Hunza Valley

Hunza Valley/Hunza Dish
The 7,788 metres (25,551 ft) tall Rakaposhi mountain towers over Hunza Valley
Hunza Valley/Hunza Dish is located in Gilgit Baltistan
Hunza Valley/Hunza Dish
Hunza Valley/Hunza Dish
Hunza Valley/Hunza Dish is located in Pakistan
Hunza Valley/Hunza Dish
Hunza Valley/Hunza Dish
Area11,660 km2 (4,500 sq mi)
Naming
Native nameہُنزا دِش (Burushaski)
English translationHunza Desh
Geography
CountryPakistan
State/ProvinceGilgit-Baltistan
DistrictHunza District
Population centerHunza
Coordinates36°19′01″N 74°39′00″E / 36.316942°N 74.649900°E / 36.316942; 74.649900
Baltit fort as seen from Ultar Hunza
Baltit fort as seen from Ultar Hunza

The Hunza Valley (Burushaski: ہُنزا دِش, romanized: Hunza Dish; Wakhi/Urdu: وادی ہنزہ) is a mountainous valley in the northern part of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan.

Geography

The valley lies along the Hunza River, and borders Ishkoman to the northwest, Shigar to the southeast, Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor to the north, and the Xinjiang region of China to the northeast. The Hunza Valley floor is at an elevation of 2,438 meters (7,999 feet). Geographically, the Hunza Valley consists of three regions: Upper Hunza (Gojal), Central Hunza, and Lower Hunza (Shinaki).

History

Baltit Fort, the former residence of the Mirs of Hunza

Buddhism and, to a lesser extent, Bön were the primary religions in the area. The region holds several surviving Buddhist archaeological sites, such as the Sacred Rock of Hunza. Hunza Valley was central in the network of trading routes connecting Central Asia to the subcontinent. It also provided protection to Buddhist missionaries and monks visiting the subcontinent, and the region played a significant role in the transmission of Buddhism throughout Asia.

Before the arrival of Islam, the majority of the region practiced Buddhism. Since then, most of the population has converted to Islam.[citation needed] The region has many works of graffiti in the ancient Brahmi script written on rocks, produced by Buddhist monks as a form of worship and culture. With most locals converting to Islam, they had been mainly left ignored, destroyed, or forgotten, but are now being restored.

"Hunza was formerly a princely state bordering Xinjiang (autonomous region of China) to the northeast and Pamir to the northwest, which survived until 1974, when it was finally dissolved by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The state bordered the Gilgit Agency to the south and the former princely state of Nagar to the east. The state capital was the town of Baltit (also known as Karimabad); another old settlement is Ganish Village which means 'Baba Ganesh village' (a Buddhist name). Hunza was an independent principality for more than 900 years and then in the early 1800s, Hunza played a vital role in the British "Great Game". In 1891 Hunza was captured by the British Empire, and the ruler of Hunza, Mir Safdar Ali Khan, fled to Kashgar, China, and the British army installed his brother Mir Nazim Khan (1892-1938) as a puppet ruler of Hunza Valley, but all orders were passed by British officers who were appointed in the capital Gilgit."

Mir/Tham

Attabad Lake in August 2020.

According to an account written by John Biddulph in his book Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh:

The ruling family of Hunza is called Ayesha "aya-sha" (heavenly). The two states of Hunza and Nagar were formerly one, ruled by a branch of the Shahreis, the ruling family of Gilgit, whose seat of government was Nagar. First [M]uslim came to Hunza-Nagar Valley some 1000 years (At the time of Imam Islām Shāh 30th Imam Ismaili Muslims). After the introduction of Islam to Gilgit, married a daughter of Trakhan of Gilgit, who bore him twin sons, named Moghlot and Girkis. From the former, the present ruling family of Nager is descended. The twins are said to have shown hostility to one another from birth. Thereupon their father, unable to settle the question of succession, divided his state between them, giving Girkis the north/west, and to Moghlot the south/east bank of the river.

2010 landslide

On 4 January 2010, a landslide blocked the river and created Attabad Lake (also called Shishket Lake), resulting in 20 deaths and 8 injuries and effectively blocked about 26 kilometres (16 mi) of the Karakoram Highway. The new lake extends 30 kilometres (19 mi) and rose to a depth of 400 feet (120 m) when it was formed as the Hunza River backed up. The landslide completely covered sections of the Karakoram Highway.

