Editing Skardu (section)

== History ==

=== Early history ===
[[File:The Manthal Buddha History Board.jpg|thumb|right|The Manthal Buddha History Board]]
[[File:Manthal Rock (Buddhist inscriptions), Skardu, Mix view.JPG|thumb|The [[Manthal Buddha Rock]] dates from the era when the region's population was Buddhist.]]
[[File:The Land of Giants, Deosai.jpg|thumb|At an average elevation of 4,114 metres (13,497 ft),<ref name="ÖztürkHakeem2015">{{citation |last=Ahmed |first=M. |chapter=Interdependence of Biodiversity, Applied Ethnobotony and Conservation |editor1=Münir Öztürk |editor2=Khalid Rehman Hakeem |editor3=I. Faridah-Hanum |editor4=Recep Efe |title=Climate Change Impacts on High-Altitude Ecosystems |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v1X1CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA456 |year=2015 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-12859-7 |page=456}}</ref> the nearby [[Deosai National Park|Deosai Plains]] form the world's second highest alpine plain.]]
The Skardu region was part of the cultural sphere of Buddhist [[Tibet]] as early as the founding of the [[Tibetan Empire]] under [[Songtsen Gampo]] in the mid 7th-century CE.<ref name="Dani">{{harvnb|Dani, The Western Himalayan States|1998|p=220}}</ref> Tibetan [[tantra|tantric]] scriptures were found all over [[Baltistan]] until about the 9th century.<ref name="Dani" /> Given the region's close proximity, Skardu remained in contact with tribes near [[Kashgar]], in what is now [[China]]'s westernmost province of [[Xinjiang]].<ref name="Dani-2">{{harvnb|Dani, The Western Himalayan States|1998|p=219}}</ref>

Following the dissolution of Tibetan suzerainty over Baltistan around the 9th–10th century CE,  Baltistan came under the control of the local [[Maqpon Dynasty]], a dynasty of [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] extraction,<ref name="Dani" /> which according to local tradition, is said to have been founded after a migrant from [[Kashmir]] named Ibrahim Shah married a local princess.<ref name="Dani" />

=== Maqpon period ===
{{Original research|section|date=February 2023}}

{{Infobox country
| native_name            = 
| conventional_long_name = Maqpon kingdom
| common_name            = Maqpon kingdom
| status                 = 
| year_start             = 1190
| year_end               = 1840
| date_start             = 
| date_end               = 
| event_start            = 
| event_end              = 
| p1                     = Tibetan Empire
| flag_p1                = 
| p2                     = 
| flag_p2                = 
| s1                     = Dogra dynasty{{!}}Dogra dynasty under the Sikh Empire
| flag_s1                = 
| s2                     = Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)
| flag_s2                = 
| image_flag             = 
| image_map              = File:Kashmir Region November 2019.jpg
| map_width              = 270
| image_map_caption      = Map of ''Kashmir region''. Maqpon Kingdom existed in north in ''Gilgit Baltistan''
| national_anthem        = 
| capital                = Skardu
| common_languages       = 
| religion               = [[Islam]]
| government_type        = Monarchy
| title_leader           = 
| leader1                = 
| year_leader1           = 
| leader2                = 
| year_leader2           = 
| footnotes              = 
| demonym                = 
| area_km2               = 
| area_rank              = 
| GDP_PPP                = 
| GDP_PPP_year           = 
| HDI                    = 
| HDI_year               = 
| today                  = [[Pakistan]] <br> [[India]]
}}

The '''Maqpon kingdom''' ({{langx|bft|{{nq|དམག་པོན་རྒྱལ་པོ }}}}) was located in [[Baltistan]]. The ''Maqpon dynasty'', a [[Balti people|Balti]] royal house of [[Kashmiris|Kashmiri]] origin based in Skardu, ruled over the region for around 700 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mybaltistan.com/History/History%20of%20Emporor/Maqpon/Urdu/009.htm|title=Tareekh e Baltistan}}</ref>  The kings of the Maqpon dynasty extended the frontiers of Baltistan to as far as [[Gilgit Agency]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hindukushtrails.com/tribes-baltis.php?print|title=Hindukush Trails > The Tribes > Baltis|website=www.hindukushtrails.com}}</ref> [[Chitral]], and [[Ladakh]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Kashmir: Its Aborigines and Their Exodus|isbn = 9781935501343|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kRFvWyqGNzEC&dq=ali+sher+khan+anchan+ladakh&pg=PA109|last1 = Tikoo|first1 = Tej K.|date = 30 June 2012| publisher=Amber Books Limited }}</ref>

