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Gilgit - Capital City Of Northern Pakistan

Gilgit (Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a tehsil (headquarters) of Gilgit District.


Its ancient name was Sargin which later on came to be known as Gilit and it is still called Gilit or Sargin-Gilit by local people, it was the Sikh and Dogra conquerors who gave it the name of Gilgit, in the Burushaski language, it is named Geelt.

Ghallata is considered its name in ancient Sanskrit literature. Gilgit city is one of the two major hubs on the Northern Areas for all mountaineering expeditions of Karakoram to the peaks of the Himalayas, the other hub being Skardu.


Gilgit has an area of 14,680 square miles (38,021 km²). The region is significantly mountainous, lying on the foothills of the Karakoram mountains, and has an average altitude of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).


It is drained by the Indus River, which rises in the neighbouring regions of Ladakh and Baltistan.


Geography

Gilgit ValleOnly a part of the basin of the Gilgit River is included within the political boundaries of Gilgit District.


There is an intervening width of mountainous country, represented chiefly by glaciers and ice fields, and intersected by narrow sterile valleys, measuring some 100 metres (330 ft) to 150 metres (490 ft) in width, to the north and north-east,

which separates the province of Gilgit from the Chinese frontier beyond the Muztagh and Karakoram. Towering above Gilgit is Mount Rakaposhi at 7,788 metres (25,551 ft).



Tourism and transport
Gilgit city is one of the two major hubs for all mountaineering expeditions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Almost all tourists headed for treks in Karakoram or Himalaya ranges arrive at Gilgit first.

Many tourists choose to travel to Gilgit by air since the road travel between Islamabad and Gilgit, by the Karakoram Highway, takes nearly 24 hours, whereas the air travel takes a mere 45-50 minutes.




Road transport

Overview of the Karakoram HighwayGilgit lies about 10 km off the Karakoram Highway. The KKH connects it to Chilas, Dasu, Besham, Mansehra, Abbottabad and Islamabad in the south. In the North it is connected to Karimabad (Hunza) and Sust in the Northern Areas and to the Chinese cities of Tashkurgan, Upal and Kashgar in Xinjiang.

Northern Areas Transport Corporation (NATCO) offers passenger road service between Islamabad, Gilgit, Sust and Tashkurgan, and road service between Kashgar and Gilgit (via Tashkurgan and Sust) started in the summer of 2006.

However, the border crossing between China and Pakista] at Khunjerab Pass (the highest border of the world) is open only between May 1 and October 15 of every year. During winter, the roads are blocked by snow. Even during the monsoon season in summer, the roads are often blocked due to landslides. The best time to travel on Karakoram Highway is spring or early summer.


Air transport

A PIA F27 that flies to Northern Areas regularlyPakistan International Airlines flies brand new ATR 42-500 flights twice daily between Gilgit Airport and Islamabad International Airport and the journey offers one of the most scenic aerial views (especially from the cockpit) of the world as it passes close to Nanga Parbat and the mountain peaks are higher than the aircraft's cruising altitude.

There are two routes that the aircraft takes one is the direct route from the capital Islamabad that takes it over the Margalla Hills then over the town of Haripur directly over the Kaghan Valley from where it heads towards Nanga Parbat and finally abeam the mountain the descent starts into the Indus valley.



The other route that it flies is all along the Indus valley which is also scenic but a little longer. These flights, however, are subject to the clearance of weather and in winters, flights are often delayed by several days.

Comments

  1. I am so happy to see that someone is promoting Gilgit!...It will help the other people living in Pakistan and different other countries... to know that there is a place situated in the north of Pakistan which is full of culture,surrounded by beautiful mountains,with lash green meadows and many other things that will catch their breath....Its beauty will force them to come again and again and will enable them to discover even more attractive places in it ...!!!..Thanks for promoting my place!!!!

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  2. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will inaugurate on Friday the new terminal building of the Gilgit airport and address a meeting of the Gilgit-Baltistan Council. During his first visit to the Gilgit-Baltistan, he will inaugurate the newly constructed terminal building that has an extended capacity to handle passengers.

    The project, completed at a cost of Rs 148 million, hosts a new building and basic facilities like a separate lounge for women, conveyer belt, air conditioners, fire detection system and internet facility. Located in the foothills of snow-covered mountain tops, the new building of Gilgit airport terminal will provide basic amenities to facilitate local and foreign tourists.

    Director Airport Services said Gilgit was a great attraction for tourists from across the country and the world. He said the old dilapidated terminal building could only handle around 40 passengers, but with the growing number of tourists, it could now easily take care of around 200 passengers. He said four counters had also been set up for speedy handling of passengers, besides the system of flight enquiry.

    He said Gilgit had received 16,813 domestic tourists in 2013 and 2,279 foreign tourists, besides 140 trekking parties and 17 expedition parties.

    The Prime Minister will also chair GB Council's fifth meeting and discuss budget for 2013-14 and the timber policy.

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