1.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
2.
Asian Highway Network
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Agreements have been signed by 32 countries to allow the highway to cross the continent and also reach to Europe. Some of the taking part in the highway project are India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, China, Iran, Japan, South Korea. Most of the funding comes from the larger, more advanced Asian nations like Japan, India, the project aims to make maximum use of the continents existing highways to avoid the construction of newer ones, except in cases where missing routes necessitate their construction. Non-coastal areas, which are negligible, are the other beneficiaries. However, in the mid-2000s some transportation experts were sceptical about the viability of the given the economic. The Asian Highway Network is going to take over 2 projects, one is the AH45, AH 45A is the new highway all over Asia from Tonghua to Sanaa. The AH project was initiated by the United Nations in 1959 with the aim of promoting the development of road transport in the region. During the first phase of the considerable progress was achieved, however. ESCAP has conducted several projects in cooperation with AH member countries step by step after the endorsement of ALTID in 1992, during the 60th session of the ESCAP Commission at Shanghai, China, in April 2004, the IGA treaty was signed by 23 countries. By 2013,29 countries had ratified the agreement, route AH1 is proposed to extend from Tokyo to the border with Bulgaria west of Istanbul and Edirne, passing through both Koreas, China and other countries in Southeast, Central and South Asia. The corridor is expected to improve links between East Asian countries, India and Russia. To complete the route, existing roads will be upgraded and new roads constructed to link the network, uS$25 billion has been spent or committed as of 2007, with additional US$18 billion needed for upgrades and improvements to 26,000 km of highway. The project new highway route numbers begin with AH, standing for Asian Highway, followed by one, single-digit route numbers from 1 to 9 are assigned to major Asian Highway routes which cross more than one subregion. Route numbers are printed in the Latin script and Hindu-Arabic numerals and may simply be added to existing signage, like the E-road network. The actual design of the signs has not been standardized, only that the letters and digits are in white or black, most examples feature a blue rectangular shield with a white inscription with further examples of white on green and black on white rectangular shields. What is believed to be the first car crossing of the extent of the new Asian Highway was achieved by Britons Richard Meredith. Eurowatch in London provided independent corroboration by tracking the location from satellite position reports. Meredith, a author and veteran of distance-driving events, agreed to make the attempt after attending the Asian Highway Treatys coming into force ceremony in Bangkok on July 4,2005
3.
National Highway Authority
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The National Highway Authority, abbreviated NHA, is a statutory body under the Ministry of Communications. In 1978, Government of Pakistan federalised five important inter-provincial roads named and named them National Highways and that same year, the National Highway Board was set up to monitor the development and maintenance of these federalised roads by provincial highway departments. In 1991 by the Highway Authority of Pakistan Act was passed to monitor the works and administration of national highways, motorways, expressways and strategic roads. The function of the NHA is to plan, develop, operate, repair, the NHA is the custodian of 39 national highways, motorways, expressways and strategic roads, combining for a total length of 12,131 kilometers. Case studies, surveys, experiments and technical researches to be made or contribute towards the cost of such studies, surveys, National Highways of Pakistan Motorways of Pakistan Transport in Pakistan National Highway Authority Tenders in NHA NHA at a glance
4.
Xinjiang
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Xinjiang, officially the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is a provincial-level autonomous region of China in the northwest of the country. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and the 8th largest country subdivision in the world and it contains the disputed territory of Aksai Chin, which is administered by China. Xinjiang borders the countries of Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the rugged Karakoram, Kunlun, and Tian Shan mountain ranges occupy much of Xinjiangs borders, as well as its western and southern regions. Xinjiang also borders Tibet Autonomous Region and the provinces of Gansu, the most well-known route of the historical Silk Road ran through the territory from the east to its northwestern border. In recent decades, abundant oil and mineral reserves have been found in Xinjiang and it is home to a number of ethnic groups, including the Han, Kazakhs, Tajiks, Hui, Uyghur, Kyrgyz, Mongols, and Russians. More than a dozen autonomous prefectures and counties for minorities are in Xinjiang, older English-language reference works often refer to the area as Chinese Turkestan. Xinjiang is divided into the Dzungarian Basin in the north and the Tarim Basin in the south by a mountain range, only about 4. 3% of Xinjiangs land area is fit for human habitation. With a documented history of at least 2,500 years, the territory came under the rule of the Qing dynasty in the 18th century, which was later replaced by the Republic of China government. Since 1949, it has been part of the Peoples Republic of China following the Chinese Civil War, in 1954, Xinjiang Bingtuan was set up to strengthen the border defense against the Soviet Union, and also promote the local economy. In 1955, Xinjiang was turned into a region from a province. In the last decades, there have been tensions regarding Xinjiangs political status, amnesty International said that activists in Xinjiang have been arrested and tortured. Under the Han dynasty, which drove the Xiongnu empire out of the region in 60 BC, Xinjiang was previously known as Xiyu or Qurighar and this was in an effort to secure the profitable routes of the Silk Road. Dzungaria was known as Zhunbu and the Tarim Basin was known as Huijiang during the Qing dynasty before both regions were merged and became the region of Gansu Xinjiang, later simplified as Xinjiang. The name Xinjiang, which literally means New Frontier or New Borderland, was given during the Qing dynasty, according to the Chinese statesman Zuo Zongtangs report to the Emperor of Qing, Xinjiang means an old land newly returned. For instance, present-day Jinchuan County was known as Jinchuan Xinjiang, in the same manner, present-day Xinjiang was known as Xiyu Xinjiang and Gansu Xinjiang. After 1821, the Qing changed the names of the other regained regions, the name East Turkestan was created by Russian sinologist Hyacinth to replace the term Chinese Turkestan in 1829. East Turkestan was used traditionally to only refer to the Tarim Basin, in 1955, Xinjiang province was renamed Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The name that was proposed was simply Xinjiang Autonomous Region
5.
China
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China, officially the Peoples Republic of China, is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the worlds most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing, the countrys major urban areas include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hong Kong. China is a power and a major regional power within Asia. Chinas landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes, the Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third and sixth longest in the world, respectively, Chinas coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas. China emerged as one of the worlds earliest civilizations in the basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. For millennia, Chinas political system was based on hereditary monarchies known as dynasties, in 1912, the Republic of China replaced the last dynasty and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949, when it was defeated by the communist Peoples Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party established the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, both the ROC and PRC continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all China, though the latter has more recognition in the world and controls more territory. China had the largest economy in the world for much of the last two years, during which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline. Since the introduction of reforms in 1978, China has become one of the worlds fastest-growing major economies. As of 2016, it is the worlds second-largest economy by nominal GDP, China is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a nuclear weapons state and has the worlds largest standing army. The PRC is a member of the United Nations, as it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council in 1971. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM, the English name China is first attested in Richard Edens 1555 translation of the 1516 journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa. The demonym, that is, the name for the people, Portuguese China is thought to derive from Persian Chīn, and perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit Cīna. Cīna was first used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata, there are, however, other suggestions for the derivation of China. The official name of the state is the Peoples Republic of China. The shorter form is China Zhōngguó, from zhōng and guó and it was then applied to the area around Luoyi during the Eastern Zhou and then to Chinas Central Plain before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the Qing
6.
Kashgar
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Kashgar is an oasis city in Xinjiang and is the westernmost Chinese city, located near the border with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Located historically at the point of widely varying cultures and empires, Kashgar has been under the rule of the Chinese, Turkic, Mongol. The city has also been the site of a number of battles between various groups of people on the steppes. The city itself has a population of 506,640, and its area covers 15 km2. The city was made into a Special Economic Zone in 2010, Kashgar also forms a terminus of the Karakoram Highway, whose reconstruction is considered a major part of the multi-billion dollar China–Pakistan Economic Corridor. The modern Chinese name is 喀什, a form of the longer. Ptolemy, in his Geography, Chapter 15. 3A, refers to Kashgar as “Kasi” and its western and probably indigenous name is the Kāš, to which the East Iranian -γar, cf. Pashto and Middle Persian gar/ġar, from Old Persian/Pahlavi girīwa was attached. Alternative historical Romanizations for Kashgar include Cascar and Cashgar, non-native names for the city, such as the old Chinese name Shule 疏勒 and Tibetan Śu-lig may have originated as an attempts to transcribe the Sanskrit name for Kashgar, Śrīkrīrāti. - The postal romanization was 疏附 Shufu 1900s/50s, bilingual postmarks readingSHUFU /date/疏附 were used in this period, 疏附 Shufu was also used on contemporary bilingual maps. The earliest mention of Kashgar occurs when a Chinese Han dynasty envoy traveled the Northern Silk Road to explore lands to the west, ptolemy speaks of Scythia beyond the Imaus, which is in a “Kasia Regio”, probably exhibiting the name from which Kashgar and Kashgaria are formed. The country’s people practised Zoroastrianism and Buddhism before the coming of Islam. In the Book of Han, which covers the period between 125 BC and 23 AD, it is recorded there were 1,510 households,18,647 people and 2,000 persons able to bear arms. By the time covered by the Book of the Later Han, the Book of the Later Han provides a wealth of detail on developments in the region, In the period of Emperor Wu, the Western Regions1 were under the control of the Interior. The Imperial Government established a Colonel Envoys there to direct and protect these countries, Emperor Xuan changed this title to Protector-General. Emperor Yuan installed two Wuji Colonels to take charge of the garrisons on the frontiers of the king of Nearer Jushi. During the time of Emperor Ai and Emperor Ping, the principalities of the Western Regions split up, wang Mang, after he usurped the Throne, demoted and changed their kings and marquises. Following this, the Western Regions became resentful, and rebelled and they, therefore, broke off all relations with the Interior and, all together, submitted to the Xiongnu again. The Xiongnu collected oppressively heavy taxes and the kingdoms were not able to support their demands, in the middle of the Jianwu period, they each, sent envoys to ask if they could submit to the Interior, and to express their desire for a Protector-General
7.
