Photo: Muhammad Ashar · CC BY-SA 3.0Field guides / Baltistan Division / Khaplu & Ghanche / Chaqchan Mosque
Field guide · Heritage
Baltistan Division
Ghanche District · Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Chaqchan Mosque
Khaplu's “miraculous mosque”, a Noorbakhshia mosque traditionally dated to 1370.
Chaqchan Mosque in Khaplu is one of the oldest mosques in Baltistan, traditionally dated to 1370, when the region turned from Tibetan Buddhism to Islam. Its name means “the miraculous mosque”, and it still serves the Noorbakhshia community.
Why go
- ✦One of the oldest mosques in Baltistan
- ✦Tibetan, Kashmiri, Mughal and Persian styles combined
- ✦Walls of timber frame packed with clay
- ✦Conserved and still in use
About
The mosque blends Tibetan, Kashmiri, Mughal and Persian styles, in the manner of the mosques of the Kashmir Valley. It is a two-storey cube, with a semi-basement, a ground floor and a turret on top. Its walls are built of wooden beams stacked into a frame, with the gaps packed with clay and mud: an old technique that stands up well to Baltistan's winters. The mosque is a listed Pakistan Heritage Site and has been carefully conserved; it remains in use.
History
Tradition credits either Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani or the local raja, converted after the arrival of Syed Nurbakhsh from Kashmir, with building the mosque in 1370. That second account doesn't fit the dates, since the mosque seems to be more than twenty years older than Nurbakhsh himself.
How to Reach
In Khaplu town, Ghanche District, east of Skardu along the Shyok.
Responsible Travel
Dress respectfully, remove footwear where required, avoid interrupting worship, and ask before photographing people or religious interiors.
Planning tip
Best Time to Visit, April to October.
Getting there, In Khaplu town, Ghanche District, east of Skardu along the Shyok.
Allow, Under an hour; half a day with Khaplu Palace.
What to Do
Nearby
Straight-line distance from Chaqchan Mosque, within 5 km.
