RETROSPECTIVE GLIMPSES OF HUNZA: THE HUNZAS INDEED HAD NEVER YET KNOWN DEFEAT (E.F.KNIGHT)

The princely state of Hunza was a cause of great trouble and nuisance in the end of the 19th  century for the Political Agent of Gilgit Coloel. Aiglernon Durand ,who was a representative of the British Empire. The Hunza state possessed of the important mountain passes Mintak pass and Kilik pass, from where Captain Gromechevsky of the Russian Empire entered Hunza in 1888 with six Cossack escorts who were received cordially by the ruler of Hunza  Mir Safdar Ali. Before his return, he also promised with Mir Safdar Ali to come back with important proposals from his empire. This act of temerity by the Captain Gromechvsky and his host Mir Safdar Ali was considered by the Political Agent of Gilgit as an open  threat  to the British Empire. He informed the Foreign Secretary of British Government of India about the alarming situation  in Hunza. The Political Agent  was so deeply obsessed about the Russian political  penetration in the region, that he seized  three foreigners,  taking them for Russians,  from Chitral,  and sent them to India as prisoners.  But later on the foreigners were turn out to be the famous French explorers who entered  to Chitral  from the Central Asia.

With great alacrity the Foreign Secretary of the British Government of India, who was Sir Mortimes Durand, the brother of the Political Agent of Giglit dispatched Captain Francis Younghusband,with six Gurkhas and  Kashmiri soldiers to monitor the frontier of Hunza, and to convey the warning message to  Mir Safdar Ali , who was already doubtful about of keeping up the secret relation with Russians. He was also instructed to explore other mysterious passes from where Hunzas launch  raids on the Caravans of the Kashmir traders, Captain Younghusband also learned at Ladak-Leh that the appeals tha were made previously to the Chinese authorities for the protection against the Hunza raiders had fallen on deaf ears  or shown lukewarm as it was not their trade interest to encourage the trade between Sikiang and India since it was threaten Chinese  own interest of the tea trade. The raiding Caravans became the main source of the Mir of Hunza, one occasion  a Caravan of 50 laden camels and 500 laden ponies was captured by the Hunzas, who acquired a great prestige and were considered invincible. (The Hunzas  indeed never known defeat, by E.F.Knight)

Captain  Francis Younghusband entered to Hunza by the Shimshal Pass in 1889 and also met with  Captain Gromchevsky, who was roaming in the region  due to the  political motivation of the Russain Empire,  at ceremonial camp fire with toast of vodka and brandy, each expressed the rights and interests  of their respective empire in the region. Francis Younghusband noticed the map of his counterpart was marked in red  the land « where the three empires meet,” China, Afghanistan, and British Empire, with the immediate effect of vodka, Captain Gomechesky boasted haughtily about the Russian Empire military power: That will not less than 400,000  professional soldiers  to seize  the British India, moreover the Indian population  will be in revolt as they were oppressed by the British Empire.

Francis Younghusband after bidding farewell to his Russian counterpart, he made his way to accomplish his second official mission to meet Mir Safdar Ali  ruler of Hunza in his seasonal residence in Gulmit village. The Mir of Hunza  arranged  to receive his guest with 13 guns salute  and with great fanfare of the local music, which was impressive for his host but deafening. A court man was sent in advance to inform him about the 13 guns salute  in his honor as the emissary of the British Empire, so he should not be afraid  or think any ill-motivation of his host, but when he reached in the court of Mir.Safdar Ali to the extreme astonishment  of  Francis Younghusband,  there was no chair for him in the audience of the court , where the  all his  court men  were squatted in front of his throne, and he himself  was seated in a proud, conceited posture.

Captain Francis Younghusband was in the British army uniform, he was an envoy of the greatest sovereign on earth, where sun never set on the British Empire in the world, he expected that the Mir should treat him properly. Anyway, he managed to get a chair by sending one of his soldier from his camp and set down near the throne of the Mir. But  soon he realized that Mir Safdar Ali have misconception and very high opinion of his own authority, he proposed an invitation to the Mir to visit India, the Mir curtly replied that, it is not the custom for a great king like himself, to leave his kingdom.