Pakistan
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Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a federal parliamentary republic in South Asia on the crossroads of Central Asia and Western Asia. It is the sixth-most populous country with a population exceeding 200 million people, in terms of area, it is the 33rd-largest country in the world with an area covering 881,913 square kilometres. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistans narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, Pakistan is unique among Muslim countries in that it is the only country to have been created in the name of Islam. As a result of the Pakistan Movement led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah and it is an ethnically and linguistically diverse country, with a similarly diverse geography and wildlife. Initially a dominion, Pakistan adopted a constitution in 1956, becoming an Islamic republic, an ethnic civil war in 1971 resulted in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh. The new constitution stipulated that all laws were to conform to the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Quran. Pakistan has an economy with a well-integrated agriculture sector. The Pakistani economy is the 24th-largest in the world in terms of purchasing power and it is ranked among the emerging and growth-leading economies of the world, and is backed by one of the worlds largest and fastest-growing middle classes. The post-independence history of Pakistan has been characterised by periods of military rule, the country continues to face challenging problems such as illiteracy, healthcare, and corruption, but has substantially reduced poverty and terrorism and expanded per capita income. It is also a member of CERN. Pakistan is a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, the name Pakistan literally means land of the pure in Urdu and Persian. It is a play on the word pāk meaning pure in Persian and Pashto, the letter i was incorporated to ease pronunciation and form the linguistically correct and meaningful name. Some of the earliest ancient human civilisations in South Asia originated from areas encompassing present-day Pakistan, the earliest known inhabitants in the region were Soanian during the Lower Paleolithic, of whom stone tools have been found in the Soan Valley of Punjab. The Vedic Civilization, characterised by Indo-Aryan culture, laid the foundations of Hinduism, Multan was an important Hindu pilgrimage centre. The Vedic civilisation flourished in the ancient Gandhāran city of Takṣaśilā, the Indo-Greek Kingdom founded by Demetrius of Bactria included Gandhara and Punjab and reached its greatest extent under Menander, prospering the Greco-Buddhist culture in the region. Taxila had one of the earliest universities and centres of education in the world. At its zenith, the Rai Dynasty of Sindh ruled this region, the Pala Dynasty was the last Buddhist empire, which, under Dharampala and Devapala, stretched across South Asia from what is now Bangladesh through Northern India to Pakistan. The Arab conqueror Muhammad bin Qasim conquered the Indus valley from Sindh to Multan in southern Punjab in 711 AD, the Pakistan governments official chronology identifies this as the time when the foundation of Pakistan was laid
8.
Khunjerab Pass
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Its name is derived from two words of the local Wakhi language, Khun means Home and Jerav means a creek coming from spring water/water falling. The Khunjerab Pass is the highest paved international border crossing in the world, the roadway across the pass was completed in 1982, and has superseded the unpaved Mintaka and Kilik Passes as the primary passage across the Karakoram Range. The choice of Khunjerab Pass for Karakoram Highway was decided in 1966, China citing the fact that Mintaka would be more susceptible to air strikes recommended the steeper Khunjerab Pass instead. On the Pakistani side, the pass is 42 km from the National Park station and checkpoint in Dih,75 km from the customs and immigration post in Sost,270 km from Gilgit, and 870 km from Islamabad. On the Chinese side, the pass is the southwest terminus of China National Highway 314 and is 130 km from Tashkurgan,420 km from Kashgar, the Chinese port of entry is located 3.5 km along the road from the pass in Tashkurgan County. The long, relatively flat pass is often snow-covered during the winter season, in 2007, consultants were engaged to investigate the construction of a railway through this pass to connect China with transport in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan. A feasibility study started in November 2009 for a line connecting Havelian 750 km away in Pakistan, china–Pakistan border Sost Khunjerab National Park Karakoram Highway Gilgit–Baltistan Nathu La Abra del Acay Curzon, George Nathaniel. The Pamirs and the Source of the Oxus, reprint, Elibron Classics Series, Adamant Media Corporation. Karakoram Highway, the road to China. ISBN 0-86442-065-X Episode 13/30 of the NHK television series The Silk Road, a series originally shown in Japan in the early 1980s
9.
Haripur, Pakistan
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Haripur is the main city of the Haripur District in Hazara, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa in Pakistan, with Swabi and Buner to the west, some 65 km north of Islamabad and 35 km south of Abbottabad. It is located in a plain area at an altitude of 520 m. The city lies on the Karakoram Highway, many castes and tribes are living at Haripur including the, Shahs of Chhoi, Tanolis, Khan, Abbasi, Gakhars, Gujjars, Arain, Karlal, Qazi/Awan, Jadoon, Tareen, Sulemani. Haripur was founded by the Sikh general Hari Singh Nalwa in 1822, Hari Singh Nalwa was appointed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh as the second Nazim of Hazara after the first Nazim Amar Singh Majithia was killed by the local populace at Nara. Haripur was built as a fortress surrounded by a wall which was 4 yards thick and 16 yards high and had four openings. That fort later became the city station and local government offices. Drinking water was provided by digging a tank, many small drainages were dug to carry sullage water. A small river, the river Dore, passes through the city, baron Hugel visited the town on 23 December 1835, and he found it humming with activity. The municipality was constituted in 1867, an obelisk marks the grave of Colonel Canara, a European officer of the Sikh Artillery, who fell in 1848 defending his guns single-handed against the insurgents under Chattar Singh. In 1851, the 4th Mountain Battery was raised at Haripur from Hazara gunners, who were trained by Majtt, the Hazaras embarked on many campaigns throughout the province. The population in 1901 was 5,578 and the income, in 1903-4 the income and expenditure were Rs.19,100 and Rs.20,000 respectively. Khan Sahib Abdul Majid Khan Tarin OBE, of Talokar, one of the earliest Muslim League leaders in Hazara, Khan Sahib HE Abdus Salim Khan, senior Pakistani diplomat and ambassador. Field Marshal Ayub Khan military dictator and, who was from the village Rehana and his son Gohar Ayub Khan is prominent figures in Pakistani politics. Raja Sikander Zaman Khan was born in Khanpur town and he remained Chief Minister of NWFP, and Federal Minister for Water and Power besides other offices he held during his political career. Mohib Shah was born in Wah Cantt and he is the most popular personality of Haripur Hazara and well known youth leader. He is also a Social Activist and he bring many reforms in Haripur without entring into assembly. Pashto language is spoken by minority indigenous people, hindko dialect of Punjabi language from Punjab is mainly spoken. Urdu, being the language of Pakistan is widely used
10.
Abbottabad
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Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in northeastern Pakistan. Kashmir lies to the east of the city, the city is well known throughout Pakistan for its pleasant weather, high-standard educational institutions and for hosting the Pakistan Military Academy in Kakul. It remains a popular hill station attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, Abbottabad, was the headquarters of the Hazara District during British rule of the Indian Subcontinent. It was named after Major James Abbott who founded the town and he remained the first Deputy Commissioner of the Hazara district from 1849 until April 1853. Major Abbott is noted for having written a poem titled Abbottabad, before he went back to Britain, in which he wrote of his fondness for the town and his sadness at having to leave it. In the early 20th century, Abbottabad became an important military cantonment and sanatorium, the garrison consisted of four battalions of native infantry, of the Frontier Force and two native mountain batteries. In 1901, the population of the town and cantonment was 7,764 and this increased to Rs.22,300 in 1903, chiefly derived from octroi. During this time chief public institutions were built such as the Albert Victor unaided Anglo-Vernacular High School, the Municipal Anglo-Vernacular High School, in 1911, the population had risen to 11,506 and the town also contained four battalions of Gurkhas. In June 1948, the British Red Cross opened a hospital in Abbottabad to deal with thousands of patients who were being brought in from the Kashmir fighting areas, in October 2005 Abbottabad was devastated by the Kashmir earthquake. Although most of Abbottabad survived, many buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. Abu Faraj al-Libbi told interrogators in Guantanamo that he had he had sent his family to Abbottabad, on 25 January 2011, Indonesian terrorist Umar Patek was arrested in Abbotobad. On 2 May 2011, Abbottabad gained worldwide attention when U. S. President Barack Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed in his compound in the city. In February 2012, nine months after bin Laden was killed, the city is bounded at all four sides by the Sarban hills, from which residents and tourists can see breathtaking views of the region and city. The location of the city and the hills allows Abbottabad to experience pleasant weather in the summer, the Dor river flows south of Abbottabad through the town of Harnol, eventually reaching Tarbela Dam, situated west of Abbottabad. Neighbouring districts are Mansehra to the north, Muzaffarabad to the east, Haripur to the west, Abbottabad is situated in the Orash Valley lying between 34°92′N latitude and 73°13′E longitude at an altitude of 4,120 feet. To the north is the picturesque Kaghan Valley, Abbottabad has a humid subtropical climate, with mild to warm temperatures during the spring and autumn months, hot temperatures during June and July, and cool to mild temperatures during the winter. The temperature can rise as high as 38 °C during the mid-summer months, Abbottabad is the headquarters of Hazara Division and Abbottabad District. The District Nazim, Commissioner, Deputy Inspector General of police and Forest Conservator, the city is divided into localities, towns, colonies and neighbourhoods
11.
