Gartok

Gartok stands on the upper Indus in western Tibet, along the long route between Leh and Shigatse. Its market brought together traders carrying wool and other goods across the high plateau and Himalayan passes. The settlement also served as an administrative centre for Ngari, a region whose routes connected Ladakh with the Tibetan interior.

After war between Ladakh and the Lhasa government, the Treaty of Tingmosgang in 1684 regulated their border and trade. It reserved the Ngari wool trade to Ladakhi merchants and provided for a periodic Ladakhi mission to Lhasa. Under the resulting arrangements, Gartok became a principal market for western Tibetan wool, including the fine pashmina prized by weavers farther west. Its role as an administrative headquarters followed the extension of Lhasa's authority over western Tibet.