Well connected by air, Skardu is easily accessible. You can take a flight from Islamabad to reach Skardu. There are two benefits of travelling by air to Skardu. First, it saves a lot of time and the second; the air travel offers some stunning views of the Skardu Valley. As you take the road from the airport to the town, you are engulfed by the beautiful views.

If one thing that catches your attention as you enter Skardu are its colourful bazaars. You can rummage through the various shops that dot the bazaars. Pattu is an ideal shopping item in Skardu. Pattu is basically a hand woven woollen cloth. Satellite Town, as the western end of the bazaar is called house a number of hotels and restaurants.


Skardu is the place to explore. You can visit Narsok from Skardu. Narsok is a beautiful destination away from Skardu. Some of the wonderful places to see and tour in Skardu are the Buddhist Rock, which is the only rock with Buddhist carving. It is located on the Sadpara road. There are a number of lakes in Skardu that you can visit. Some of the beautiful lakes that you can tour are Sadpara Lake, Kachura Lake and Upper Kachura Lake. These lakes provide wonderful opportunities for boating and fishing.

You can also travel to Shigar Valley, which is the gateway to Karakoram Range. Khaplu Valley is other beautiful place that you can visit on your tour to Skardu.

Skardu offers basic accommodation facilities. You can stay at hotels and guesthouses run by the Pakistan Tourism or stay in private hotels and rest houses. Accommodation is also available at Sadpara, Shigar Valley and Kachura Lake.

Skardu is about 241 kilometres from Gilgit. It takes about 6-8 hours to reach Skardu from Gilgit.

Satghara

Satghara is a small town in Okara District, Punjab, Pakistan. The tomb of Baloch folk hero, Mir Chakar Khan Rind is also located at Satghara.

Pakistani Village

Satghara lies about 80 kilometres from Lahore (20 minutes

in the quiet backwaters of the Punjab. On the southern bank of the Ravi, it is a typical Pakistani village where farmers live like rustics in the face of urban attractions. Though off the beaten track, it has never been out of limelight. Besides heritage conscious travellers from all over the world, Baloch leaders and contemporary historians visit the hamlet. The reason they say is that its a “tukia nwab chrakr ki,” the last resting place of great Baloch hero Mir Chakar Rind.

If one wants to absorb the sense of history, Satghara is just the place. A monument of departed greatness the relic belongs to a celebrated hero who now rest helpless and neglected in this silent place for removed from the noisy haunts of men. In the periphery few van trees, may be as old as the relics, stand witness to the bygone era.
For Balochis the sixteenth century was a very eventful period. They fought series of wars amongst themselves. These tribal conflicts not only cussed large scale blood shed but also resulted in mass migrations to Punjab Sindh and Gujrat.

Mir Chakar Rind is considered one of the greatest Baloch heroes. He is the center of Balcohi love lore and war ballads. He lived in Sevi (modern time Sibbi) in the hills of Balochistan and became the head of Rind tribe after his father Shiahak. A natural leader and great warror, Mir Chakar Rind was a man with resolute determination. After the end of the thirty year war against Lasharies he migrated to Punjab between 1518 to 1519.
Why Chakare-e-Azam as he was known preferred to settle in central Punjab so far away from Sibi is not known. Once at Satghara, he constructed a new hamlet near an old village. He built a fortification wall around the village and watch towers in 15 squares kilometers area encircling the fort for early warning against impending dangers.

Tranquil Village

It was from this place that he refused to help Sher Shah Suri. His forces under the able command of his son Mir Shahdad, joined Humayun when after a long exile the Mughal emperor recaptured Delhi and ousted Afghan Suries in 1556. The emperor as a reward conferred a vast Jagir including Satghara (also horses and slaves) upon him. He ruled this chieftaincy till he died in 1565.

Hundreds of visitors come to the mausoleum every day to pay their respects to the poet-philosopher.He was one of the major inspirations behind the Pakistan Movement, and is revered in Pakistan as Muffakir-e-Pakistan (The Thinker of Pakistan) or Shair-e-Mashriq (The Poet of the East). Iqbal died on April 21, 1938 in Lahore at the age of 60. Since the independence of Pakistan, an academy named after him (Iqbal Academy) has been established to promote and disseminate his poetical and philosophical messages and teachings. As another tribute, the newly built Lahore airport has also been named after him as Allama Iqbal International Airport.

Gilgit is well connected by air with Islamabad/Rawalpindi. You can take a flight to Gilgit from the capital of the country and reach Gilgit. The airport at Gilgit is just a mile away from the main bazaar and you can take mini-vans or some other vehicle to reach Gilgit town.


