Upal

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Overview of the Karakoram Highway
Overview of the Karakoram Highway

Upal is a small town in western Xinjiang, China. 39°18′N, 75°32′E

Contents

[edit] Karakoram Highway

Today Upal is on the Karakoram Highway, which follows the old Silk Road route from China to Pakistan. Travelling from China, it is about 50 km southwest of Kashgar, or about 180 km north of Tashkurgan (which is about 120 km over the Khunjerab Pass from Sust in Pakistan).

Passenger road service between the Tashkurgan and the Pakistani cities of Sost and Gilgit already exists, and road service between Kashi and Gilgit (via Tashkurgan and Sust) starts in summer 2006. However, the border crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass (the highest border in the world) is open only from May 1 to October 15 of every year. During winter, the roads are blocked by snow.

[edit] Namesake

upál- in Sanskrit language means 'a noble stone'. The name of the jewel "opal" is derived from this Sanskrit word.

Research by Gene Matlock proved presence of an old East Indian caste named Upal that reflects the Hebrew equivalent spelling "Ophal" [Ophel (2 Chr. 28:3)].[1] The full spelling, however, was Qhpl, for a hill or mound, and came from the verb qhopel for "it swells".[2] By comparison, upálá and aupálá mean merely "stone" and "stony", which is a variant of upárá, both of which were the millstone and slab for the soma weed.[3]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Is There A Connection Between Ancient Indian And Hebrew Language?". Viewzone Magazine. viewzone.com.
  2. ^ Brown, Driver, Briggs and Gesenius. "Hebrew Lexicon entry for ophel". The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon.
  3. ^ Sanskrit, Tamil and Pahlavi Dictionaries. U. of Cologne.