Shigar

Town in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan

Town in Gilgit–Baltistan

Shigar شگر
Town
Shigar, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan
35°25′25″N 75°44′20″E / 35.42361°N 75.73889°E / 35.42361; 75.73889
Province	Gilgit–Baltistan
District	Shigar
Elevation	2,230 m (7,320 ft)
Time zone	UTC+5:00 (PST)

Shigar (Urdu: شگر) is the headquarter of its namesake district and tehsil in the Baltistan division of Gilgit-Baltistan region in northern Pakistan. It is located on the bank of the Shigar River in the most remote part of the region. It is a popular site for tourists and trekkers and contains many historical buildings of architectural significance associated with several different communities.

The town is inhabited almost exclusively by the Balti people of Tibetan descent. Almost 65% of the population belongs to the Shia sect of Islam, 26% to the Norbakhshi sect and the remaining to the Sunni sect. Via the Shigar Valley, it is the gateway to the Karakoram mountain range, which has five eight-thousanders, including K2.^[1]

History

According to tradition, Syed Ali Hamdani arrived to Shigar in the late 14th century and converted the locals to Islam. To this day, mosques and khanqahs attributed to him exist in the region.^[2]

Tourist attractions

Popular tourist attractions in the town include:

Climate

Shigar has a cold desert climate (Köppen: BWk).^[3]

v t e Climate data for Shigar, elevation: 2,289 m (7,510 ft), 1982–2012 normals
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−0.4 (31.3)	2.2 (36.0)	8.9 (48.0)	16.2 (61.2)	21.8 (71.2)	26.8 (80.2)	30.3 (86.5)	30.0 (86.0)	25.0 (77.0)	18.4 (65.1)	10.9 (51.6)	3.5 (38.3)	16.1 (61.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−5.2 (22.6)	−3.0 (26.6)	3.9 (39.0)	10.6 (51.1)	15.4 (59.7)	19.9 (67.8)	23.4 (74.1)	23.0 (73.4)	18.1 (64.6)	11.4 (52.5)	4.3 (39.7)	−1.6 (29.1)	10.0 (50.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−9.9 (14.2)	−8.1 (17.4)	−1.0 (30.2)	5.0 (41.0)	9.1 (48.4)	13.0 (55.4)	16.5 (61.7)	16.1 (61.0)	11.3 (52.3)	4.4 (39.9)	−2.2 (28.0)	−6.6 (20.1)	4.0 (39.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	18 (0.7)	17 (0.7)	29 (1.1)	22 (0.9)	23 (0.9)	6 (0.2)	7 (0.3)	8 (0.3)	9 (0.4)	5 (0.2)	3 (0.1)	12 (0.5)	159 (6.3)
Source: Climate-Data.org^[3]

Gallery

All roads out of Shigar, such as the one to Skardu pictured here, pass through rugged mountainous terrain.
Khilingrong Mosque at Shigar
Polo is enjoyed by local Pakistanis in Shigar.
Gulabpur Bridge
Bisil sunset, Bhasha Valley, Shigar
Bisil, Bhasha Valley, Shigar
Shigar river, Zil Shigar
Shigar Bhasha Valley road
Tisar village, Shigar Valley

References

^ "Shigar valley". Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
^ Rieck, Andreas (1995). "The Nurbakhshis of Baltistan — Crisis and Revival of a Five Centuries Old Community". Die Welt des Islams. 35 (2): 159–188. doi:10.1163/1570060952597761. ISSN 0043-2539 – via JSTOR.
^ ^a ^b "Shigar climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Shigar weather averages - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 30 May 2020.