Kaobal Gali-Mushkoh Valley, the battlefield of Kargil war, opens up for tourists

Subject : Geography

Section: Places in news

Source of this article:

In the news:

The high-altitude passes of the Gurez valley in north Kashmir are all set to connect with the Mushkoh valley, in Kargil’s Drass Sector, Ladakh, the site of the war in 1999.
The 130-km road has been opened up for tourists. Kaobal Gali, the highest pass at a height of 4,166.9 metres in Gurez, connects the two valleys.

Gurez valley:

Located in the Kashmir valley.
The valley lies near the Line of Control, which separates it from the Astore and Neelum districts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Being situated very close to the Burzil Pass, which leads into Astore, the inhabitants are ethnic Dards/Shins. They speak the Shina language and have the same styles of dress and culture as their kinsmen in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan.
Zumba yak (smaller than other yaks) is found in the Buduaab village, Gurez valley.
Gurez valley was one of the sites of the Kargil war.
The Gurez valley is close to the Line of Control (LoC) with the Kishanganga river demarcating the line in several parts.
The Gurez valley is one of few habitations in Kashmir where villages with only log houses exist, with no intervention of urban concrete materials.
It has diverse fauna and wildlife including the Himalayan brown bear and the snow leopard. It is also home to ibex, musk deer and marmots.
The Gurez valley, with about 38,000 residents, is already setting a record by hosting 50,000 tourists this year so far.

Mushkoh valley:

Situated in Dras (Ladakh) and Also known as the valley of wild tulips.
The Mushkoh valley, dotted with meadows of flowers, was in the news when Tiger Hill witnessed a bloody battle between India and Pakistan, leaving hundreds of soldiers dead on both sides.
The meadows of Mushkoh offer boisterous wild tulip flowers. The valley is also home to the endangered Himalayan yew.