The last village of the northwestern frontier made Indian after 1971 lies somewhere in the reccesses of Ladakh in the Siyok Valley in all its lost glory and unassuming beauty. An ardruous journey from the flatlands of the Nubra or the Hundar Valley traversing fields of buck wheat and roadways lined with apricot trees, Turtuk opens as a mellifluous symphony of a tune stuck in time, as if time forgot it’s stride and just stood still breathing in the beauty of this place, it’s people, their culture and a distinct ethnographic amalgamation of Central Asia. You can almost expect Alexander ako Sikandar riding down the cobbled streets in all his granduer!
Turtuk was opened to the outside world in the year 2006 and then on it’s been a flow of the “adventure brigade” – the travel bloggers, photographers and even the renowned world media reporting on the beauty, tranquility or even the political importance of this remote village. Turtuk is still ruled by a king and alot has been written on him and the heritage he and his clan carries on their frail shoulders. A Google Search on “Turtuk” will open vistas and realms about this place and it’s people, and the rest of the details can always be availed from your truly the avid traveller who just got back from this paradise which can actually be experienced only in person. To feel Turtuk, you just gotta go there…..
The Siyok Valley
Source: innfinity.in
The Village
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The Society
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The Bridge
The Alleys
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The King
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The People
The last wish for this last Indian village….
” Stay Untouched, Stay Still, Stay Timeless”
