Nanga Parbat (also known as Nangaparbat Peak or Diamir) is the ninth highest mountain on Earth and the 2nd highest in Pakistan. Nanga Parbat means "Naked Mountain" in Hindi, parbat deriving from parvata "mountain". Nanga Parbat was one of the deadliest of the eight-thousanders in the first half of the twentieth century; since that time it has been less so, though still an extremely serious climb. It is also an immense, dramatic peak, with great local relief.

Location

Nanga Parbat is the western anchor of the Himalayas, and is the westernmost eight-thousander. It lies just south of the Indus River, in the Diamir District of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Not far to the north is the western end of the Karakoram range.

Notable features

Nanga Parbat has tremendous vertical relief over local terrain in all directions. To the south, Nanga Parbat boasts what is often referred to as the highest mountain face in the world: the Rupal Face rises an incredible 4,600 m (15,000 feet) above its base. To the north, the complex, somewhat more gently sloped Rakhiot Flank rises 7,000 m (22,966 feet) from the Indus River valley to the summit in just 27km, one of the ten greatest elevation gains in so short a distance on Earth.

Layout of the mountain

The core of Nanga Parbat is a long ridge trending southwest-northeast. The southwestern portion of this main ridge is known as the Mazeno Ridge, and has a number of subsidiary peaks. In the other direction, the main ridge starts as the East Ridge before turning northeast at Rakhiot Peak (7070m). The south/southeast side of the mountain is dominated by the Rupal Face, noted above. The north/northwest side of the mountain, leading to the Indus, is more complex. It is split into the Diamir (west) face and the Rakhiot (north) face by a long ridge. There are a number of subsidiary summits, including the North Peak (7816m) some 3km north of the main summit.

Tourist access

Fairy Meadow is a meadow on the north side of Nanga Parbat, a few kilometers south of the Karakoram Highway and the Indus River. It is the best place to view the majestic beauty of Nanga Parbat. Many consider it one of the beautiful spots on earth. Hermann Buhl, the Austrian climber who made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1953, named it Fairy Meadow due to its wonderful scenery.

Most tourists who come to see Nanga Parbat stay at Fairy Meadow, which is at an elevation of 3,300 m (10,827 ft); tents and simple food are available there. On the route to the meadow lie two small villages, Tatu and Fenturi; nearby the meadow is Tarar Lake. Many visitors continue on to the standard (northern) base camp of Nanga Parbat.