City life is so loud that you’re unable to catch some breath and enjoy the little, ordinary moments of life. It is only in the quietness of a remote location, set within the most exquisite natural landscape that you can truly admire the beauty of life and nature.
Pakistan is blessed with an abundance of beautiful locations to sit back and marvel at nature’s wonders in, and this palace in Skardu is just one of them.
It is called Khaplu Palace and it’s surrounded by quiet and quaint mountains of Skardu in Gilgit Baltistan
The place is referred to as Yabgo Khar in the local language, which means “the fort on the roof”. To be honest, it does sit on the roof of Pakistan.
The palace is influenced by Kashmiri, Tibetan, and Central Asian architecture
Built with the help of builders from Kashmir and Baltistan, the palace has taken architectural inspiration from surrounding areas and cultures.
It was built in 1840’s on the mountain as the residence of the Raja of Khaplu
The Yabgo Raja, Daulat Ali Khan of Khaplu had the palace built for himself in the early 19th century. It is said that the site of the palace was chosen by rolling a large stone down from a nearby cliff; it stopped at the Doqsai village, and the palace was built there.
The palace has a history of intense struggle attached to it
After a period of intense conflict between Maqpon Dynasty and Yabgo Dynasty, the fort came to the Yabgos after the Dogra of Kashmir, who had seized the area, decided to move the capital of the region. The last Raja of Khaplu who lived in the house was Raja Fatah Ali Khan, who died in 1983.
The palace was renovated and restored by Aga Khan Trust for Culture in 2011 and since then it has attracted a lot of tourists, every year
This palace is the second in the region to be renovated by the Aga Khan Trust. Renovations, that started in 2005, were completed by 2011 with the help of funding from Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It has since been turned into a luxury hotel
The palace houses a hotel managed by Serena hotels where you can enjoy exotic cuisine from Gilgit Baltistan.
And the rooms will make you feel like you’re in some British period drama
The best time to sit in one of the palace balconies has got to be the beautiful fall season
Yes, that’s what I’m talking about
Talk about a having a breakfast with a view
Sitting 8,500 feet above sea level, this has got to be some of the highest points in the world.
Aah, walking over these dried leaves and feeling them crush under your feet *total bliss*
And it looks mystic and majestic during winter like it’s the castle from Narnia
There’s certainly no dearth of insta-worthy corners and crevices at this magnificent place
‘Diyar-e-Dil’, a popular drama serial starring Osman Khalid Butt and Maya Ali, was also shot there
So now you know how they got to make the drama so pleasant and appealing to the audience.
So next time you want some time out from your life, choose to stay at Khaplu Palace for a couple of days because you deserve it.
Cover Image via: skyscrapercity.com