Gilgit is not only about beautiful scenic views, but the valley has a number of historic places as well that you can visit. At one point of time in history, Buddhism was the way of life in this region as one come across a number monuments and symbols associated with the life of the Buddha. About 10 kilometres from Gilgit, there is the Buddha sculpture carved out of stone. Just nearby is the game sanctuary Kragah Nala. Kragah Nalla is wonderful for trekking.

Taj Mughal, built some 700 years ago, is another monument that you can visit. The monument is located about 30 kilometres from Gilgit town.

Sher Qilla, about 40 kilometres from Gilgit is another place that you can visit on your tour to Gilgit Valley. Other places of interest include Gahkuch (ideal for trekking and fishing) and Nalter Valley, which is about three hours drive from Gilgit.

Those interested in Polo can chalk out their tour in the month of November. Every year a polo tournament is held from 1st November to 7th November. Gilgit Valley is fine tourist destination for trekking and fishing. Trout fishing can be done at Kargah Nullah, which is just 10 kilometres from Gilgit, Singal (56 km), Phandar (117 km) and Gakuh (73 km).

The origin of the Thar desert is a controversial subject. Some consider it to be only 4000 to 10,000 years old, whereas others state that aridity started in this region much earlier.

• The rains play a vital role in the life of all parts of Thar.

• The land area of Thar is spread over about 22,000 sq. km.

The historians say that thousands of year ago the Thar desert was all under Arabian Sea. There was a great Sea Port at Wirawah, which was then called Parinagar. Sea merchants used this port for their business.
Tharparkar consists of two words, Thar means ‘desert’ while Parkar stands for ‘the other side’. Years back, it was known as Thar and Parkar but subsequently became just one word ‘Tharparkar’ for the two distinct parts of Sindh province. On the western side, Parkar is the irrigated area whereas Thar, the eastern part, is known as the largest desert of Pakistan with a rich multifaceted culture, heritage, traditions, folk tales, dances and music due to its inhabitants who belong to different religions, sects and casts.

The Parkar area has been formed by the alluvial deposits of river Indus while Thar mostly consists of barren tracts of sand dunes covered with thorny bushes. The only hills of the district, named Karon-Jhar, are in the extreme south-east corner of Nagar Parkar Taluka, a part of Thar. These hills are spread over about 20 kilometers in length and attains a height of 300 meters. Covered with sparse jungle and pasturage, they give rise to two perennial springs as well as streams caused after rain.

The average annual rainfall of the region varies from 100 to 500 mm, it is distributed very erratically, occurring mostly between July and September. The mean average temperature varies from a minimum of 24 degrees C to 26 degrees C in summer to 4 degrees C to 10 degrees C in winter. One unique feature of this desert is that there is neither an oasis in it nor any artesian well. Due to the diversified habitat, the vegetation and animal life in this arid region is very rich. About 23 species of lizard and 25 species of snakes are found here and several of them are endemic to the region.

The rain is the main source of water in Tharparkar arid region. It is very erratic and the annual rainfall varies from 0-300 mm. All agriculture and livestock activities are dependent on rainfall. The failure of monsoon would mean no agricultural crop and no fodder for the Thari cattle and livestock. The main crop of Thar is bajra and guwar. In good rainy years, the lintels, melons and sesme are also grown as mixed crop with the main crop of bajra and guwar.

The rains play a vital role in the life of all parts of Thar as the water deposits in tobas (small ponds) are used for drinking, washing and other purposes. Just for this reason, major portion of the population lives like gypsies. When a toba comes to dry, they move to the next destination around the water-filled toba. A large number of families still live in jhugis (one room housing units formed with straws and thin wood-sticks). The windstorm proves these jhugis unsustainable all the times. But the poverty leaves no other option to these jhugiwalas (people living in jhugis).

Life Style

The common life style in Thar is based on joint family system. All three generations; grand-parents, parents and children prefer to live under one roof. However, the men and women have divided out-door and domestic responsibilities among themselves according to their ages and skills. Main duties of the men in the family are ploughing the fields, animal-grazing, weaving and house-construction or other money-earning actvities whereas the women responsibilities include bringing water from the well or pond, cooking, washing, maintenance of house, thread-making, embroidering, knitting etc. The money earned through any means by anyone is the common property of the family.

Culture

Thar is a cultural island in the mid of Sindhi, Rajhestani and Gujrati ocean of cultures. The Rajhestani culture overshadows the other two cultures. Thari music seems to be more inspired by the Rajhestani music traditions but with its own emotional rhythm and colours.

