Astore District
Astore District is a district of Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of the 14 districts of the Pakistani-administered territory of Gilgit−Baltistan. Its administrative headquarters are located at Eidgah in the Astore Valley.
Astore District is bounded by Gilgit District to the north, Roundu District to the northeast, Skardu District to the east, Kharmang District to the southeast, Diamer District to the west, the Neelum District of Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the southwest, and the Bandipore District of Indian-administered disputed Kashmir region to the south.Geography
The Astore Valley has an area of 5,092 km2 and lies at an altitude of. The valley has approximately of glacier cover. The nearest glacier after entering the valley is the Harcho Glacier, and the most accessible is the Siachen Glacier. Overall less than 6% of the district is covered by forests, with 43% of land consisting of alpine and winter pastures.Accessibility
Astore is connected to Gilgit, which is well connected by air with Islamabad and by road with Peshawar, Swat, Islamabad-Rawalpindi, Chitral, and Skardu. There are two ways of access to Eidgah. The first is from Skardu via the Deosai Plateau, but that route cannot be used from November to June due to heavy snowfall. The second route, usable the year round, is from Gilgit via Jaglot.History
Astore was conquered by Ali Sher Khan Anchan,, the Maqpon ruler of Skardu. He gave it to Shah Sultan, his grandson. Shah Sultan became progenitor of the line of Astore rulers, who maintained their internal independence until 1842, when it annexed by Sikh Empire.