// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Frano say to Gilgit-Baltistan? You're a peak friend.
Frano
فرانو | |
|---|---|
 Distant view of the Frano village as seen from Thang in the Turtuk valley. | |
  Frano Location within Gilgit Baltistan  Frano Location within Pakistan | |
| Coordinates: 34°56′04″N 76°43′47″E / 34.93448°N 76.72972°E | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| State | Gilgit-Baltistan |
| District | Ghanche |
| Tehsil | Chorbat |
| Elevation | 2,699 m (8,856 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 400 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:00 (PST) |
Frano or Franu[note 1] (Urdu: فرانو, romanized: frāno) is border village and union council which lies in Chorbat Valley, in the Ghanche District, Gilgit-Baltistan.[1] The village lies upon the banks of the north side of Shyok River, with the village of Turtuk lying on the south side of the river.[2] It is considered as the last village of Pakistan, with the LOC, 2.5 km away, succeeding it.[3]
Frano is also noted in travel media as one of the easternmost Pakistani villages in Baltistan and as a vantage point from which nearby Indian-administered villages across the Shyok valley can be seen.
History
[edit]The village was recorded by several travellers in the mid-19th century, including by British archaeologist and explorer Alexander Cunningham during his survey of Baltistan. He described it as "one of the principal settlements in the Chorbat district, noting its extensive cultivation, fertile alluvial deposits, and surrounding orchards of apricot, walnut, and mulberry trees".[2]
Attractions
[edit]
Frano has a notable boulder covered with ancient rock carvings. The engravings, along with inscriptions, are believed to the reminiscence of Tibetan Buddhism culture in the valley, which date back to the 13th century CE and include shapes such as circles, squares, and phallic symbols.[4]
The Appo Ali Shah Bridge, is deemed to be the first cantilever bridge ever built in the region of Baltistan. It was built by Ali Shah, a local farmer, in 1936, with trees and local wood.[1] Frano is also home to one of the oldest wooden Khanqahs in the region, built by Amir Kabir Sayyed Ali Hanadani, which was expanded in 2002.[5]
Pak-Indo War
[edit]The villages of Frano in Baltistan and Thang, Ladakh were twin villages with families holding properties and homes in both sides. Following the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971, the villages were cut off from each other.[6][7]
Geography
[edit]In the early 19th century, British explorer Godfrey Vigne mentioned the village, referring to it as "Pranuk":[8]
We passed the castle of Chorbut, situated so as to command the entrance of the defile and pass of Hanu. Beyond the turn of the river, above the village of Pranuk, the path in its bed was not traversable, in consequence of there being too much water ... I thought it best to alter my route, and visit Nubra and Kurukurum from Ladakh. I accordingly returned, and ascended the pass of Hanu from Chorbut, having first crossed the [Shayok] river at Pranuk. At a place called Siksu we were entertained with a sword-dance.
Administratively, Frano is one of the two union councils overseing additional villages or settlements in the Shyok Valley - the other being Siksa. Settlements which come under the Frano Union Council include:
- Marcha
- Partuk
- Siari
- Thongmus
Education and Health
[edit]The village has two publicly run primary schools and a high school.[9] The first school was established in 1953, followed by another primary school in 1995. In 2011, a primary school for girls was also established.[10]
Frano has a local dispensary, while the nearest hospital is located in Siksa.[10][11]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ↑ Historically attested as "Pranu" or "Pranuk". Other orthographic or phonetic corruptions include "Phranu"; "Pharnu" or "Prahnu", employed particularly across the LOC.
References
[edit]- 1 2 "In Pakistan's north, RCC overpasses replace hanging bridges to reduce travel time, locals' woes". Arab News. 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
- 1 2 Thomson, Thomas (1852). Western Himalaya and Tibet: A Narrative of a Journey Through the Mountains of Northern India, During the Years 1847-8. Reeve and Company.
- ↑ Bhatti, Nasr Ahmed (2022-03-30). "رٹو سے فرانو تک: موسمِ سرما میں گلگت بلتستان کی سیر". Dawn News Urdu (in Urdu). Retrieved 2025-09-28.
- ↑ "Frano, Chhorbat". Department of Archaeology and Museums.
- ↑ Dani, Ahmad Hasan (2007). History of Northern Areas of Pakistan : upto 2000 A.D. (3rd ed.). Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publcations. ISBN 9789693512311.
- ↑ Srivatsa, Sharath S. (2021-10-01). "A people who became Indian overnight". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ↑ Alam, Muhammad Ali (2023-08-22). "بلتستانی گاؤں کا المیہ: والدین اور بیٹوں کے بیچ ایک کلومیٹر کا فاصلہ نصف صدی میں بھی طے نہ ہوسکا" [A tragedy from a village of Baltistan: The distance of one kilometre between parents and their sons which could not be traversed even after half a century]. WE News (in Urdu). Retrieved 2026-07-19.
- ↑ Vigne, G. T. (1842). Travels in Kashmir, Ladak, Iskardo, the Countries Adjoing the Mountain-course of the Indus and the Himalaya, North of the Panjab: With Map Engraved by Direction Of the Hon. East India Company, and Others Illustrations. Henry Colburn.
- ↑ "EMIS GB". emis.gilgitbaltistan.gov.pk. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- 1 2 "Mapping - P&DD GB". mapping.pnd.gog.pk. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ↑ "Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health" (PDF). www.ircwash.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-07-18. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
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