Mansehra
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Mansehra is a town located in Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Ashoka governed this area as a prince, and when he ascended to the throne c.272 B. C. he made it one of the major seats of his government. The Edicts of Ashoka inscribed on three large boulders near Mansehra record fourteen of Ashokas edicts, presenting aspects of the emperors dharma or righteous law. These represent some of the earliest evidence of writing in South Asia, dating to middle of the third century BC, the fall of the Durrani made way for the Sikhs to rise to power under Ranjit Singh. The Sikhs gained control of the area in 1818, the town of Mansehra was founded by Mahan Singh Mirpuri, a Sikh governor. There were popular uprisings against Sikh rule, but these uprisings failed, by 1849, the British had gained control of all of Mansehra. To maintain peace in the area, the British took preventive measures by co-opting the local chiefs, the British divided Hazara region into three tehsils, Mansehra, Abbottabad, and Haripur, and decided to annex it to the Punjab. In 1901, when the North West Frontier Province was formed, Hazara was separated from Punjab, during British rule, Mansehra was a small town. Its population according to the 1901 census was 5,087, during the British period, Mansehra was the headquarters of Mansehra Tehsil. During Bhuttos regime, Mansehra was upgraded to a district, containing two subdivisions, Mansehra and Battagram, later, the Mansehra district was divided into the districts Mansehra and Battagram, and subdivisions Balakot and Oghi. Mansehra City is the capital of District and Tehsil Mansehra. The City of Mansehra is administratively divided into four Union Councils, each union council is divided into Mohallas. During the festival of Durgashtami, held in the first month of the Hindu calendar, offerings are taken by a Brahmin of Mansehra. The assembly on each occasion lasts only one day, the site is ancient, as at the base of Bareri Hill are the boulders inscribed with the Edicts of Ashoka. Mansehra Valley Hazara University Tourism Corporation of KPK Rural Community Council, Pakistan
12.
Battagram
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Battagram is the capital city of Battagram District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is located at 34°41N 73°1E and has an altitude of 1038 metres, the schools are being built with the help of several NGOs and foreign funds to improve the literacy rate of the people. With a mild and generally warm and temperate climate, Battagram features a subtropical climate under the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature in Battagram is 18.5 °C, while the precipitation averages 1218 mm. Even in the driest months, there is a lot of precipitation, the coldest month January has an average temperature of 7.6 °C. Battagram was one of the affected by the earthquake of October 8,2005 when more than 4,500 people were killed. Battagram District is divided into two tehsils the proper Battagram and Allai, proper Battagram main city being a tehsil and district headquarters, is also one of 20 Union Councils of the District of Battagram. The Battagram tehsil is subdivided into 12 Union Councils these are, Battagram District Battagram Tehsil
13.
Besham
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Besham is the largest town and commercial centre of the Shangla District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Most of the consists of Pashto-speaking Pashtuns. Beshams shops remained open 24 hours a day due to its geographic position, Besham shops are famous for their china and international goods. In summer this small town is the centre of international and national holiday makers who use this route to visit the Northern areas of Pakistan, there is a civil hospital which was upgraded to the Tehsil level. As the Besham city located at very important place in the area, many governmental, indus Social and Development Organization is one of the development organization having its head office in Besham. ISWDO is working for the development of the people of the Shangla, ISWDO has implemented many projects being Implementing Partner of many national and International organizations. Besham is an education centre and lots of students from surrounding areas study there, as the schools standard is very high. With a mild and generally warm and temperate climate, Besham features a subtropical climate under the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature in Besham is 20.7 °C, while the precipitation averages 842 mm. Even in the driest months, there is a lot of precipitation, the coldest month January has an average temperature of 8.9 °C
14.
Chilas
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Chilas is a small town located in the Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan on the left side of river Indus. It is part of the Silk Road connected by the Karakoram Highway which links it to Islamabad in the south via Dassu, Besham, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, and Hasan Abdal. In the north, Chilas is connected to the Chinese cities of Tashkurgan and Kashgar via Gilgit, Aliabad, Sust, the carvings were left by various invaders, traders and pilgrims who passed along the trade route, as well as by locals. The earliest date back to between 5000 and 1000 BC, showing animals, triangular men and hunting scenes in which the animals sometimes are larger than the hunters. These carvings were pecked into the rocks with stone tools and are covered with a patina that proves their age. Later — mostly Buddhist — carvings were executed with a sharp chisel. The Kharoshthi term Kaboa appears in a short commemorative Kharosthi inscription found from Chilas as reported by the Archaeological Department of Pakistan, according to Dani, Kaboa or Kamboa of the inscription is a Kharoshthised form of Sanskrit Kamboja. Thus, it likely that Chilas also formed part of ancient Kamboja kingdom. The weather is hot and dry in the summer and dry and it can be reached through Karakoram highway and also from the Kaghan valley passing over the Babusar Pass. Chilas is situated on the bank of the mighty river Indus. Foreigners may need permission to travel in Chilas, mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern. Islamabad, National Institute of Folk Heritage, and An Epitome of Part III of the authors The Languages and Races of Dardistan. Rod MacNeil, The Fight at Chilas
15.
Gilgit
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Gilgit is the capital city of Gilgit-Baltistan, an administrative territory of Pakistan. The city of Gilgit constitutes a tehsil within Gilgit District, the citys ancient name was Sargin, later to be known as Gilit, and it is still referred to as Gilit or Sargin-Gilit by local people. In the Burushaski language, it is named Geelt and in Wakhi, ghallata is considered its name in ancient Sanskrit literature. Gilgit was an important city on the Silk Road, along which Buddhism was spread from South Asia to the rest of Asia and it is considered as a Buddhism corridor from which many Chinese monks came to Kashmir to learn and preach Buddhism. Brogpas trace their settlement from Gilgit into the villages of Ladakh through a rich corpus of hymns, songs. The Dards and Shinas appear in many of the old Pauranic lists of peoples who lived in the region, two famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrims, Faxian and Xuanzang, traversed Gilgit according to their accounts. According to Chinese records, between the 600s and the 700s, the city was governed by a Buddhist dynasty referred to as Little Balur or Lesser Bolü and they are believed to be the Patola Sahi dynasty, a devout adherent of early Vajrayana Buddhism. During that time, the region was battled over by the Tang dynasty, Tibetan Empire, in mid-600s, it was put under Chinese suzerainty after the fall of Western Turkic Khaganate due to Tang military campaigns in the region. In late 600s, the rising Tibetan Empire wrestled control of the region from the Chinese, however, faced with growing power of the Abbasid Empire to the west, the Tibetans had to ally with the Abbassid. The region was battled over by Chinese and Tibetan forces and their vassal states until the mid-700s. Chinese record of the region last until late-700s at which Tangs western military campaign was weakened due to An Lushan Rebellion, Gilgit was ruled for centuries by the local Trakhàn Dynasty, which ended about 1810 with the death of Raja Abas, the last Trakhàn Raja. The rulers of Hunza and Nager also claim origin with the Trakhàn dynasty and they claim descent from a heroic Kayani Prince of Persia, Azur Jamshid, who secretly married the daughter of the king Shri Badat. She conspired with him to overthrow her cannibal father, Sri Badats faith is theorised as Hindu by some and Buddhist by others. However, considering the regions Buddhist heritage, with the most recent influence being Islam, though the Sanskrit titular Sri and the name Badat could denotes a Hindu origin of this ruler, adherents to Buddhism frequently employed Sankrit in the use of Buddhist texts. In the beginning of the new year, where a Juniper procession walks along the river, in memory of chasing the cannibal king Sri Badat away. Azur Jamshid abdicated after 16 years of rule in favour of his wife Nur Bakht Khatùn until their son and heir Garg, grew of age and assumed the title of Raja and ruled, for 55 years. The dynasty flourished under the name of the Kayani dynasty until 1421 when Raja Torra Khan assumed rulership and he ruled as a memorable king until 1475. He distinguished his family line from his step brother Shah Rais Khan, the descendants of Shah Rais Khan were known as the Raissiya Dynasty
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Gulmit
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Gulmit aka Gul-e-Gulmit is the headquarters of the Gojal Tehsil, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Gulmit is a historic town, with mountains, peaks. It is a tourist spot and has many hotels, shops, small hamlets consist of Kamaris, Odver, Dalgiram, Laksh, Kalha, Shawaran, Khor Laksh, Chamangul and Goze. Gulmit is also a Turkish or Iranian word which means the valley of flowers, before 1974, when Hunza was a state, Gulmit used to be the Summer Capital of the state. After the abolition of the state it became the Tehsils seat of government, the oldest intact house in Gulmit is more than six centuries old. Most of People in the entire Gojal Valley have Central Asian ancestral backgrounds, the people speak Wakhi language and belong to the Shia Imami Ismaili sect of Islam. Population of Gulmit, according to 2016 survey, consists of around 5000 individuals, fifty one percent of the population comprises females There are many forts and fortresses in Gojal valley, such as Qalanderchi fort in Misghar valley and Rashit fort in Chipursan valley. But Ondra fort is the most prominent and this fort is perched on Ondra hill, which overlooks Gulmit and Ghulkin villages. The fort is believed to have built by one Qutlug Baig in the 16th century. He was the first Wakhi ruler to rule in Gulmit. Before him, Gulmit was under the control of Hazur Jamshid and his sons Su Malik and Mir Malik were deputed to collect the tax from Gojal. Once, returning from a visit to collect tax from Yishkook in Chipursan valley and they decided to live in Gulmit. After the death of Hazur Jamshid, Su Malik, the elder son and he became the new ruler of Gilgit. According to Muhammad Zia, celebrated genealogy-keeper of Gulmit, Mir Malik also eventually left for Hunza, taking advantage of the absence of Su Malik and Mir Malik, Qutlug Baig with the help of locals captured Gulmit and the surrounding villages. Qutlug Baig belonged to the Charshambi Kator lineage of the Wakhis of Gulmit, the territory of Qutlug Baig started from Khyber village and ended at Chaman Gul. In order to secure his territory from invaders, he built two gates, one at Khyber and the other at Chaman Gul, the gates were closed at night and opened during the day. In wartime, these gates remained closed, thus keeping the enemies away from his dominion, the remains of both gates and fortification walls can still be seen at Khyber as well as in Chaman Gul. In order to rein in the advance of the enemies from North and south