Occupation

The main occupation of Thari people is cattle and livestock rearing from which about 60% of their living derived. At present there are about 4.6 million cattle and livestock comprising of buffaloes, sheep, goat, camel, donkeys and horses. About 10% household get regular flow income through services in various private and public jobs.

The rest of them derive their income through selling handicraft, pottery, shoe mending, tailoring, carpet weaving and other micro-enterprise undertaking.

Of the total land area of 4.5 million acres, 3.4 million is cultivable land and the remaining 1.1 million constituting about 24% is the grazing land for cattle and livestock and the waste land.

Although the Karakoram Highway inclines upwards the whole way to the pass it’s not until you get close to Gilgit that you begin to feel as if you are in mountains. Even so, the town is only at one thousand, five hundred meters (approx. five thousand feet) elevation and there is still a feeling of being in desert. The barren, dust laden and tan coloured hills that surround the area give the impression of being made from sand, however, it only takes a ride of a couple of kilometres north from Gilgit for one to get the impression of being in ‘real’ mountains – very high, and very sheer mountains.

This is not to say that the actual road itself is steep – it’s not, it’s just that the demarcation between the almost sand dune like foothills, and the seemingly abrupt line of six to eight thousand meters high glacier and snow plaited mountains is almost overpoweringly awesome.

The souls that paved the way for the modern tarmac road named the Karakoram Highway still seem to flicker amongst the sharp moving shadows of the rocks and the almost countless but crumbly lucent glaciers that constantly embellish its existence.

Nagar, Hunza and onwards up to Khunjerab is considered to be the most attractive part of KKH. With good reasons, snow covered peaks, rivers, largest glaciers of the region and entirely different geographic characteristics this area is a real distinction. Ali Abad , Hussaini , Passu and Sost, the Pakistan customs post about ninety kilometres before the peak, are the permanent settlements on KKH in Hunza region before Khunjerab Pass. The road then accompanies the Hunza river through these mountains, climbing gently almost all the way to the Khunjerab Pass (4800m, 15,750ft), sometimes called the ‘roof of the world’ but in ancient times it was a very perilous pathway. Taxgorgan, the Chinese customs post and town of that name, is one hundred and thirty kilometres from the peak. During the 20 years it digested lives of many workers to push level and blast the present 1300km (800mi) highway through the mountains: over 400 road-builders died.

Only during the last twenty-odd kilometres from the top of the pass short stretches of consistently steep road gradients of six to fourteen degrees are found. At the top of the pass, two tall memorial stones show that this is the convenient dividing line between Pakistan and China. Both countries respective customs and immigration posts are some kilometres away on their respective sides of the pass.

The pass also separates two differently named mountain ranges, the Karakoram range (on the Pakistani side), from the Pamir in China. Within these two massive ranges, there are other named but smaller clusters of rugged mountains, and a quick glance at a map can confuse one as there is no illustrated way that one can separate one range from the next.

On the Chinese side of the pass the road is given a different name by the Chinese, who call it, loosely translated, ‘The Big Pakistan/China Friendship Road’. This continuation of the Karakoram is also smoothly finished and well graded. It scrolls up and down through generally wide valleys for approximately four hundred and fifty kilometres to the market town of Kashgar, which is in the mostly Taklamakan desert filled Chinese province of Xinjiang.

Precautions!

Between Thakot and Chilas the road snakes through the area called Kohistan. Up to about a decade ago this stretch of road was frequently occupied by transitory bandits, who held up buses and other vehicles occasionally killing the occupants. There is still occasional nocturnal robbery along this section of the road and public vehicles are provided with a four man armed police escort if they travel through it overnight. There have been no daylight raids for several years and travel between dawn and dusk is considered safe. It is strongly recommended however that independent travellers stay in villages overnight if they are not confined to a vehicle, i.e. if they are animal, pedal, or foot powered.

Although maps do not show them, there are lots of small villages straddling, or within two or three kilometres of the road. The tracks leading to off-road villages are rough, but ride able in low gear. Almost all of the roadside villages have restaurants where ‘beds’ can be rented overnight. The beds are actually wooden framed, rattan laced cots that double as seats during the day. One sleeps on them ‘as-is’; they are quite comfortable, but you may be bothered by mosquitoes and/or the snoring or talking of other overnighters. The cots are cheap but they cannot be rented by women! Women can usually be found a room in the building that houses the restaurant, or sometimes, with a local family. All amenities are spartan, toiletries often being done in, or

Mohenjo-daro was a city of the Indus Valley Civilization, 20 km from Larkana and some 80 km southwest of modern Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and better preserved than Harappa. However, due to rain the upper part of tomb is now destroyed despite steps to further save this world historical place.

