Skardu

Skardu is a large tourist town that serves as a kickoff point for expeditions to many of the mountains, most notably K2. But there is more here than mountain climbing.
The 1st three pictures are of Shigar Fort. The 2nd picture shows some nice wood carving in the structural elements and the 3rd is of the kitchen.
The 4th and 5th pictures are of the Amburiq Mosque, dating back to the 14th Century. I've never seen a mosque like this with a wooden structure, a cupola like structure on top and a simple interior.
The next picture is of a portion of the upstream feed to Blind Lake, so named because it has no outlet.
The next 2 pictures of the Skardu (Katpana) Cold Desert. This is considered the highest cold desert in the world.
The next picture is of a street in downtown Skardu. The mountains in the background give a small hint of what it's like to live in a town surrounded by majestic mountains.
The next last picture is Satpara Lake. It's a dam enhanced natural lake that is a water supply for the Skardu valley.
The last picture is Manthal Buddha Rock, dating to the 9th century. While heavily weathered and a bit defaced, Buddha can still be seen. There are also inscriptions below the Buddha figures that I couldn't pick up in a photo.Read more