Around the year 1500, Maqpon Bokha was crowned ruler and founded the city of Skardu as his capital.<ref name="Dani" /> [[Skardu Fort]] was established around this time.<ref name="Dani" /> During his reign, Makpon Bokha imported craftsmen to Skardu from Kashmir and [[Chilas]] to help develop the area's economy.<ref name="Dani" /> While nearby [[Gilgit]] fell out of the orbit of Tibetan influence, Skardu's Baltistan region remained connected due to its close proximity to [[Ladakh]],{{sfn|Dani, The Western Himalayan States|1998|p=221}} the region against which Skardu and neighbouring [[Khaplu]] routinely fought.<ref name="Dani-2" /> Sikhs traditionally believe that [[Guru Nanak]], the founder of [[Sikhism]], visited Skardu during his second ''udasi'' journey between 1510 and 1515.<ref>{{Cite book |title=History of Sikh Gurus Retold: 1469–1606 C.E |last=Gandhi |first=Surjit Singh |date=2007 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |isbn=9788126908578 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qw7-kUkHA_0C&pg=PA107}}</ref> Gurudwara Chota Nana Kiana, locally known as Asthan Nanak Peer, is believed to be the place where the Guru stayed in Skardu.

[[File:Indus at Skardu (1).jpg|thumb|Skardu was founded around the year 1500 along the [[Indus River]] where it enters a broad valley at its confluence with the [[Shigar River]]]]

===Medieval History===
Following the dissolution of Tibetan suzerainty over Baltistan in the 9th–10th century CE,  Baltistan came under control of the local Maqpon dynasty, which, according to local tradition, is said to have been founded after a migrant from [[Kashmir]] named Ibrahim Shah married a local princess.<ref name="Dani"/>

In the 14th century, Muslim scholars from Kashmir crossed [[Baltistan]]'s mountains to spread Islam.<ref>{{cite web|title=Baltistan – North Pakistan|url=http://www.marafiefoundation.org/Default.aspx?=78|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130615182719/http://www.marafiefoundation.org/Default.aspx?tabid=78|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 June 2013}}</ref> The [[Noorbakshia Islam|Noorbakshia]] Sufi order further propagated the faith in Baltistan, and Islam became dominant by the end of the 17th century. With the passage of time a large number also converted to [[Shia Islam]] and a few converted to [[Sunni]] Islam.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Little Tibet: Renaissance and Resistance in Baltistan|url=https://www.himalmag.com/little-tibet-renaissance-and-resistance-in-baltistan/|date=30 April 1998|website=Himal Southasian|language=en-GB|access-date=20 May 2020}}</ref>

Around the year 1500, Maqpon Bokha was crowned ruler, and founded the city of Skardu as his capital.<ref name="Dani" /> The [[Skardu Fort]] was established around this time.<ref name="Dani" /> During his reign, King Makpon Bokha imported craftsmen from Kashmir and [[Chilas]] to help develop the area's economy.<ref name="Dani" /> While nearby [[Gilgit]] fell out of the orbit of Tibetan influence, Baltistan region remained connected due to its close proximity to [[Ladakh]],{{sfn|Dani, The Western Himalayan States|1998|p=221}} the region which the dynasty routinely fought against.<ref name="Dani-2"/>

