What is Leh?
[[File:Leh old market.jpg|thumb|right|300px|People in Leh]] '''Leh''' is a city in the [[Leh District]] of [[Ladakh]]. It was the capital of the [[Himalayas|Himalayan]] kingdom of [[Ladakh]]. Leh is at an altitude of {{convert|3500|m|ft}}, at a distance from the right bank of the [[Indus River]]. The town is still dominated by the now ruined Leh Palace, former home of the royal family of Ladakh. The [[palace]] resembles a mini version of the [[Potala Palace]] in [[Tibet]]. Leh and other places of Ladakh are renowned for [[Buddhist]] culture and [[Monastery|monasteries]]. The wonders of this land include golden statue of Buddha, high class paintings, ancient manuscripts and the monasteries. The famous moasteries include Hemis, Aalchi, Chuglamsar, Mulbekh, Shey, Spitak, and Thiksey. The [[mosque]] of Leh was built by prince Namgyal Singe in [[1594]]. The mosque is a fine model of [[Turkey|Turkish]] and [[Iran]]ian architecture. The first [[Muslim]] ruler of [[Kashmir]], Sultan Sadruddin was a [[Ladakhi]]. His real name was Gialpo, (Prince) Renchan. He came down to [[Vale of Kashmir|Kashmir Valley]] in the reign of Raja Sahdev and acquired a place in the courtiers of the army Chief Ram Chandra. By and by he succeeded in rising to the throne in [[1324]]. He married Ram Chandra's daughter Kotarani who later on proved to be a courageous and enterprising lady. King Renchan embraced [[Islam]] at the hands of a Muslim [[saint]] and preacher Abdur Rehman, Bulbul Shah and adopted the name of Sultan Saruddin for himself. He died in 1327 after ruling the country far a short period of 3 years. A [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] chieftain Haider Douglat attempted to invade Kashmir for the first time in 1542 through Ladakh. In June 1715, two Italian priests Epo Lito and Emanuel Khariray reached Leh from [[Rome]] via [[Srinagar]]. There is a small community of [[Christians]] in Leh now. In the past, Leh has been an important centre for trade between [[India]] and the states of [[Turkestan]]. A road leads to [[Central Asia]]n countries