Francis Younghusband decided to demonstrate the modern fire power of the British trained infantry,  ordered to one of his Gurkha soldier to open  fire on a target of rock across the valley, the six bullets struck the targeted rock simultaneously and impressively close together, which caused a deep sensation in the Mir,s  court. But the Mir himself did not take it very serious and told to his guest that shooting the rock was tame,  he spotted a man who was descending from a cliff and asked  Younghusband  to order his Gurkha to fire at him, if his man is really courageous , Younghusband retorted , certainly he will be killed, Mir replied with indifference, « than so what  the man  belongs  to me,” than Younghusand  thought, perhaps the Mir is unworthy of ruling so fine race as the people of Hunza

In 1847, Nathu Shah a commandant of the Sikhs of the Punjab, with the help of his ally Karim Khan of Gilgit, attacked   Hunza as reprisal for the raids on Gilgit territory: Despite the fact that the two allies were well prepared, the Hunzas triumphed and Nathu Shah and his allied were   killed in battle.

In 1866 again the Dogras of  Kashmir  invaded in  reprisal for raids, with the help of people from Nagir  the new allies deserted in the large numbers with the result  that the Dogras ran for their lives in panic..

In 1889, Hunza and Nagir Mirs entered into a treaty with Colonel Duran. Both Mirs agreed according to the British proposed treaty to put end the raiding on the Yarkand  routes. It was also included in the British treaty to allow  the accredited British officers to travel through Hunza and Nagir. According to the agreement the British Government of India will grant a yearly allowance to the both Mirs .

After some time Mir Safdar Ali declared  the treaty  null and void, and restarted the raiding on the Caravan on the old Silk route,  pretending that it was the only source of income for his state, and he also blocked the passage of the   Diplomatic Bag of the British Empire   for the British Council in Kashghar. The attitude of the Mir of Hunza made Colonel Durand  furious and decided to  attack Hunza and Nagir without wasting  time, with two thousands  Gurkhas, Kashmiris, pathan soldiers.

 Mir Safdar Ali made many correspondence with Colonel. Durand using the pugnacious and hubris language  which further provoked and made him rancorous. In a letter he expressed that British roam in his country like a camel without nose string, in another letter he told that «  he cared nothing for womanly English as he hung upon (grabbed) the skirt of the many Russians”. He further warned  Colonel Durand  that  he had instructed his men to bring Gilgit Political  Agent’s head on a platter. In his last letter to Colonel Durand he warned on the diplomatic background, mentioning his relation with his neighboring countries, “ I have been tributary to China for hundred of years, Trespass into China if you dare, he further exaggerated “I will withstand  you if I have to use the bullets of gold. If you venture here, be prepared to fight three nations, Hunzas, Chinese, Russians.”

When he received  the news of falling the Nilt Fort of Nagir in the hands of British,  . He decided without losing time with his cohorts and cronies to fled away to Sikiang and seek political asylum. A new chapter commenced in  Hunza  by replacing  Mir Safdar Ali by his step brother Nazim Khan and  Uzr Khan by his brother Sikander Khan in Nagir by the king maker British Political Agent.

According to Colonel Schomberg a British  traveler of beginning of 20th century  to Hunza and central asia, who gave a different   opinion about Mir Safdar Ali that he never received justice from British authorities, his kingdom  was taken from him without allowing him to speak in his own defense. The British Empire did not even propose a small allowance as compensation ,as he was not British subject. He was moreover encouraged  by the Chinese to go to war against the British Empire.

Colonel  Schomber  portrayed him as a polite and well learned gentleman, he never disparaged his step brother who replaced  him in Hunza,  forgot his mother tongue Brushaski, spoke flawless Persian, and died in Kashgar in 1930, as  political refugee..   ..

Source:

The Great game written by PETTER  HOPKIRK.

Where three empires meet by  E.F KNIGHT.

Article Sent by :

Karim Imamdad  Hunzai.

Paris, France

Team HunzaHistory

A Pictorial Tour to Ancient Hunza

Team HunzaHistory

Altit Fort and its Restoration

Introduction :

The majestic historical Altit fort is center of attraction due to its architectural design and strategic location. Altit is one of the oldest settlements of Hunza valley. During the time when Hunza was under the central government of Gilgit principality, Altit served as the capital and sitting place of Hunza. Altit is the birth place of the HunzaKingdom and Altit fort is the first fort of the region. During early period of former Hunza state Altit was the capital. The artisans from Baltistan who accompanied the wife of Mir Ayasho II constructed this fort during 1540s A.D.The fort has been constructed in six different stages by using various natural levels of the rock. The construction has been made right on the edge of a sheer rock cliff that drops 1000 feet straight down to the Hunza River.