In the early 1500s, [[Sultan Said Khan]] of the Timurid [[Yarkent Khanate]] in what is now [[Xinjiang]] province of China, raided Baltistan.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tvu-DAAAQBAJ&q=timurid+baltistan&pg=PA144 |title=Central Asia in World History |last=Adshead |first=S. A. M. |date=27 July 2016 |publisher=Springer |isbn=9781349226245 |language=en}}</ref> Given the threat illustrated by Sultan Said's invasion, [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] attention was roused, prompting the 1586 conquest of Baltistan by the Mughal Emperor [[Akbar]].<ref name="Dani-2" /> The local Maqpon rulers pledged allegiance, and from that point onwards, beginning with [[Ali Sher Khan Anchan]], the kings of Skardu were mentioned as rulers of Little Tibet in the [[historiography]] of the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skardu.pk/ |title=Vacations, Holiday, Travel, Climbing, Trekking |publisher=Skardu.pk |access-date=6 September 2015}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=February 2023}}
[[File:Balti king ahmed shah.jpg|thumbnail|alt=Drawing of a bearded man holding a rifle|Ahmed Shah, the last Maqpon king before the 1840 Dogra invasion]]
In 1580, [[Ali Sher Khan Anchan]] became the Maqpon king. He  expanded the borders of the kingdom from [[Gilgit]] to [[Ladakh]]. When the Raja of [[Laddakh]], Jamyang Namgyal, attacked the principalities in the district of Purik ([[Kargil]]), annihilating the Skardu garrison at Kharbu and putting to sword a number of petty Muslim rulers in the Muslim principalities in Purik (Kargil), Ali Sher Khan Anchan left with a strong army by way of [[Marol]] and, bypassing the Laddakhi army, occupied [[Leh]], the capital of Laddakh. It appears that the Balti conquest of Laddakh took place in about 1594 A.D. The Raja of Laddakh was ultimately taken prisoner.<ref name="Bhasin2006">{{cite book|author=Sanjeev Kumar Bhasin|title=Amazing Land Ladakh: Places, People, and Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8IZloNzI8BgC&q=ali+mir+skardu&pg=PA51|date=1 January 2006|publisher=Indus Publishing|isbn=978-81-7387-186-3|page=51}}</ref><ref name="Jina2005">{{cite book|author=Prem Singh Jina|title=Ladakh Profile|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qe_nv7mH678C&q=ali+mir+skardu&pg=PA349|date=1 January 2005|publisher=Kalpaz Publications|isbn=978-81-7835-437-8|page=349}}</ref><ref name="Bakshi1997">{{cite book|author=S.R. Bakshi|title=Kashmir: History and People|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_U1LEY1yWmagC|quote=ali mir skardu.|date=1 January 1997|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=978-81-85431-96-3|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_U1LEY1yWmagC/page/n93 83]}}</ref> Then Ali Sher Khan Anchan went to march on Gilgit with an army,<ref name="AkasoyBurnett2011">{{cite book|author1=Anna Akasoy|author2=Charles S. F. Burnett|author3=Ronit Yoeli-Tlalim|title=Islam and Tibet: Interactions Along the Musk Routes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZfWXIfbynwYC&q=ali+sher+khan+gilgit&pg=PA245|year=2011|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0-7546-6956-2|page=245}}</ref> and conquered Astore, Gilgit, [[Hunza (princely state)|Hunza]], Nagar, and Chilas. From Gilgit he advanced to, and conquered, [[Chitral]] and Kafiristan.

====Decline====
In 1839, Dogra commander [[Zorawar Singh Kahluria]] defeated Balti forces in battles at Wanko Pass and the Thano Kun plains, clearing his path for the invasion of the Skardu valley.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ladakh Through the Ages, Towards a New Identity |last1=Kaul |first1=Shridhar |last2=Kaul |first2=H. N. |date=1992 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=9788185182759 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8J3YdskW00sC&q=dogra+skardu&pg=PA75}}</ref> He seized Skardu Fort on behalf of the [[Dogra dynasty]] based in Jammu, under the suzerainty of the [[Sikh Empire]] at that time.{{sfn|Pirumshoev & Dani, The Pamirs, Badakhshan and the Trans-Pamir States|2003|p=245}} Singh's forces massacred a large number of the garrison's defenders, and publicly tortured Kahlon Rahim Khan of Chigtan in front of a crowd of local Baltis and their chiefs.<ref>{{Cite book |title=GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH |last=Charak |first=Sukhdev Singh |date=8 September 2016 |publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting |location=New Delhi |isbn=9788123026480 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_qk-DwAAQBAJ&q=skardu+zorawar&pg=PT49}}</ref> In 1845, the region was completely subjugated by the [[Dogras|Dogra]] rulers of [[Kashmir]].<ref>Ali, Manzoom (12 June 2004). Archaeology of Dardistan.</ref><ref name=Gertel>{{cite book|last=Gertel|first=Jörg|title=Economic Spaces of Pastoral Production and Commodity Systems|year=2011|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=978-1-4094-2531-1|pages=181|author2=Richard Le Heron}}</ref> and the last Maqpon King was taken as prisoner.

===Rulers===
Genealogy of Maqpon rulers:<ref>{{cite book|title=Hashmatullah Kahn Lakhnavi, "History of Baltistan", 1987|year = 1987|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k0ErAAAAMAAJ}}</ref>
*1190–1220 Ibrahim
*1220–1250 Astak Sange
*1250–1280 Zak Sange
*1280–1310 Bardak Sange
*1310–1340 Sek Sange
*1340–1370 Tam Gori Tham
*1370–1400 Sa Gori Tham
*1400–1437 Khohkor Sange
*1437–1464 Ghota Cho Sange
*1464–1490 Bahram Cho
*1490–1515 Bo Kha
*1515–1540 Sher Shah
*1540–1565 Ali Khan
*1565–1590 Ghazi Mir
*1580–1624 [[Ali Sher Khan Anchan]]
*1624–1636 Abdal Khan
*1636–1655 Adam Khan
*1655–1670 Murad Khan
*1670–1678 Sher Khan
*1678–1680 Muhammad Rafi Khan
*1680–1710 Shir Khan
*1710–1745 Mohammad Rafi
*1745–1780 Sultan Murad
*1780–1785 Azam Khan
*1785–1787 Mohammad Zafar Khan
*1787–1811 Ali Shir Khan
*1811–1840 Ahmed Shah
(May 1840 [[Dogra–Tibetan War|Dogra invasion]])