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Sust
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Sost is a village in Gojal, Upper Hunza, Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. It is the last town inside Pakistan on the Karakoram Highway before the Chinese border, Pakistan and China have opened border for trade and tourism at Khunjerab. The Silk Route Dry Port started its business operations at the port Sost near Khunjarab pass Gilgit-Baltistan, annual trade between China and Pakistan has increased from less than $2 billion in 2002 to $6.9 billion, with a goal of $15 billion by 2014. The town is connected by the Karakoram Highway to Gulmit, Aliabad, Gilgit and Chilas on the south and the Chinese cities of Tashkurgan, Upal and Kashgar in the north. The Sost dry port is connected by the Karakoram Highway to Gulmit, Aliabad, Gilgit and Chilas on the south and to the Chinese cities of Tashkurgan, Upal, the Northern Areas Transport Corporation offers passenger road service between Islamabad, Gilgit and Sost. Passenger road service between Tashkurgan and Sost also exists, road service between Kashgar and Gilgit started in summer 2006. However, the crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass is open only between May 1 and October 15. During winter, the roads are blocked by snow
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Tashkurgan Town
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Tashkurgan is the principal town and seat of Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, Xinjiang, China. Tashkurgan means Stone Fortress or Stone Tower in the Turkic languages, historical Chinese name for the town was a literal translation. The official spelling is Taxkorgan, while Tashkorgan and Tashkurghan appear occasionally in literature, the towns name is written in the Uyghur Arabic alphabet as تاشقۇرغان and in the Uyghur Latin alphabet Tashqurghan baziri. Historically, the town was also called Sarikol or Sariqol or the traditional spelling, Tashkurgan has a long history as a stop on the Silk Road. Major caravan routes converged here leading to Kashgar in the north, Yecheng to the east, Badakhshan and Wakhan to the west, and Chitral and Hunza to the southwest. About 2000 years ago, during the Han dynasty, Tashkurgan was the centre of the Kingdom of Puli mentioned in the Book of Han. Later it became known as Varshadeh, mentions in the Weilüe of the Kingdom of Manli probably also refer to Tashkurgan. Some scholars believe that a Stone Tower mentioned by Ptolemy and by early accounts of travel on the Silk Road refers to this site. This tower is said to have marked the point between Europe and China. Other scholars, however, disagree with this identification, though it remains one of four most probable sites for the Stone Tower, many centuries later Tashkurgan became the capital of the Sarikol kingdom, a kingdom of the Pamir Mountains, and later of Qiepantuo under the Persian Empire. At the northeast corner of the town is a fortress known as the Princess Castle dating from the Yuan dynasty. A ruined fire temple is near the fortress, the Buddhist monk Xuanzang passed through Tashkurgan around 649 CE, on his way to Khotan from Badakhshan, as did Song Yun around 500 CE. It is about 20 li in circuit and she becomes pregnant from a mysterious stranger, ultimately giving birth to a powerful king and founding the royal line ruling at the time of Xuanzangs visit. Stein records a version of this, current at the time of his visit and they are labelled as dating from the Bronze Age to the Warring States period. The mummies were discovered in the nearby Xiabandi Valley on the old route to Yarkand. The valley has now been flooded for a hydro-electric project, Tashkurgan is the seat of Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County. It is situated at an altitude of 3,090 metres on the borders of both Afghanistan and Tajikistan, and close to the border of Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, Tashkurgan is a market town for sheep, wool and woollen goods, particularly carpets, and is surrounded by orchards. The majority population in the town are ethnic Mountain Tajiks, the majority of people in the region speak Sarikoli
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Upal
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Upal is a small town in western Xinjiang, China. The names comes from the Sanskrit, upál-, which means a stone, sharing an Indo-European root to the Greek opallios. The caste of the Indian traders who used to trade the precious stone is also called Uppal. 39°18′N 75°32′E Today Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan, travelling from China, it is about 50 km southwest of Kashgar, or about 180 km north of Tashkurgan. Passenger road service between the Tashkurgan and the Pakistani cities of Sost and Gilgit already exists, and road service between Kashi and Gilgit starts in summer 2006. However, the crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass is open only from May 1 to October 15 of every year. During winter, the roads are blocked by snow, mahmud al-Kashgari died in 1102 at the age of 97 in Upal. There is now a mausoleum erected on his gravesite and he is remembered as a prominent Turkic language scholar. A Monday bazaar is held in this village, khatri Uppal clan Karakoram Highway Karakoram Xinjiang Gilgit-Baltistan
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Simplified Chinese characters
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Simplified Chinese characters are standardized Chinese characters prescribed in the Table of General Standard Chinese Characters for use in mainland China. Along with traditional Chinese characters, it is one of the two character sets of the contemporary Chinese written language. The government of the Peoples Republic of China in mainland China has promoted them for use in printing since the 1950s and 1960s in an attempt to increase literacy and they are officially used in the Peoples Republic of China and Singapore. Traditional Chinese characters are used in Hong Kong, Macau. Overseas Chinese communities generally tend to use traditional characters, Simplified Chinese characters may be referred to by their official name above or colloquially. Strictly, the latter refers to simplifications of character structure or body, character forms that have existed for thousands of years alongside regular, Simplified character forms were created by decreasing the number of strokes and simplifying the forms of a sizable proportion of traditional Chinese characters. Some simplifications were based on popular cursive forms embodying graphic or phonetic simplifications of the traditional forms, some characters were simplified by applying regular rules, for example, by replacing all occurrences of a certain component with a simplified version of the component. Variant characters with the pronunciation and identical meaning were reduced to a single standardized character. Finally, many characters were left untouched by simplification, and are identical between the traditional and simplified Chinese orthographies. Some simplified characters are very dissimilar to and unpredictably different from traditional characters and this often leads opponents not well-versed in the method of simplification to conclude that the overall process of character simplification is also arbitrary. In reality, the methods and rules of simplification are few, on the other hand, proponents of simplification often flaunt a few choice simplified characters as ingenious inventions, when in fact these have existed for hundreds of years as ancient variants. However, the Chinese government never officially dropped its goal of further simplification in the future, in August 2009, the PRC began collecting public comments for a modified list of simplified characters. The new Table of General Standard Chinese Characters consisting of 8,105 characters was promulgated by the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China on June 5,2013, cursive written text almost always includes character simplification. Simplified forms used in print have always existed, they date back to as early as the Qin dynasty, One of the earliest proponents of character simplification was Lubi Kui, who proposed in 1909 that simplified characters should be used in education. In the years following the May Fourth Movement in 1919, many anti-imperialist Chinese intellectuals sought ways to modernise China, Traditional culture and values such as Confucianism were challenged. Soon, people in the Movement started to cite the traditional Chinese writing system as an obstacle in modernising China and it was suggested that the Chinese writing system should be either simplified or completely abolished. Fu Sinian, a leader of the May Fourth Movement, called Chinese characters the writing of ox-demons, lu Xun, a renowned Chinese author in the 20th century, stated that, If Chinese characters are not destroyed, then China will die. Recent commentators have claimed that Chinese characters were blamed for the problems in China during that time
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Standard Chinese