Ancient city on the bank of the Indus River, in present-day southern Pakistan

The site of Mohenjo-Daro (also Moenjo-daro, latitude 27 degrees, 25 minutes north, longitude 67 degrees 35 minutes east), in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan, is the largest and most extensively excavated Indus city in Pakistan.

This city would have dominated the major trade routes and agricultural potential of the southern Indus plain, from around 2600-1900 BCE.
Mohenjo-Daro is located in District Larkana at a distance of about 28 km from Larakana and 107 km from sukkur.
Mohenjo-Daro was a city located in the south of Modern Pakistan in the Sind Province, on the right bank of the Indus River. It was built between four and five thousand years ago, and lasted until 3,700 BP. It was part of the Harrapan Civilization, and the city had at least 35,000 residents. Mohenjo-Daro means “mound of the dead”.

The city was approximately one square mile in size. In 1922-1927 large scale excavations at Mohenjo-daro were carried out by R. D. Banarjee and continued by M. S. Vats and K. N. Dikshit under the direction of Sir John Marshall. E. J. H. MacKay carried out further excavations from 1927 to1931. Sir Mortimer Wheeler made small excavations in1950.

As a result of this extensive work almost one-third of the area of the old city was exposed, revealing for the first time the remains of one of the most ancient civilizations in the Indus Valley. Typical of most large and planned cities, Mohenjo-daro had planned city streets and buildings. The settlement was thought to house roughly 5,000 people, and had houses, a granary, baths, assembly halls and towers.

Mohenjo-Daro – largest city of the Indus Civilization

The site of Mohenjo-Daro (also Moenjo-daro, latitude 27 degrees, 25 minutes north, longitude 67 degrees 35 minutes east), in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan, is the largest and most extensively excavated Indus city in Pakistan.

Mohenjo-Daro – It was built around 2600 BC, and was abandoned around 1700 BC, probably due to a change of course of the river which supported the civilization.

Mohenjo-Daro – The high western mound is generally referred to as the “citadel” mound, but it is subdivided into several sectors.
The city was divided into two parts, the Citadel included an elaborate tank or bath created with fine quality brickwork and drains; this was surrounded by a verandah. Also located here was a giant granary, a large residential structure, and at least two aisled assembly halls. To the east of the citadel was the lower city, laid out in a grid pattern. The streets were straight, and were drained to keep the area sanitary. The people of the city used very little stone in their construction. They used two types of bricks- mud bricks, and wood bricks, which were created by burning wood.

They used timber to create the flat roofs of their buildings; there are brick stairways leading to the roofs of many houses. Some houses were small, and others were larger with interior courtyards. Most had small bathrooms. Potter’s kilns, dyer’s vats, as well as metalworking, bead making, and shell-working shops have all been discovered. The people were good at irrigation and flood control. However, when the Indus River changed its course around 3700 years ago, the civilization died.


All Indus valley sites including Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, were built according to a grid pattern plan. Each city had broad parallel streets which crossed each other to divide the city into compact rectangular blocks, and had an advanced and extensive drainage system. In addition to it’s numerous other achievements Mohenjo-daro and other Indus sites made extensive use of baked brick (unlike the sun-dried brick typical of Mesopotamian civilization), which gave greater durability to all of its buildings.

Mohenjo-Daro – Mohenjo-daro is about 400 miles away from Harappa

The site of Mohenjo-Daro (also Moenjo-daro, latitude 27 degrees, 25 minutes north, longitude 67 degrees 35 minutes east), in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan, is the largest and most extensively excavated Indus city in Pakistan.

• It was rediscovered in the 1920s by Sir John Marshall’s archaeologists.
• The language of the Indus Civilization has yet to be deciphered.

Defensively Mohenjo-daro was a well-fortified city. Though it did not have city walls it did have towers to the west of the main settlement, and defensive fortifications to the south. These fortifications taken into consideration, as well as a comparison to the Harappa ruins to the northeast, lead to the question of whether Mohenjo-daro was an administrative center. Both Harappa and Mohenjo-daro share relatively the same architectural layout (Harappa is less well preserved due to early site defilement), and were generally not heavily fortified like other Indus Valley sites. It is obvious from the identical city layouts of all Indus sites, that there was some kind of political or administrative centrality, however the extent and functioning (and even the placement and type) of an administrative center remains relatively

The site covers an area of over 250 hectares, representing various phases of urban growth and reorganization. The Indus river is currently situated to the east of the site, but in antiquity it may have been on the west and one channel of the river cuts through the site dividing the so-called “citadel” mound from the “lower town.”