===Gallery===
<gallery>
File:The Mighty Kharpocho Fort Skardu.jpg|Skardu Fort was the seat of power of the Maqpon Dynasty
File:Chaqchan Mosque from the street.jpg|The [[Chaqchan Mosque]] was built in 1370 in Baltistan
File:Amburiq Mosque.jpg|[[Amburiq Mosque]] was built in the 14th century
</gallery>

=== Mughal period ===
In the early 1500s, [[Sultan Said Khan]] of the [[Timurid dynasty|Timurid]] [[Yarkent Khanate]], of what is now [[Xinjiang]], raided Skardu and Baltistan.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tvu-DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA144 |title=Central Asia in World History |last=Adshead |first=S. A. M. |date=27 July 2016 |publisher=Springer |isbn=9781349226245 |language=en}}</ref> Given the threat illustrated by Sultan Said's invasion, [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] attention was aroused, prompting the 1586 conquest of Baltistan by the Mughal Emperor [[Akbar]].<ref name="Dani-2" /> The local Maqpon rulers pledged allegiance, and from that point onwards, beginning with [[Ali Sher Khan Anchan]], the kings of Skardu were mentioned as rulers of Little Tibet in the historiography of the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skardu.pk/ |title=Vacations, Holiday, Travel, Climbing, Trekkinpg |publisher=Skardu.pk |access-date=6 September 2015}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=February 2023}}

Mughal forces again incurred into the region during the reign of [[Shah Jahan]] in 1634-6 under the forces of Zafar Khan, to settle a dispute over the throne between Adam Khan and his elder brother Abdul Khan.{{sfn|Pirumshoev & Dani, The Pamirs, Badakhshan and the Trans-Pamir States|2003|p=244}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Afridi |first=Banat Gul |title=Baltistan in History |publisher=Emjay Books International |date=1988  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mQFuAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> It was only after this point in the rule of Shah Jahan and [[Aurangzeb]], that Skardu's ruling family was firmly under Mughal control.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Tibetan Borderlands: PIATS 2003: Tibetan Studies: Proceedings of the Tenth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies, Oxford, 2003 |author=International Association for Tibetan Studies |date=1 January 2006 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004154827 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SB9mAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> The ability of the Mughal crown to fund expeditions to territories of marginal value, such as Baltistan, emphasises the wealth of the Mughal coffers.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals |last=Dale |first=Stephen F. |date=24 December 2009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781316184394 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vNmaBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT309 }}</ref>

=== Dogra rule ===
In 1839, Dogra commander [[Zorawar Singh Kahluria]] defeated Balti forces in battles at Wanko Pass and the Thano Kun plains, clearing his path to invade the Skardu valley.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ladakh Through the Ages, Towards a New Identity |last1=Kaul |first1=Shridhar |last2=Kaul |first2=H. N. |date=1992 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=9788185182759 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8J3YdskW00sC&pg=PA75}}</ref> He seized Skardu Fort on behalf of the [[Dogra dynasty|Dogra fiefdom]] of [[Jammu]] in the [[Sikh Empire]].{{sfn|Pirumshoev & Dani, The Pamirs, Badakhshan and the Trans-Pamir States|2003|p=245}} Singh's forces massacred a large number of the garrison's defenders, and publicly tortured Kahlon Rahim Khan of [[Chiktan|Chigtan]] in front of a crowd of local Baltis and their chiefs.<ref>{{Cite book |title=GENERAL ZORAWAR SINGH |last=Charak |first=Sukhdev Singh |date=8 September 2016 |publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting |location=New Delhi |isbn=9788123026480 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_qk-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT49}}</ref>