Restoration :
In the beginning it was built as a palace, soon after the addition of the watch tower a defensive architectural element it transformed to a fort. There is great possibility that different stages of the fort have been constructed during different times because the actual age of the fort is said to be more than 800 years. However, the date of construction on the fort tower is written as 955 A.H/1548 A.D thus the age is calculated as 458 years. This fort is said to be around 50-100 years older than the Baltit Fort. When the state capital transferred to Altit it remained vacant and occasionally used as a guest house.  The fort was in disposal of Raja Amin Khan who donated it to Aga Khan Cultural Services, Pakistan (AKCSP) in 2001. AKCSP after some emergency repairs is now working to preserve this historical heritage.


Architecture View :

"The fort is sited on a two rocks; the eastern rock is higher as compared to the western rock. The fort has been constructed in six different stages by using the various natural levels of the rock. The first level is located before the western side edge of the rock, which is containing a two floor building built in the first stage of the construction.The second level, contains a single floor building which was also constructed in the first stage of construction. These were built over 800 years ago. A three floor watch tower was constructed during the second and third stages of construction while the storage space was constructed during the third stage of construction. The mosque was constructed during the fourth stage of construction. A grain storage was constructed during the fifth stage of construction. In the sixth stage of construction the guest rooms were constructed after removing the grain storage located on the eastern side of the rock. Narrow corridors are used for accessing the construction at lower levels, while the mosque the storage area and the guest rooms can be easily accessed from the watch tower.

The Main entrance faces Ulter and opens into the ground floor narrow dark corridor which leads to a space with two small storage spaces inside it located on the east and western side. The main space contains a rectangular structure which physically seems a supporting structure made of rubble stone and cribbage frames has a story related to it. The story is of a prince who has been buried in standing position inside the structure; he was killed by his father after believing of his son's involvement in a plan against his kingdom. The ground floor corridor further leads westward to a stair made of rubble stone masonry which connects it to the first floor. The first floor contains the royal kitchen which has the richest carving patterns on the column and the capitals. This kitchen used to be full of activities during the cooking of food for the agricultural festivals.

On the eastern side of the Royal Kitchen there is a lobby with a skylight containing the main door of the corridor which is laid out north south. The space located at the northern edge of the corridor is the royal room which is a traditional house with the spaces for sleeping, sitting, cooking, and two small storage spaces, a toilet and storage space on the south side of the room. The space at the south edge is the Royal Rani's (Queen) Room, this has a fire place in the north wall and it has the traditional roof structure with the rotated square. From the north edge of the corridor further is the corridor which is laid out east west ward leads to stairs made of rubble stone masonry.

After climbing these stairs there is the three floor watch tower constructed. The storage space is located at the south side of the tower and it is located at the higher level of the rock. The mosque, the royal throne and the guest rooms are at the north side of the watch tower with a minor level difference. Structurally the watch tower is rich in features containing cribbage work and mud brick infill, with windows looking in all directions. The royal throne is placed in front of the mosque on the eastern side with a panoramic view of the Altit settlement."

The fort is being restored by the Historic Cities Support Programme.

Team HunzaHistory

The Hunza Apricot Pit, Vitamin B-17 and the Cancer Cure Myth

The Hunza people did grow apricots and eat the apricot kernel of the apricot pit. The apricot kernel does indeed contain vitamin B-17, and the people may have had a low incidence of cancer, but the apricot had nothing to do with the cancer rate in the Hunza people. Vitamin B-17 has never been shown to prevent or cure cancer. The dead Hunzakuts were never examined by anyone to verify the cause of death. It was never proven that they had a low incidence of cancer.


Team HunzaHistory

The Hunza Glacial Milk and the Cesium Cancer Cure Myth

Many people jump to the conclusion that the water diverted from glacial runoff was the source of special healing and life extending properties. The gardens were watered with mineral rich glacier water carried by an aqueduct system for a distance of 50 miles (80 m) from the Ultar Glacier on the 25,550 foot (7789 m) high Mount Rakaposhi. 

The wooden aqueduct trough was hung from the sheer cliffs by steel nails hammered into the rock walls. Rocks beneath the glacier were ground into a fine powder or silt by the pressure and weight to give the water a slight milky color, thus it was described as "Glacial Milk." Click on the picture to see an enlargement.

There are those who claim the Hunza water is rich in cesium and potassium thereby making it rich with caustically (alkaline) active metals that prevent and cure cancer. Some modern doctors are giving cesium therapy treatments to cure cancer, but cesium does not cure cancer.