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Its pronunciation is based on the Beijing dialect, its vocabulary on the Mandarin dialects, and its grammar is based on written vernacular Chinese. Like other varieties of Chinese, Standard Chinese is a language with topic-prominent organization. It has more initial consonants but fewer vowels, final consonants, Standard Chinese is an analytic language, though with many compound words. There exist two standardised forms of the language, namely Putonghua in Mainland China and Guoyu in Taiwan, aside from a number of differences in pronunciation and vocabulary, Putonghua is written using simplified Chinese characters, while Guoyu is written using traditional Chinese characters. There are many characters that are identical between the two systems, in English, the governments of China and Hong Kong use Putonghua, Putonghua Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, and Mandarin, while those of Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, use Mandarin. The name Putonghua also has a long, albeit unofficial, history and it was used as early as 1906 in writings by Zhu Wenxiong to differentiate a modern, standard Chinese from classical Chinese and other varieties of Chinese. For some linguists of the early 20th century, the Putonghua, or common tongue/speech, was different from the Guoyu. The former was a prestige variety, while the latter was the legal standard. Based on common understandings of the time, the two were, in fact, different, Guoyu was understood as formal vernacular Chinese, which is close to classical Chinese. By contrast, Putonghua was called the speech of the modern man. The use of the term Putonghua by left-leaning intellectuals such as Qu Qiubai, prior to this, the government used both terms interchangeably. In Taiwan, Guoyu continues to be the term for Standard Chinese. The term Putonghua, on the contrary, implies nothing more than the notion of a lingua franca, Huayu, or language of the Chinese nation, originally simply meant Chinese language, and was used in overseas communities to contrast Chinese with foreign languages. Over time, the desire to standardise the variety of Chinese spoken in these communities led to the adoption of the name Huayu to refer to Mandarin and it also incorporates the notion that Mandarin is usually not the national or common language of the areas in which overseas Chinese live. The term Mandarin is a translation of Guānhuà, which referred to the lingua franca of the late Chinese empire, in English, Mandarin may refer to the standard language, the dialect group as a whole, or to historic forms such as the late Imperial lingua franca. The name Modern Standard Mandarin is sometimes used by linguists who wish to distinguish the current state of the language from other northern. Chinese has long had considerable variation, hence prestige dialects have always existed. Confucius, for example, used yǎyán rather than colloquial regional dialects, rime books, which were written since the Northern and Southern dynasties, may also have reflected one or more systems of standard pronunciation during those times
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Pinyin
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Pinyin, or Hànyǔ Pīnyīn, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese in mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. It is often used to teach Standard Chinese, which is written using Chinese characters. The system includes four diacritics denoting tones, Pinyin without tone marks is used to spell Chinese names and words in languages written with the Latin alphabet, and also in certain computer input methods to enter Chinese characters. The pinyin system was developed in the 1950s by many linguists, including Zhou Youguang and it was published by the Chinese government in 1958 and revised several times. The International Organization for Standardization adopted pinyin as a standard in 1982. The system was adopted as the standard in Taiwan in 2009. The word Hànyǔ means the language of the Han people. In 1605, the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci published Xizi Qiji in Beijing and this was the first book to use the Roman alphabet to write the Chinese language. Twenty years later, another Jesuit in China, Nicolas Trigault, neither book had much immediate impact on the way in which Chinese thought about their writing system, and the romanizations they described were intended more for Westerners than for the Chinese. One of the earliest Chinese thinkers to relate Western alphabets to Chinese was late Ming to early Qing Dynasty scholar-official, the first late Qing reformer to propose that China adopt a system of spelling was Song Shu. A student of the great scholars Yu Yue and Zhang Taiyan, Song had been to Japan and observed the effect of the kana syllabaries. This galvanized him into activity on a number of fronts, one of the most important being reform of the script, while Song did not himself actually create a system for spelling Sinitic languages, his discussion proved fertile and led to a proliferation of schemes for phonetic scripts. The Wade–Giles system was produced by Thomas Wade in 1859, and it was popular and used in English-language publications outside China until 1979. This Sin Wenz or New Writing was much more sophisticated than earlier alphabets. In 1940, several members attended a Border Region Sin Wenz Society convention. Mao Zedong and Zhu De, head of the army, both contributed their calligraphy for the masthead of the Sin Wenz Societys new journal. Outside the CCP, other prominent supporters included Sun Yat-sens son, Sun Fo, Cai Yuanpei, the countrys most prestigious educator, Tao Xingzhi, an educational reformer. Over thirty journals soon appeared written in Sin Wenz, plus large numbers of translations, biographies, some contemporary Chinese literature, and a spectrum of textbooks
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Urdu
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Urdu is a persianized standard register of the Hindustani language. It is the language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also one of the 22 official languages recognized in the Constitution of India, hyderabad, Rampur, Bhopal and Lucknow are noted Urdu-speaking cities of India. Urdu is historically associated with the Muslims of the northern Indian subcontinent, apart from specialized vocabulary, Urdu is mutually intelligible with Standard Hindi, another recognized register of Hindustani. Urdu, like Hindi, is a form of Hindustani, Urdu developed under the influence of the Persian and Arabic languages, both of which have contributed a significant amount of vocabulary to formal speech. Around 99% of Urdu verbs have their roots in Sanskrit and Prakrit, Urdu words originating from Chagatai and Arabic were borrowed through Persian and hence are Persianized versions of the original words. For instance, the Arabic ta marbuta changes to he or te, nevertheless, contrary to popular belief, Urdu did not borrow from the Turkish language, but from Chagatai. Urdu and Turkish borrowed from Arabic and Persian, hence the similarity in pronunciation of many Urdu, Arabic influence in the region began with the late first-millennium Arab invasion of India in the 7th century. The Persian language was introduced into the subcontinent a few centuries later by various Persianized Central Asian Turkic and Afghan dynasties including that of the Delhi Sultanate. With the advent of the British Raj, Persian was no longer the language of administration but Hindustani, still written in the Persian script, the name Urdu was first used by the poet Ghulam Hamadani Mushafi around 1780. From the 13th century until the end of the 18th century Urdu was commonly known as Hindi, the language was also known by various other names such as Hindavi and Dehlavi. The communal nature of the language lasted until it replaced Persian as the language in 1837 and was made co-official. Urdu was promoted in British India by British policies to counter the previous emphasis on Persian and this triggered a Brahman backlash in northwestern India, which argued that the language should be written in the native Devanagari script. At independence, Pakistan established a highly Persianized literary form of Urdu as its national language, English has exerted a heavy influence on both as a co-official language. Owing to interaction with other languages, Urdu has become localized wherever it is spoken, similarly, the Urdu spoken in India can also be distinguished into many dialects like Dakhni of South India, and Khariboli of the Punjab region since recent times. Because of Urdus similarity to Hindi, speakers of the two languages can understand one another if both sides refrain from using specialized vocabulary. The syntax, morphology, and the vocabulary are essentially identical. Thus linguists usually count them as one language and contend that they are considered as two different languages for socio-political reasons
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Punjab, Pakistan
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Punjab, is Pakistans second largest province by area after Balochistan, and its most populous province with an estimated population of 101,391,000 as of 2015. It is bordered by Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as the regions of Islamabad Capital Territory and it also shares borders with the Indian states of Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu and Kashmir. The provincial capital of Punjab is the city Lahore, a centre of Pakistan where the countrys cinema industry. Punjab has been inhabited since ancient times, the Indus Valley Civilization, dating to 2600 BCE, was first discovered at Harappa. Punjab features heavily in the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, in 326 BCE, Alexander the Great defeated King Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes near Mong, Punjab. The Umayyad empire conquered Punjab in the 8th century CE, Punjab was later invaded by Tamerlane, Babur, and Nader Shah. Punjab reached the height of its splendour during the reign of the Mughal Empire, following a successful rebellion, Sikh-led armies claimed Lahore in 1759. The administration of the Sikh Empire was based out of Lahore, the province was formed when the Punjab province of British India was divided along religious boundaries in 1947 by the Radcliffe Line after Partition. Punjab is Pakistans most industrialised province with the industrial sector making up 24% of the gross domestic product. Punjab is known in Pakistan for its prosperity, and has the lowest rate of poverty amongst all Pakistani provinces. Punjab is also one of South Asias most urbanized regions with approximately 40% of people living in urban areas and its human development index rankings are high relative to the rest of Pakistan. Punjab is known in Pakistan for its relatively liberal social attitudes, the province has been strongly influenced by Sufism, with numerous Sufi shrines spread across Punjab which attract millions of devotees annually. The founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak, was born in the Punjab town of Nankana Sahib near Lahore, Punjab is also the site of the Katasraj Temple, which features prominently in Hindu mythology. Several UNESCO World Heritage Sites are located in Punjab, including the Shalimar Gardens, the Lahore Fort, the excavations at Taxila. The region was known to the Greeks as Pentapotamia, meaning the region of five rivers. The word Punjab was formally introduced in the early 17th century CE as an elision of the Persian words panj and āb, thus meaning the five rivers, similar in meaning to the Greek name for the region. The five rivers, namely Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, flow via the Panjnad River into the Indus River, of the five great rivers of Punjab, four course through Pakistans Punjab province. Due to its location, the Punjab region came under constant attack and witnessed centuries of invasions by the Persians, Greeks, Kushans, Scythians, Turks
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Gilgit-Baltistan
