The Chaqchan Mosque meaning “The Miraculous Mosque” is a mosque in the city of Khaplu, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. Dating from 1370, the mosque is one of the oldest in the region. The mosque shares similar architecture as those built in the Kashmir Valley. It is a perfect blend of Tibetan, Mughal and Persian style of architecture.
The Government of Pakistan has listed the Chaqchan Mosque as a Pakistan Heritage Site. The mosque is now currently in use after extensive conservation works

Historical View of Chaqchan Mosque:

According to some sources the mosque was built by Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani while other say on arrival of Sufi saint Syed Nurbakhsh from Kashmir to Baltistan, the local ruling Raja accepted Islam and commissioned the building of the mosque in 1370 CE. However, the dating of the latter theory contradicts historical source which suggests that the mosque was actually constructed more than two decade before the birth of Syed Nurbakhsh.

Architectural work:

The mosque shares similar architecture as those built in the Kashmir Valley. Architecturally, the mosque is a perfect blend of Tibetan, Mughal and Persian style. Which consists of a two-story cubic complex: Semi-basement, ground floor with a turret atop. The perimetral walls of the cubic structure has wooden slabs stacked to form a frame with its void spaces daubed with clay or mud that is in fact this technology is similar to the Roman opus craticum technique. This method of construction is one of the oldest method for making a weatherproof structures and it is also suitable for harsh winter conditions.

Reaching Chaqchan Mosque:

It takes about 45 minutes to reach there by air from Islamabad to Skardu. Once you are there in Skardu you can reach there by covering a 100 kilometers distance from the Skardu. You have travel towards the east on the Skardu-Kargil Road up to the Keris village. From here you would follow the Shyok River Valley road till the Khaplu city. Once you enter the Khaplu city the mosque is only 20-minutes drive from the city center.

Hotel and Rental Facilities for visitor in Khaplu :

Further Khaplu has various of hotels types ranging from high-end luxury hotels to very low priced motels . Local people of Khaplu are soo kind and freindly they are soo happy to seeing visitors .