The glacier water used to flood the garden plots did provide many minerals or trace metals. The minerals were in the ground rock and not in the colloidal form as many claim. The following link gives a chemical composition of the glacial milk of Hunza. It may or may not be correct. Most of the other information on the following link is false.


Team HunzaHistory

The Original Hunza Winter Diet.

The Hunza people sun dried fruit in the summer and stored grain for winter consumption. They also had some meat. They consumed all parts of the animals, not just the flesh. They ate the animal's brain, lungs, heart, liver, tripe, flesh and everything else except the hide, wind-pipe and genitalia. They cleaned bones to a polish and broke them to eat the marrow. The fat was highly favored for cooking, and a stew was made by boiling meat and grains.Mountain Karakoram as seen from Aliabad village. Click on the picture to see an enlargement.The Yaks, goats and sheep were bred each year for the meat and to keep the milk production flowing. The females were kept for breeding and milk production until reaching a non productive age when they were also slaughtered for food. Any lame animal was slaughtered to prevent the loss of meat. The food supply was critical and springtime starvation was always a concern for hungry children.

The Hunzakuts had a major flaw in their method of raising animals. They kept equal numbers of male and female, which reduced the productivity. If a Hunza farmer had six sheep he would have three ewes and three rams. The ewes would have three lambs each spring. The production could have been increased to five lambs each spring if they had kept five ewes and one ram. The rams also ate more fodder but produced no milk. The same was true for goats. This faulty farming practice reduced the amount milk, meat and number of offspring each year.During the winter a major part of the diet consisted of milk, buttermilk, yogurt, butter and cheese. The diet was a high-fat diet throughout the year contrary to false claims that their diet was low-fat. The milk was more than 50 percent fat on a calorie basis and nothing was wasted.



Team HunzaHistory

The Original Hunza Summer Diet of Hunza People

The British General and soldiers arrived in the summer during the 1870s as did everyone who traveling to Hunza. This was the harvest season for the grains, fruits and vegetables from the gardens, and much of the food was consumed raw. Because fuel for cooking was saved to be used in winter for boiling meat and providing some heat for the stone dwellings, very little meat was consumed in summer and vegetable were eaten raw.

Curious visitors who followed the British soldiers to Hunza Valley years later naturally arrived in summeralso, and the summer diet of the people led visitors to assume they were mainly vegetarian and ate very little meat. This was typical of the summer harvest season. Many primitive cultures including cavemen lived in a similar manner, gorging themselves on available fruit during the short season and eating mostly meat for the rest of the year. The people of Hunza differed in that they never had an abundance of anything except rocks. They did not have enough animals to provide abundant meat during the winter because of the lack of fodder. They did not want to kill female animals that were milk producers unless the animal was old or lame.The Hunzakuts are said to have cultivated plants included barley, millet, wheat, buckwheat, turnips, carrots, dried beans, peas, pumpkins, melons, onions, garlic, cabbage, cauliflower, apricots, mulberries, walnuts, almonds, apples, plums, peaches, cherries, pears and pomegranates. John Clark did not find green beans, wax beans, beets, endive, lettuce, radishes, turnips, spinach, yellow pear tomatoes, Brussel sprouts or parsley. Cherry tomatoes and potatoes are thought to have been brought in by the British. The long list of currently grown plant varieties should not be a consideration when discussing the longevity of the Hunzakuts and their past diet.

Apricot trees were very popular, and the fruit was eaten raw in season and sun dried for winter. The pits were cracked to obtain the kernel that was crushed to obtain the oil for cooking and lamps. The hard shell was kept for a fire fuel. The kernel and oil could be eaten from the variety of apricots with a sweet kernel, but the bitter kernel variety had an oil containing poisonous prussic acid. Click the picture to see an enlargement.The apricot trees were allowed to grow very large in order to obtain the maximum yield. Picking the maximum amount of fruit was more important than the difficulty in picking. The children would scamper to the higher branches to pick or shake off the fruit. Planting new trees required several years of growth before any fruit was produced. The special garden silt or glacial milk did not contribute to the age or size of the trees as is commonly claimed. Our modern orchards are not managed that way because we have abundant space and picking is expensive. Our trees are cut when the size makes them difficult to harvest, not because they fail to live as long as those in Hunza.