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Gilgit-Baltistan, formerly known as the Northern Areas, is the northernmost administrative territory in Pakistan. Gilgit-Baltistan is part of the Kashmir region that is disputed by India and Pakistan, along with Azad Kashmir, Aksai Chin, the Shaksgam Valley, and Jammu, Ladakh, the territory of present-day Gilgit-Baltistan became a separate administrative unit in 1970 under the name Northern Areas. It was formed by the amalgamation of the former Gilgit Agency, the Baltistan district and several small former princely states, however, scholars state that the real power rests with the governor and not with chief minister or elected assembly. The population of Gilgit-Baltistan wants to be merged into Pakistan as a fifth province. Gilgit-Baltistan covers an area of over 72,971 km² and is highly mountainous and it had an estimated population of 1,800,000 in 2015. Gilgit-Baltistan is home to five of the eight-thousanders and to more than fifty peaks above 7,000 metres, three of the worlds longest glaciers outside the polar regions are found in Gilgit-Baltistan. Tourism is mostly in trekking and mountaineering, and this industry is growing in importance, the rock carvings found in various places in Gilgit-Baltistan, especially those found in the Passu village of Hunza, suggest a human presence since 2000 BC. Within the next few centuries after human settlement in the Tibetan plateau, this region became inhabited by Tibetans, today Baltistan bears similarity to Ladakh physically and culturally. Dards are found mainly in the western areas and these people are the Shina-speaking peoples of Gilgit, Chilas, Astore and Diamir while in Hunza and in the upper regions Burushaski and Khowar speakers dominate. The Dards find mention in the works of Herodotus, Nearchus, Megasthenes, Pliny, Ptolemy, in the 1st century the people of these regions were followers of the Bon religion while in the 2nd century they followed Buddhism. Between 399 and 414, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Faxian visited Gilgit-Baltistan, between 627 and 645, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang travelled through this region. From 644 to 655, Navasurendrādityanandi was King of Palola, in 706/707, Jayamaṅgalavikramādityanandi became king of Palola. It is said that in the year 717, a delegation of a ruler of great Palola, named Su-fu-she-li-ji-li-ni according to the transcription of Chinese characters, in 719, Su-fu-she-li-ji-li-ni, King of Palola, sent a second delegation to the Chinese Imperial court. By at least 719/720, Ladakh was part of the Tibetan Empire, by that time uddhism iwa practiced in Baltistan and Sanskrit was the written language. It is unknown if Baltistan temporarily w sPruled under alolo. at that time 7In 20, thl deegation of Sou-lin-to i che, King of Palola, the Emperor gives the ruler of Cashmere, Tchen-fo-lo-pi-li, the title of King of Cashmere. By 721/722 Baltistan had become part of the Tibetan Empire, during 721-722 the conquest of Little Palola or Bru-zha by the Tibetan army failed. Mo-ching-mang had become the King of Palola by this time which was visited by the Korean Buddhist pilgrim Hyecho between 723-728, in 737/738, Tibetan troops under the leadership of Minister sKyes-bzang ldong-tsab conquered Little Palola. By 747 the Chinese army under the leadership of the ethnic-Korean commander Gao Xianzhi reconquered Palola, Turkic tribes practicing Zoroastrianism arrived in Gilgit during the 7th century, and founded the Trakhan dynasty in Gilgit
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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the northwestern region of the country. It was formerly known as North-West Frontier Province and commonly called Sarhad and its provincial capital and largest city is Peshawar, followed by Mardan. It shares borders with the Federally Administered Tribal Areas to the west, Gilgit–Baltistan to the northeast, Azad Kashmir, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa does not share a border with Balochistan, which lies to its southwest. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also shares a border with Afghanistan, connected through the Khyber Pass. It is also the site of the ancient kingdom Gandhara, the ruins of its capital, Pushkalavati, and the most prominent center of learning in the Peshawar Valley, Takht-i-Bahi. It has been under the suzerainty of the Persians, Greeks, Mauryans, Kushans, Shahis, Ghaznavids, Mughals, Afghanistan, Sikhs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the third largest province of Pakistan by the size of both population and economy though it is geographically the smallest of four. It comprises 10. 5% of Pakistans economy, and is home to 11. 9% of Pakistans total population, with the majority of the inhabitants being Pashtuns, Hazarewal, Chitrali. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa means Khyber side of the land of Pakhtuns while only the word Pakhtunkhwa means Land of Pakhtuns and according to scholars it means Pakhtun culture. When the British established it as a province, they called it North West Frontier Province due to its location being in north west of their Indian Empire. After independence of Pakistan, Pakistan continued with this name but a Pakhtun nationalist party and their logic behind that demand was that Punjabi people, Sindhi people and Balochi people have their provinces named after their ethnicities but that is not the case for Pashtun people. Major political parties especially Pakistan Muslim League were against that name since it was too similar to Bacha Khans demand of separate nation Pashtunistan. The ancient Aryan Migration is believed to have taken place around 2000 BCE, darius Hystaspes sent Scylax, a Greek seaman from Karyanda, to explore the course of the Indus river. Darius Hystaspes subsequently subdued the races dwelling west of the Indus, Gandhara was incorporated into the Persian Empire as one of its far easternmost satrapy system of government. The satrapy of Gandhara is recorded to have sent troops for Xerxes invasion of Greece in 480 BCE, in the spring of 327 BCE Alexander the Great crossed the Indian Caucasus and advanced to Nicaea, where Omphis, king of Taxila and other chiefs joined him. Alexander then dispatched part of his force through the valley of the Kabul River, while he advanced into modern Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Bajaur. Alexander then made Embolima his base, after Alexanders death in 323 BCE Porus obtained possession of the region, but was murdered by Eudemus in 317 BCE. Eudemus then left the region, and with his departure Macedonian power collapsed, sandrocottus, the founder of the Mauryan dynasty, then declared himself master of the province. His grandson, Ashoka, made Buddhism the dominant religion in ancient Gandhara, after Ashokas death the Mauryan empire collapse, just as in the west the Seleucid power was rising
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Tourist attraction
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Factory tours, industrial heritage, creative art and crafts workshops are the object of cultural niches like industrial tourism and creative tourism. Many tourist attractions are also landmarks, tourist attractions are also created to capitalise on legends such as a supposed UFO crash site near Roswell, New Mexico and the alleged Loch Ness monster sightings in Scotland. Ghost sightings also make tourist attractions, ethnic communities may become tourist attractions, such as Chinatowns in the United States and the black British neighbourhood of Brixton in London, England. In the US, owners and marketers of attractions advertise tourist attractions on billboards along the side of highways and roadways, tourist attractions often provide free promotional brochures and flyers in information centres, fast food restaurants, hotel and motel rooms or lobbies, and rest area. Such places are known as tourist traps. Within cities such transport tourist attractions as rides by boats and buses are very popular, novelty attractions are not limited to the American Midwest, but are part of Midwestern culture. It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some tourist traps, siem Reap town for example is a popular tourist destination in Cambodia, mainly owed to its proximity to Angkor temples. A tropical island resort is an island or archipelago that also depends on tourism as its source of revenue, according to the World Tourism Organization, •698 million people travelled to a foreign country in 2000, spending more US$478 billion. Lists of tourist attractions Attractions at DMOZ
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Karakoram
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The Karakoram, or Karakorum is a large mountain range spanning the borders of Pakistan, India, and China, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It is located in the regions of Gilgit–Baltistan, Ladakh, and southern Xinjiang, a part of the complex of ranges from the Hindu Kush to the Himalayan Range, it is one of the Greater Ranges of Asia. The Karakoram is home to the four most closely located peaks over 8000m in height on earth, K2, the range is about 500 km in length, and is the most heavily glaciated part of the world outside the polar regions. The Siachen Glacier at 76 kilometres and the Biafo Glacier at 63 kilometres rank as the worlds second, the Karakoram is bounded on the northeast by the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, and on the north by the Pamir Mountains. Karakoram is a Turkic term meaning black gravel, the name was first applied by local traders to the Karakoram Pass. Due to its altitude and ruggedness, the Karakoram is much less inhabited parts of the Himalayas further east. European explorers first visited early in the 19th century, followed by British surveyors starting in 1856, the Muztagh Pass was crossed in 1887 by the expedition of Colonel Francis Younghusband and the valleys above the Hunza River were explored by General Sir George K. Cockerill in 1892. Explorations in the 1910s and 1920s established most of the geography of the region, the name Karakoram was used in the early 20th century, for example by Kenneth Mason, for the range now known as the Baltoro Muztagh. The term is now used to refer to the range from the Batura Muztagh above Hunza in the west to the Saser Muztagh in the bend of the Shyok River in the east. Floral surveys were carried out in the Shyok River catchment and from Panamik to Turtuk village by Chandra Prakash Kala during 1999 and 2000, the Karakoram is in one of the worlds most geologically active areas, at the plate boundary between the Indo-Australian plate and the Eurasian plate. A significant part, 28-50% of the Karakoram Range is glaciated, compared to the Himalaya, mountain glaciers may serve as an indicator of climate change, advancing and receding with long-term changes in temperature and precipitation. Karakoram glaciers are mostly stagnating or enlarging, because, unlike in the Himalayas, where there is no such insulation, the rate of retreat is high. In the last ice age, a series of glaciers stretched from western Tibet to Nanga Parbat. To the south, the Indus glacier was the valley glacier. In the north, the Karakoram glaciers joined those from the Kunlun Mountains, while the current valley glaciers in the Karakoram reach a maximum length of 76 kilometres, several of the ice-age valley glacier branches and main valley glaciers, had lengths up to 700 kilometres. During the Ice age, the snowline was about 1,300 metres lower than today. Baltistan has more than 100 mountain peaks exceeding 6,100 metres height from sea level. K1, Masherbrum K2 K3, Gasherbrum IV K3a, Gasherbrum III K4, Gasherbrum II K5, Gasherbrum I K6, Baltistan Peak K7,6,934 m peak near Charakusa Valley K9, approx
