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1.                  DARWAZAS OR GATES.

 To enter the Skardu valley from outside, four gates were constructed namely, Thorgu Gate, Satpur Gate, Burgey Gate and Peshawari Gate. The Thorgu Darwaza was situated between Khipchune and Thorgu villages. It was demolished in 1905. The Satpur Gate was near Satpur Lake while the Burgey Gate lay in the Burgey Nullah. The Peshawari Gate reported to be still in existence near Shagharthang on the border of Skardu and Astore. It seems that the name of the gate in Shagarthang Valley was called Peshawari because it happened to be situated towards Peshawar side. 

Vigne ascribes the construction of the ‘darwazas’ to the descendents of Ali Sher Khan, namely, Abdal Khan, Zafar Khan and Ahmad Shah. His descendents must have repaired the gates. Their construction was carried out during the reign of Ali Sher Khan Anchan by employing the prisoners of war from Gilgit as well as the public of Skardu. Let us quote Vigne (1835) who had passed through the Burgey Darwaza:-

“The next morning we passed through the gate or Durwaza of Burgeh, constructed by Ahmad Shah and completely commanding the entrance to the vale. The defile is here narrowed to a breadth of only twenty five feet. Precipitous rocks of gneiss and slate rise from each side of it and between them is a strong wall of wood and stone, which is loop-holed for musketry, and a hole, about three feet high, sufficient for the passage of the stream. Through this hole crept the Rajah, myself, his two sons, and three or four others, and he seemed delighted when I remarked that a few men could defend it against an army.

“at this, and every other probable point of assault, the little Tibetans, with very little trouble, can roll down stones of great size, and in any quantity, which either descend unbroken, with a stunning crash, or, being shivered and multiplied by their leaps from rock to rock, come down with the certainty of doing mischief. There are three other of these gateways in different parts of this extra-ordinary place; one towards the south is called the Peshawar Gate’ another at Torgo, near the east end, built by Raja Zafar Khan; another at Satpuri, a pass from Deotshu; running parallel to that of Burgeh.”