Tourism

Hunza Valley in early spring
Hunza Valley in late autumn
Scenery of Borith Lake in summer

Hunza is a popular tourist destination due to its location and climate. Several high peaks rise above 7,000 m in the surroundings of Hunza Valley. These include Distaghil Sar, Batura, Batura II, Batura III, Muchu Chhish, Kunyang Chhish, Shispare, Passu Sar, Kanjut Sar, Yukshin Gardan Sar, Pumari Chhish, and Momhil Sar.

The valley provides views of several mountains, including Ultar Sar 7,388 m (24,239 ft), Bojahagur Duanasir II 7,329 m (24,045 ft), Ghenta Peak 7,090 m (15,631 ft), Hunza Peak 6,270 m (20,571 ft), Darmyani Peak 6,090 m (19,980 ft), and Bublimating (Ladyfinger Peak) 6,000 m (19,685 ft).

Baltit castle, above Karimabad, is a Hunza landmark built about 800 years ago.It was formerly the residence of the Mirs (the former rulers of Hunza).

Hunza Valley also hosts the ancient watchtowers in Ganish village, Baltit Fort (on top of Karimabad), and Altit Fort (at the bottom of the valley). In the 8th century AD, a huge Buddha figure surrounded by small Buddhisatvas was discovered carved on a rock. Prehistoric men and animal figures are carved on rocks along the valley. Lakes include Attabad Lake, Borith Lake, Shimshal Lakes, Hassanabad Lake.

Khunjerab Pass is a 4,693-meter-high mountain pass in the Karakoram Mountains. It is in a strategic position on the northern border of Pakistan and on the southwest border of China and is also[clarification needed] located in Hunza.

Hiking treks include Ondra Poygah Gulmit and Leopard Trek Shiskhat.

The valley is popularly believed to be the inspiration for the mythical valley of Shangri-La in James Hilton's 1933 novel, Lost Horizon.

The 57 km long Batura Glacier, the fifth-longest glacier in the world outside the polar region,[citation needed] is surrounded by Shispare, Batura, and Kumpirdior peaks.

2018 rescue mission

Tunnel

On 1 July 2018, Pakistan Army pilots rescued 3 foreign mountaineers stuck in a snow avalanche at above the height of 19,000 feet (5,800 m) on Ultar Sar Peak near Hunza. The weather conditions had made it difficult for the Army helicopter to go forth with a rescue operation on the 7,388 metres (24,239 ft) high Ultar Sar. Nonetheless, they completed it. Bruce Normand and Timothy Miller from the UK were successfully rescued alive while their companion Christian Huber from Austria had succumbed to the avalanche. Britain's High Commissioner Thomas Drew in Pakistan termed the mission "remarkable and dangerous".

People

Local Hunzans in traditional dress.

The local languages spoken include Burushaski, Wakhi and Shina. The literacy rate of the Hunza valley is more than 95%. The historical area of Hunza and present northern Pakistan has had, over the centuries, mass migrations, conflicts and resettling of tribes and ethnicities, of which the Shina people are the most prominent in regional history. People of the region have recounted their historical traditions down the generations. The Hunza Valley is also home to some Wakhi, who migrated there from northeastern Afghanistan beginning in the nineteenth century onwards.

The longevity of Hunza people has been noted by some, but others refute this as a longevity myth promoted by the lack of birth records. There is no evidence that Hunza life expectancy is significantly above the average of poor, isolated regions of Pakistan. Claims of health and long life were almost always based solely on the statements by the local mir (king). An author who had significant and sustained contact with Burusho people, John Clark, reported that they were overall unhealthy.

However, whether or not their putative longevity is true, it is undoubtable that the Hunza people lead a healthy lifestyle. Many researchers have lived with the Hunza people to answer this mystery including Robert McCarrison who did not discover a single person with diseases such as cancer, stomach ulcers or appendicitis. Furthermore, Henri Coanda spent six decades studying the glacial water in Hunza and discovered possible explanations for the longevity of the Hunza people.[unreliable source?]

See also


This page was last updated at 2024-03-20 05:01 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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