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Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat (Urdu: نانگا پربت, Hindi: नंगा परबत) is the
ninth highest mountain on Earth. Nanga Parbat translates to "Naked Mountain"
in English; parbat deriving from the Sanskrit word parvata (पर्वत)
meaning "mountain, rock", and nanga (نانگا)/(नंगा) a
Urdu/Hindi word (derived from nagna (नग्न) in
Sanskrit) meaning "naked"[2]. Known as the "Killer Mountain,"
Nanga Parbat was one of the deadliest of the
eight-thousanders for climbers 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 that rises far above its surrounding
terrain.
The core of Nanga Parbat
is a long ridge trending southwest-northeast. The ridge is an enormous bulk of
ice and  rock. It has three faces, Diamir face, Rakhiot and Rupal. The
southwestern portion of this main ridge is known as the Mazeno Wall, and has a
number of subsidiary peaks. In the other direction, the main ridge arcs
northeast at Rakhiot
Peak (7,070 meters). The
south/southeast side of the mountain is dominated by the massive 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 North
Peak (7,816 m) some 3 km
north of the main summit. Near the base of the Rupal Face is a beautiful
glacial lake called Latbo, above a seasonal shepherds' village of the same
name.
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