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Eighth Wonder of the World
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Eighth Wonder of the World is an unofficial title sometimes given to those new buildings, structures, projects or even designs that are deemed to be comparable to the 7 World Wonders. Pink and White Terraces in New Zealand, prior to their destruction in the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera, torres del Paine National Park, Chile. The original 1882 Kinzua Viaduct in USA, aswan Dam in Egypt, called as such by Nikita Krushchev Baháí terraces, on Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel. Delta Works, the Dutch provinces of Zeeland and Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands, great Manmade River, in Libya, given the title by Muammar Gaddafi. Houston Astrodome International Space Station in Orbit around Earth, title given by the Americans and Russians, karakoram Highway in Pakistan, and China Palm Islands of Dubai Panama Canal Pikeville Cut-Through in Pikeville, Kentucky, given the title by The New York Times. Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, the story of its construction was recounted in the opera The Eighth Wonder Thames Barrier, London, United Kingdom. Three Gorges Dam in Hubei, China West Baden Springs Hotel King Kong, a giant movie monster resembling a colossal gorilla. His captor promotes public exhibitions of the caged Kong with the tagline, New Seven Wonders of the World Wonders of the World
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Rakaposhi
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Rakaposhi, is a mountain in the Karakoram mountain range in Pakistan. Rakaposhi means Snow Covered in the local language, Rakaposhi is also known as Dumani. It is ranked 27th highest in the world and 12th highest in Pakistan, Rakaposhi was first climbed in 1958 by Mike Banks and Tom Patey, members of a British-Pakistani expedition, via the Southwest Spur/Ridge route. Both of them suffered minor frostbite during the ascent to the summit on June 25, another climber slipped and fell on the descent and died during the night. The people of Nagar have dedicated the Rakaposhi range mountain area as a community park, the Minister for Northern Areas inaugurated the park. The Rakaposhi mountain range is the home of endangered species such as Marco Polo sheep, snow leopard, brown bear, wolves, Rakaposhi is notable for its exceptional rise over local terrain. On the north, it rises 5,900 metres in only an 11.2 km horizontal distance from the Hunza River, there are magnificent views of Rakaposhi from the Karakoram Highway on the route through Hunza. A tourist spot in the town of Ghulmat called Zero Point of Rakaposhi is the closest convenient view point of the mountain, Rakaposhi is the only mountain in the world which rises straight from beautifully cultivated fields to the height of 25,550 feet. From many places this wonderful spectacle can be viewed right from the base to the top,1892 Martin Conway explores the south side of Rakaposhi. 1938 M. Vyvyan and R. Campbell Secord make the first reconnaissance,1947 Secord returns with H. W. Tilman and two Swiss climbers, Hans Gyr and Robert Kappeler, they ascend via the Gunti glacier to 5,800 m on the south-west spur. 1954 Cambridge University team, led by Alfred Tissières, attempts the peak via the south-west spur, also, an Austro-German expedition led by Mathias Rebitsch attempted the same route. 1956 A British-American expedition, led by Mike Banks, reaches 7,163 m on the Southwest Ridge,1958 The first ascent, noted above. 1964 An Irish expedition attempts the long and difficult Northwest Ridge,1971 Karl Herrligkofer leads an attempt on the elegant but difficult North Spur. 1973 Herrligkofer returns to the North Spur but is unsuccessful due to time. 1979 A Polish-Pakistani expedition ascends the Northwest Ridge from the Biro Glacier,1979 A Japanese expedition from Waseda University, led by Eiho Ohtani, succeeds in climbing the North Spur. Summit party, Ohtani and Matsushi Yamashita and this ascent was expedition-style, done over a period of six weeks, with 5000 m of fixed rope. 1984 A Canadian team achieves a semi-alpine-style ascent of the North Spur, summit party, Barry Blanchard, David Cheesmond, Kevin Doyle. 1985-1987 Various unsuccessful attempts on the long East Ridge,1986 A Dutch team climbs a variation of the Northwest Ridge route
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Mintaka Pass
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The Mintaka Pass or Mingteke Pass or Mintika Pass is a mountain pass in the Karakorum Mountains, between Pakistan and Xinjiang in China. In ancient times, the Mintaka Pass and the nearby Kilik Pass,30 km to the west, were the two access points into Gojal from the north. The Hunza Valley is the valley near Gilgit in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. In addition, the two passes were also the used to reach Chalachigu Valley and Taghdumbash Pamir from the south. The name of the pass – Mintaka means a thousand goats in Kyrgyz, from Tashkurgan one travelled just over 70 km south to the junction of the Minteke River, modern day Chalachigu River. Laden animals could be taken over the Mintaka and Kilik passes into upper Hunza, the Mintaka Pass was the main one used until the fairly recent advance of glacier ice. After the glaciation of the Mintaka Pass, the Kilik Pass was favoured by caravans coming from China and Afghanistan as it is wider, free of glaciers, in 1966, when the Karakoram Highway connecting Pakistan and China was being constructed, Pakistan initially favored routing through Mintaka Pass. However, China citing the fact that Mintaka would be susceptible to air strikes recommended the steeper Khunjerab Pass instead. Ultimately, the new Karakoram Highway was built further south and west passing over the Khunjerab Pass, as of late 2010s, on the Pakistani side, there are some trekking companies that offer tours to Mintaka Pass. On the Chinese side, the valley around Mintaka Pass is closed to visitors, however, local residents
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Landslide
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A landslide, also known as a landslip, is a form of mass wasting that includes a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes, and shallow debris flows. Landslides can occur underwater, called a submarine landslide, coastal, although the action of gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur, there are other contributing factors affecting the original slope stability. Typically, pre-conditional factors build up specific sub-surface conditions that make the prone to failure. Landslides occur when the changes from a stable to an unstable condition. A change in the stability of a slope can be caused by a number of factors, slope material that becomes saturated with water may develop into a debris flow or mud flow. The resulting slurry of rock and mud may pick up trees, houses and cars, debris flow is often mistaken for flash flood, but they are entirely different processes. Muddy-debris flows in alpine areas cause severe damage to structures and infrastructure, muddy-debris flows can start as a result of slope-related factors and shallow landslides can dam stream beds, resulting in temporary water blockage. As the impoundments fail, an effect may be created, with a remarkable growth in the volume of the flowing mass. The solid–liquid mixture can reach densities of up to 2,000 kg/m3, for a small basin in the Italian Alps affected by a debris flow, estimated a peak discharge of 750 m3/s for a section located in the middle stretch of the main channel. At the same section, the maximum foreseeable water discharge, was 19 m3/s. Earthflows are downslope, viscous flows of saturated, fine-grained materials, typically, they can move at speeds from 0.17 to 20 km/h. Though these are a lot like mudflows, overall they are slow moving and are covered with solid material carried along by flow from within. They are different from fluid flows which are more rapid, clay, fine sand and silt, and fine-grained, pyroclastic material are all susceptible to earthflows. The velocity of the earthflow is all dependent on how much content is in the flow itself, if there is more water content in the flow. This thereby creates a bulging lobe which advances with a slow, as these lobes spread out, drainage of the mass increases and the margins dry out, thereby lowering the overall velocity of the flow. This process causes the flow to thicken, the bulbous variety of earthflows are not that spectacular, but they are much more common than their rapid counterparts. They develop a sag at their heads and are derived from the slumping at the source. Earthflows occur much more during periods of precipitation, which saturates the ground
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Silk Road
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While the term is of modern coinage, the Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in silk carried out along its length, beginning during the Han dynasty. The Han dynasty expanded Central Asian sections of the routes around 114 BCE, largely through missions and explorations of the Chinese imperial envoy. The Chinese took great interest in the safety of their trade products, though silk was certainly the major trade item exported from China, many other goods were traded, as well as religions, syncretic philosophies, and various technologies. Diseases, most notably plague, also spread along the Silk Routes, in addition to economic trade, the Silk Road was a route for cultural trade among the civilizations along its network. The main traders during antiquity included the Chinese, Arabs, Turkmens, Indians, Persians, Somalis, Greeks, Syrians, Romans, Georgians, Armenians, Bactrians, in June 2014, UNESCO designated the Changan-Tianshan corridor of the Silk Road as a World Heritage Site. The Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative Eurasian silk and horse trade, the German terms Seidenstraße and Seidenstraßen were coined by Ferdinand von Richthofen, who made seven expeditions to China from 1868 to 1872. The term Silk Route is also used, although the term was coined in the 19th century, it did not gain widespread acceptance in academia or popularity among the public until the 20th century. The first book entitled The Silk Road was by Swedish geographer Sven Hedin in 1938, the fall of the Soviet Union and Iron Curtain in 1989 led to a surge of public and academic interest in Silk Road sites and studies in the former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Use of the term Silk Road is not without its detractors and he notes that traditional authors discussing East-West trade such as Marco Polo and Edward Gibbon never labelled any route as a silk one in particular. From the 2nd millennium BCE, nephrite jade was being traded from mines in the region of Yarkand, some remnants of what was probably Chinese silk dating from 1070 BCE have been found in Ancient Egypt. The Great Oasis cities of Central Asia played a role in the effective functioning of the Silk Road trade. This style is reflected in the rectangular belt plaques made of gold and bronze, with other versions in jade. The tomb of a Scythian prince near Stuttgart, Germany, dated to the 6th century BCE, was excavated and found to have not only Greek bronzes but also Chinese silks. Scythians accompanied the Assyrian Esarhaddon on his invasion of Egypt, soghdian Scythian merchants played a vital role in later periods in the development of the Silk Road. By the time of Herodotus, the Royal Road of the Persian Empire ran some 2,857 km from the city of Susa on the Karun to the port of Smyrna on the Aegean Sea. It was maintained and protected by the Achaemenid Empire and had postal stations, by having fresh horses and riders ready at each relay, royal couriers could carry messages the entire distance in nine days, while normal travellers took about three months. The next major step in the development of the Silk Road was the expansion of the Greek empire of Alexander the Great into Central Asia and this later became a major staging point on the northern Silk Route. They continued to expand eastward, especially during the reign of Euthydemus, there are indications that he may have led expeditions as far as Kashgar in Chinese Turkestan, leading to the first known contacts between [China and the West around 200 BCE
