqahs attributed to him exist in the region.

Tourist attractions

Popular tourist attractions in the town include: * Dambuchan Hurchose Shigar *

Shigar Fort The Shigar Fort ( Balti and ) means ''The Fort on Rock'' is an old fort of Baltistan and Pakistan located in the town of Shigar. It was built in the 17th century by the Raja of Amacha Dynasty of Shigar. The fort has been restored by Aga Khan C ...

Amburik Mosque The Amburiq Masjid ( ur, مسجد امبوڑک) is a mosque located in Shigar, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. It is one of the oldest mosques in Baltistan. The mosque was built by Sayed Ali Hamdani and is among the famous landmarks i ...

* Khilingrong Mosque *

Khanqah A khanqah ( fa, خانقاه) or khangah ( fa, خانگاه; also transliterated as ''khankah'', ''khaneqa'', ''khanegah'' or ''khaneqah''; also Arabized ''hanegah'', ''hanikah'', ''hanekah'', ''khankan''), also known as a ribat (), is a buildin ...

-e-Muallah Shigar * Hashoo pi Bhag * Khubanistan Agri Tourisem model village * Khubanistan Ranga * Marapi Ranga * Ree Masjid * Astana of Syed Mir Yahya * Khureed Ranga Gulabpur * Choutran (Garam Chasma) * Hlanokhore Bridge * Khanqah Gulabpur * Wazirpur Khanqah * Bissel (Garam Chasma) * Hassan Abad (Bunpa) *Kharmang Pi Dus

Climate

Shigar has a

cold desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''BWk'').

Gallery

File:Road to Shigar.jpg, All roads out of Shigar, such as the one to

Skardu , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Gilgit Baltistan#Pakistan , pushpin_label_position ...

pictured here, pass through rugged mountainous terrain. File:Khilingrong Mosque Shigar 2015-04-10.jpg, Khilingrong Mosque at Shigar File:Ready for Polo at Shigar.jpg, Polo is enjoyed by local Pakistanis in Shigar. File:GulabPurBridgeShigar.jpg, Gulabpur Bridge File:Sunset at Bisil village.jpg, Bisil sunset, Bhasha Valley, Shigar File:Bisil village Shigar.jpg, Bisil, Bhasha Valley, Shigar File:Shigar River at Zil Bhasha.jpg, Shigar river, Zil Shigar File:Bhasha Valley, Shigar.jpg, Shigar Bhasha Valley road File:Tisar village Shigar.jpg, Tisar village, Shigar Valley

References

Populated places in Shigar District Baltistan {{NorthernAreas-geo-stub

History

Tourist attractions

Climate

Gallery

See also

References