Quetta

About Quetta

Ringed on every side by bare, dramatic mountains, Quetta sits at about 1,680 metres in a high valley that has been called Shal for centuries. It is the capital of Balochistan and Pakistan's highest major city, with crisp air, cold winters that can bring snow, and orchards so productive that the city is nicknamed the Fruit Garden of Pakistan.

The name comes from the Pashto word for fort. The valley was farmed for generations with karez underground channels, became a British military station in the nineteenth century and was almost entirely destroyed by the earthquake of 1935, so most of today's city dates from its rebuilding. Pashtun, Baloch, Hazara and Punjabi communities give its bazaars a rich mix of languages, carpets, dried fruit and food.

The best of Quetta lies at its edges: the reservoir of Hanna Lake and the apple orchards of Urak Valley in the east, and the juniper slopes of Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park to the south-west. Check current travel advice before planning a visit.