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Frontier Works Organization
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The Frontier Works Organization, is a military engineering organization, and one of the major science and technology commands of the Pakistan Army. Commissioned and established in 1966, the FWO includes active duty officers and civilian scientists, since its establishment it has been credited with the construction of bridges, roads, tunnels, airfields and dams in Pakistan, on the orders of the civilian government of Pakistan. Its objectives include projects related to civil, construction, combat, structural, the FWO led the design and construction of the Karakoram Highway. It builds civil and military infrastructure for the Government of Pakistan, in the late 1960s, the Government of Pakistan and Government of China wished to construct a road link between Pakistan and the China. The task was assigned to the Pakistan Army, the army using its Corps of Engineers had already worked in 1959 in connecting Gilgit with Pakistan through the Indus Valley Road. In the summer of 1966, an organization was created by the Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers for the construction of the 805-kilometre long Karakoram Highway Road. The funding was provided by the Ministry of Communications which exercised their control over the project on behalf of government of Pakistan, thus was born the organization known as FWO which later on, in collaboration with the Chinese military engineers, undertook the gigantic task. The FWO began working with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in December 1985, the FWO completed the engineering design in 1986 and constructed the Uranium mining facility at Baghalchur in February 1987. The construction of Khushab Nuclear Complex began in somewhere in 1986, the FWO started to established a Army Bridge Camp/Base Depot near at the Khushab, and has completed the project under one month. In 1986, the FWO constructed the nuclear waste management plant at the Baghalchur Facility under the code name. The Baghalchur Project was completed in January 1989, the same year and month, the FWO was assigned to conduct the site preparation for the Khushab Reactor, and work was completed in May 1989. In November,1988, The FWO built the Additional Link Road under the codename Phase- lV Base Depot Khushab, the project was completed in May 1991. In October 1990, the FWO was assigned the task of constructing a uranium mining and milling facilityin Thola Dagar, the FWO completed the survey and feasibility studies in three months and the construction of the mining facility was completed in October 1991. The military scientists and engineers of the Corps of Engineers, FWO, in February 1982, the FWO performed its work with Pakistan Armys engineering corps, Military Engineering Services. The project-director was military engineer then-Brigadier-General Zahid Ali Akbar, the FWO designed and constructed the road and a bridge to connect Kahuta to the Khan Research Laboratories (then-known as Engineering Research Laboratories under the codename Road KAK Bridge to KRL. The work was done in September 1983, the FWO, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, has designed and built army airfields, military airport, military bases, and other infrastructure for the Pakistan Armed Forces. It constructed Gujranwala Air Field and Skardu Airport, from April 1986 till May 2000, the FWO participated with the Corps of Engineers and Military Engineering Services in thirty-seven projects. FWO constructed military infrastructure for the Pakistan Navy, particularly the Gwadar port, in 1980, the contract was awarded to FWO to design, build, and construct the Gwadar International Airport
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Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers
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The Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers, is an active military administrative staff corps, and a major science and technology command of the Pakistan Army. Although the Corps is generally associated with dams, canals and flood protection, it performs variety of works for the Government of Pakistan. The current Engineer-in-Chief and current commander of the Corps of Engineers is Lieutenant-General Khalid Asghar, initially part of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers which dates back to 1780, but it came in its modern form on 14 August 1947, following the birth of Pakistan. As for its war performances, the Corps took active participation in the 1965 war, the 1971 war, the 1999 war, the 2001 standoff. Its speedy rehabilitation operation was completed in time and the entire city was rebuilt in 2008. As more recently, the Corps undertook the rehabilitation and reconstruction operations in deluge in southern parts as well as recent earthquake in Western parts
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Truck art in South Asia
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Truck painting is a popular form of indigenous art in Pakistan and other South Asian countries, featuring floral patterns and poetic calligraphy. Such trucks are known by the slang term jingle truck. Many trucks and buses are highly customized and decorated by their owners, external truck decoration can cost thousands of dollars. The decoration often contains elements that remind the truck drivers of home, decoration may include structural changes, paintings, calligraphy, and ornamental decor like mirror work on the front and back of vehicles and wooden carvings on the truck doors. Depictions of various scenes and poetic verses are also common. Outfitting is often completed at a coach workshop, chains and pendants often dangle off the front bumper. Karachi is a city center for truck art, though there are other hubs in Rawalpindi, Swat, Peshawar, Quetta. Trucks from Balochistan and Peshawar are often trimmed with wood, while trucks from Rawalpindi. Camel bone ornamentation and predominance of red colours is commonly seen on trucks decorated in Sindh, the term comes from United States military slang, coined by servicemen in Afghanistan, although it may date to the British colonial period. The term came to be because of the sound that the trucks make due to the chains hanging from the bumpers of the vehicles. Truck art has extended beyond the decoration and ornamentation of trucks into other forms, though cars are not traditionally decorated in South Asia, there are examples of cars embellished in a truck art style. In 2009, The Foxy Shahzadi, a 1974 VW Beetle decordated in an art style. The lively colors of Pakistani trucks have inspired fashion designers. The Italian fashion company Dolce & Gabbana used truck art-inspired displays in a 2015 campaign, although used more often on womens fashion, some mens clothing have been inspired by South Asian truck art. Pictures of decorated Pakistani trucks Definition Flickr photos More Flickr photos US Military blog, nice photos CNN site
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Gojal
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Gojal, also known as Gojal Valley, is a valley situated in the far north of Pakistan. It borders Pakistan and China at Khunjerab Pass and Afghanistan at Chipurson valley and it is the largest tehsil of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Gojal is a series of large and small valleys sharing borders with Hunza in the south, China in the north-east, shishkat is the first village of Gojal. Except for the Shimshal, Misgar and Chipursan valleys, all the villages of Gojal can be seen from the Karakorum Highway, the valleys and villages of Gojal were settled over time by people from surrounding regions. In the opinion of most researchers, Kirghiz nomads initially used the areas in upper Gojal as winter pastures and it is said that later on when Wakhis migrated from Wakhan to this region. It is very difficult to determine when the Wakhis settled in Gojal, however, it is narrated that the earlier Wakhi migrated from Wakhan and settled in the Yishkuk valley, Hussaini and later the Boiber areas of Moorkun village. It is also narrated that when Hunza was under the Central Government of Gilgit the Ishkook settlement was wealthy and paid cattle, later, the oral history holds, a catastrophic flood destroyed the Ishkook settlement during the 18th century. Since 2010, parts of the valley have been inundated by the 27 km long Attabad Lake, Gulmit is the administrative headquarters of the Gojal Tehsil, in the upper Hunza region. Gulmit is a historic town, with mountains, peaks. It is a tourist spot and has many hotels, shops and it is located 2,408 meters above the sea level. Gulmit consists of hamlets called Kamaris, Odver, Dalgiram, Laksh, Kalha, Shawaran, Khor Lakhsh, Chamangul. Gulmit is home to around 4,000 people, all of them Wakhi-speakers and followers of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam, before 1974, when Hunza was a state, Gulmit used to be the Summer Capital of the state. After the abolition of the state it became the Tehsils seat of government, the oldest intact house in Gulmit is more than six centuries old. There are six Jamaat-khanas or religious community centres in Gulmit, one notices their presence in every ward of the village. The old Summer Palace of Mir of Hunza stands at the edge of Gulmits historic Polo Ground. Old mosques, now used as libraries, also adorn the beautiful physique of Gulmit valley, al- Amyn Model School, a community-based organization, has a beautiful building standing next to the Health Center of Aga Khan Health Services. Passu is located with 125 km from Gilgit on the KKH near the border of China and is surrounded by the mountains of the Karakoram range and its neighbourhood also includes two large glaciers, Batura and Passu Glacier. It is one of the most dangerous places to live in due to the threat of floods and has been flooded four times in the past
Asian Highway 4
Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.svg){kind=small}
China National Highway 314 (Khunjerab Pass–Kashgar–Ürümqi)
Khunjerab Pass
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