It is a popular tourist destination, and has a unique restaurant that is built on the fuselage of an aircraft that had crashed nearby.

Shangrila was established in 1983 with the opening of the first Resort Hotel in Skardu, Baltistan. It was named “heaven on earth” because of its spectacular beauty,and breathtaking view and peaceful atmosphere. Shangrila Resort Hotel was founded by the late Brig.(Retd) Muhammad Aslam Khan, the first commander of the Northern Scouts of the Pakistan Army.

Shangrila was named after a book titled “Lost Horizon” by James Hilton. In the novel, the author narrates a tale in which an aeroplane crash landed near a riverbed, in the early 1920′s. The surviving passengers came across some Buddhist monks from a nearby temple and sought their help. They were taken to a beautiful lamasery filled with a variety of fruits and flowers. The monks looked quite young, although they claimed to be hundreds of years old. The idyllic place was called Shangri-la, a Chinese word meaning “Heaven on earth”.

Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as it is officially called, has four provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. Each region is multi-faceted and diverse. Different terrains, from dry hot deserts to lush green valleys, with snow covered mountains to arid hot plains, amalgamate to form the different yet beautiful regions of Pakistan.

Islamabad is the state capital and a beautiful city with many delightful places to see such as the breathtaking Daman-e-Koh, Peer Sohawa and Shakar Pariyan Hills. These hills show an intoxicating view of the cascading lawns and terraces in the city of Islamabad. Faisal Mosque is another enticing sight to see.

The ruins of Mohenjodaro and Harappa are another treat for history lovers. The remnants of the Gandhara and Indus civilizations await you. Taxila has the ruins of the oldest university. The Salt Range, Murree Hills and Gaaliyat are a must see when you are in the area. These are the unforgettable regions of Pakistan.

The Paradise in the North

Travelling across different regions of Pakistan, more to the North, Swat Valley, Kaalam and the adjoining areas are no less than a paradise on Earth. The Pekhawar Valley was the hub of the Buddhist religion and culture. It has a lot of Buddhist remnants from the old days of Asoka rule in the region. This valley of the Swat River rises in the Hindukush Range. High mountains entice the trekking lovers or those who enjoy camping. Green meadows and clear lakes are a must see for any visitors.


This Pekhawar Valley along with the adjacent hilly areas of Swat, Buner and Bajaur were taken over by terrorists but Pakistan government regained control of the region through military action. Now once again, this area is cleared of terrorists and is open for tourism. The ski resort of Malam Jabba is another fascinating tourist spot. Neelam Valley nearby takes your breath away with its sheer beauty.

Beautiful Shrines

Different regions may have different customs but the ideology is the same, no matter which corner of Pakistan you are in. Many people in Pakistan believe that the shrines of saints are a source of spiritual guidance and enlightenment. And, for the rest, they are a source of physical beauty. A lot of beautiful shrines in Multan are famous for their beautiful blue tiles and khataati on the roofs.

Gilgit and Baltitstan is another heaven on earth. Rakaposhi, Skardu, Kachura, Shangrila, Sarpara Lake and Deosai plains are all so beautiful and pure that they have an intoxicating effect on the soul. The photographs do not do justice to the scenery God has created here.

There are many ancient forts in different regions of Pakistan. The Lahore Fort, The Rohtas Fort, The Rawat Fort, Pharwala Fort and many others are monuments that prove the importance of the region where Pakistan is located today. Likewise, there are many mosques whose architecture and grandeur appeal to all tourists and citizens alike.

History
The history of the town goes back to 13th century and due to its exposed position between the mouths of the Harnai and Bolan passes it had suffered frequent assaults and sieges – including one by the British in 1841. During British rule the town became an important junction on the Sind-Peshin railway where the Harnai line and the Quetta loop line meet,
near the entrance of the Bolan Pass, 88 m southeast of Quetta. According to the 1901 census of India the population of Sibi was 4551. In 1903 the Victoria Memorial Hall was built from public funds, a piped water supply to the town was provided by military funds from the river Nari at a cost of Rs.115,000.

Transport

Sibi is on the western edge of Pakistan and is well connected with the country by a wide
network of roads, railways and airways.

Railways

Sibi Railway Station is junction railway station. The railway track was lined in 1890s during the British era to link Sibi with rest of the country. The routes are Sibi from linked with Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Rohri, Sukkur, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kot Adu, Gujrat, Jacobabad, Gujranwala, Khanewal, Nawabshah, Attock, Jhelum, and Nowshera.

Roads

Sibi is well connected by roads to the rest of the country. Sibi is connecting with Quetta, Karachi, Jacobabad, Sukkur and Hyderabad route.