Shigar (Urdu: شگر) is the headquarter of its namesake district and tehsil in the Baltistan division of Gilgit-Baltistan region in northern Pakistan. It is located on the bank of the Shigar River in the most remote 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.
Shigar
شگر (Balti ཤི༌གར།) | |
|---|---|
 Shigar, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan | |
  Shigar Location in the Karakoram region | |
| Coordinates: 35°25′25″N 75°44′20″E / 35.42361°N 75.73889°E | |
| Province | Gilgit–Baltistan |
| District | Shigar |
| Elevation | 2,230 m (7,320 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:00 (PST) |
The town is inhabited almost exclusively by the Balti people of Tibetan descent. Almost 65% of the population belongs to the Shia sect of Islam, 26% to the Norbakhshi sect and the remaining to the Sunni sect. Via the Shigar Valley, it is the gateway to the Karakoram mountain range, which has five eight-thousanders, including K2.[1]
History
editAccording 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.[2]
Tourist attractions
edit
Popular tourist attractions in the town include:
- Shigar Fort
- Amburik Mosque
- Khanqah-e-Muallah Shigar
Climate
editShigar has a cold desert climate (Köppen: BWk).[3]
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −0.4 (31.3) |
2.2 (36.0) |
8.9 (48.0) |
16.2 (61.2) |
21.8 (71.2) |
26.8 (80.2) |
30.3 (86.5) |
30.0 (86.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
10.9 (51.6) |
3.5 (38.3) |
16.1 (61.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.2 (22.6) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
3.9 (39.0) |
10.6 (51.1) |
15.4 (59.7) |
19.9 (67.8) |
23.4 (74.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
18.1 (64.6) |
11.4 (52.5) |
4.3 (39.7) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
10.0 (50.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −9.9 (14.2) |
−8.1 (17.4) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
5.0 (41.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
16.5 (61.7) |
16.1 (61.0) |
11.3 (52.3) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
4.0 (39.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 18 (0.7) |
17 (0.7) |
29 (1.1) |
22 (0.9) |
23 (0.9) |
6 (0.2) |
7 (0.3) |
8 (0.3) |
9 (0.4) |
5 (0.2) |
3 (0.1) |
12 (0.5) |
159 (6.3) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[3] | |||||||||||||
Gallery
edit-
All roads out of Shigar, such as the one to Skardu pictured here, pass through rugged mountainous terrain. -
Khilingrong Mosque at Shigar -
Polo is enjoyed by local Pakistanis in Shigar. -
Gulabpur Bridge -
Bisil sunset, Bhasha Valley, Shigar -
Bisil, Bhasha Valley, Shigar -
Shigar river, Zil Shigar -
Shigar Bhasha Valley road -
Tisar village, Shigar Valley
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Shigar valley". Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ Rieck, Andreas (1995). "The Nurbakhshis of Baltistan – Crisis and Revival of a Five Centuries Old Community". Die Welt des Islams. 35 (2): 159–188. doi:10.1163/1570060952597761. ISSN 0043-2539.
- ^ a b "Shigar climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Shigar weather averages". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via Climate-Data.org.
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