Kupwara Lolab Valley Handloom Forest Kashmir Border District

Kupwara district in northwest Kashmir bordering the LoC is one of the most remote and forested districts of the Kashmir Valley — the Lolab Valley (Valley of Springs) with its deodar cedar and pine forests, multiple freshwater springs, and apple and walnut orchards is a sub-valley of extraordinary agricultural and scenic quality little known outside Kashmir. Kupwara's forest economy includes timber and resin from state-managed deodar and fir forests, and the district's womenfolk weave traditional Kashmiri gabba (appliqué patchwork rugs) and namdha (felt rugs) as a cottage industry. The district's Handwara town is a wholesale centre for local produce and the nearest urban centre for communities living at elevations above 2,500m.