Dogra forces failed in their 1841 attempt to conquer [[Tibet]]. Following their defeat, Ladakhis rebelled against Dogra rule.<ref name="Kaul-1998"/> Baltis under the leadership of Raja Ahmed Shah soon also rebelled against the Dogras, so Maharaja [[Gulab Singh]] dispatched his commander Wazir Lakhpat to recapture Skardu. His forces were able to convince a guard to betray the garrison by leaving a gate unlocked, thereby allowing Dogra forces to recapture the fort and massacre its Balti defenders.<ref name="Kaul-1998">{{Cite book |title=Rediscovery of Ladakh |last=Kaul |first=H. N. |date=1998 |publisher=Indus Publishing |isbn=9788173870866 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mg8My6WaWRcC&pg=PA79}}</ref> The raja of the Baltis was forced to pay an annual tribute to the Dogra maharaja in Jammu, and also to supply the fort's provisions.<ref name="Kaul-1998" />

Following the Dogra victory, Muhammad Shah was crowned Raja of Skardu in return for his loyalty to the Jammu crown during the rebellion, and was able to exercise some power under the Dogra administration.<ref name="Kaul-1998" /> Military commanders held real governing power in the area until 1851, when Kedaru Thanedar was installed as a civilian administrator of Baltistan.<ref name="Kaul-1998" /> During this time, Skardu and Kargil were governed as a single district.<ref name="Kaul-1998" /> Ladakh would later be joined to the district, while Skardu would serve as the district's winter capital, with [[Leh]] as the summer capital, up until 1947.<ref name="Kaul-1998" />

Under the administration of [[Mehta Mangal]] between 1875 and 1885, Skardu's ''Ranbirgarh'' was built as his headquarters and residence,<ref name="Kaul-1998" /> as well as a [[cantonment]] and various other government buildings.<ref name="Kaul-1998" /> Sikhs from [[Punjab]] were also encouraged to migrate to Skardu to set up commercial enterprises during this period.<ref name="Kaul-1998" /> The Sikh population prospered, and continued to grow, eventually also settling in nearby [[Shigar]] and [[Khaplu]].<ref name="Kaul-1998" />

=== 1947–48 Kashmir War ===
{{Main|Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948}}
After the [[Partition of British India]], on 22 October 1947, Pakistan launched a [[Pakistani tribal invasion of Kashmir|tribal invasion]] of Kashmir by [[Pashtun people|Pashtun]]s leading to the Maharaja [[Hari Singh]] acceding to [[Dominion of India|India]].<ref>{{citation |first=Shuja |last=Nawaz |title=The First Kashmir War Revisited |journal=India Review |volume=7 |number=2 |pages=115–154 |doi=10.1080/14736480802055455 |date=May 2008 |s2cid=155030407 |ref={{sfnref|Nawaz, The First Kashmir War Revisited|2008}}}}</ref> The [[Gilgit Scouts]], under the leadership of [[William Brown (British Army officer)|Major William Brown]], mutinied on 1 November 1948, bringing the [[Gilgit Agency]] under the control of Pakistan.{{sfn|Brown, Gilgit Rebellion|2014|p=264}}{{sfn|Schofield|2003|pp=63–64}} Major [[Aslam Khan (Pakistani brigadier)|Aslam Khan]] took over the command of the Gilgit Scouts, organized a force of some 600 men from the rebels and local recruits, and launched attacks on the remaining parts of the State under Indian control.{{sfn|Dani, History of Northern Areas of Pakistan|2001|p=362–}} Skardu was an important target because Aslam Khan felt that Gilgit could be threatened from there.{{sfn|Brown, Gilgit Rebellion|2014|p=268}} The Skardu garrison was defended by a contingent of 6th [[Jammu and Kashmir State Forces|Jammu and Kashmir Infantry]] under the command of Col. [[Sher Jung Thapa]].<ref name="Francis-2013">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rotnAgAAQBAJ&q=skardu+history&pg=PA26 |title=Short Stories from the History of the Indian Army Since August 1947 |first=J. |last=Francis |date=30 August 2013 |publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd |isbn=9789382652175 |language=en}}</ref> The initial attack of the rebels was repulsed, but the city fell into the rebel hands, cutting off supplies to the garrison.<ref name="Francis-2013" /> After holding the  garrison for 6 months and 3 days, Thapa and his forces surrendered on 14 August 1948.<ref name="Francis-2013" /><ref>Harbans Singh, [https://web.archive.org/web/20160820000228/http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/spare-a-thought-for-those-defenders-of-skardu/121327.html Spare a thought for those defenders of Skardu], The Tribune, 19 August 2015.</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Cheema |first=Brig Amar |title=The Crimson Chinar: The Kashmir Conflict: A Politico Military Perspective |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qc25BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA51 |date=2015 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=978-81-7062-301-4 |pages=51–}}</ref>