Mulberries, which resemble blackberries in size and shape, are a favorite fruit. When fully ripe, their flavor is sweet-sour but somewhat bland. The variety grown in Hunza was most likely a golden color.A large variety of indigenous wildlife including markhors sheep, Marco Polo sheep, geese, ducks, pheasants and partridge provided the early Hunza hunters with meat in addition to their sheep, goats and domesticated Yaks. Chickens were also raised for meat and eggs until sometime in the 1950s when they were banned by the Mir.The Queen and her children traveled on Yaks while the King and other men rode horses. The Yak is a strong wild animal which they domesticated for for traveling in the mountains as a beast of burden pack animal. In addition to Yaks, which provided milk and meat, the Hunzakuts also had goats, sheep, cows and horses. However, there were very few cows or horses in Hunza in 1950 because they consumed a lot of fodder compared to goats and sheep. The Yaks, goats and sheep were herded in the summer to areas just below the snow line for feeding on sparse grasses and plants. They were milked by the herders who made butter that was delivered back to the people in the villages below. The herders had plenty of milk to drink that valley people lacked. The Yaks were also milked. Cows and horses could not be herded to the higher elevation because the vegetation there was simply to sparse.The picture is of the Cathedral Peaks as viewed from the village of Ghulmit 23 miles (37 km) upriver from Baltit near the northern end of Hunza. Summer grains are seen growing in the foreground. The Mir's main Palace was in Baltit, but since firewood was more abundant in Ghulmit, he chose this location for his winter residence. Click the picture to see an enlargement.

A great celebration was held to commemorate the barley harvest, the first harvest of the early summer to break the spring starvation period. The barley was ground, mixed with water and fried to make a pancake style bread called chapatis, and hot stones were used for cooking the bread prior to the availability of steel plate or cast iron griddles. The bread recipe would change to whatever grain was available. Wheat was harvested later in the summer. The Hunza bread recipe found in books and on websites is nothing whatsoever like the various breads of the Hunzakuts. The primitive Hunzakuts ground grains between two rocks much like the North American Indians. They had constructed a water wheel powered stone grinder by the time John Clark had arrived, but many people still ground the grain by hand.To their credit, the Hunzakuts did developed a double-crop farming method. Barley was the first crop harvested, then replaced by millet. Wheat was harvested later in the summer followed by winter buckwheat. The double-crop planting method was done to make the maximum use of the valuable land, not because grains matured faster in Hunza as often claimed.In summer meat was conserved for very special occasions and festivals. Livestock were much too valuable to be killed indiscriminately, so animals became a major source of food only during the cold winter when other foods ran out.

Team HunzaHistory

The Original Hunza People

The Original Hunza People:

The story of Hunza is thought to have begun with Alexander III or Alexander the Great (July 356 BC to June 10, 323 BC), son of King Philip of Macedon (Ancient Macedonia west of Greece). Alexander was a brilliant warrior, more capable than his father. After his father's murder, Alexander set out toward the east to conquer neighboring kingdoms. He conquered Greece in short fashion and continued toward Persia where he eventually burned the capital and the national library in a great defeat of the Persians.Three generals in Alexander's army are said to have married Persian women. The generals betrayed Alexander by giving the Persians his plans. When Alexander heard of the betrayal he sought to take revenge, but the generals, wives and a band of many soldiers fled. The valley of Hunza is thought to have been their valley of refuge because of its remote and secure location.It is likely that the Hunza valley was already sparsely inhabited when the Macedon generals arrived. Certainly these tough fighting warriors made quick work of slaughtering the ancient inhabitants of Hunza. Though this is purely speculation, it is highly probable. The desolate rocky valley could not have supported the Macedonians unless some farms had been slowly built by others over the preceding centuries.

Hunza became an independent kingdom with a monarchy. The King used the title of Mir. The British disrupted the ruling organization of the Hunza people."The Mir, or ruler, of Hunza believed his tiny kingdom to be the equal of China, and likened himself to Alexander the Great from whom he claimed descent. When the British turned up in the 1870s he took them for petitioners seeking to make Queen Victoria his vassal. Not wishing to waste time arguing, the colonial officials had him deposed, replacing him with an amenable brother whom the Mir had carelessly neglected to murder on his way to the throne."

A Kind of Kingdom in Paradise:

The British reported a population of about 8,000 people who were in good health and lived long lives, although their ages could not be verified since the Hunza people had no written records. The people were relatively healthy, especially when compared to the citizens in England where obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease ravaged the British due of their high carbohydrate diet of grains, bread, sugar, honey, fruit and potatoes. The Hunza people were slender, healthy and athletic in comparison to relatives of the British solders at home in England who were fat and sickly.The Hunza tribesmen are shown in the picture. Click the picture to see an enlargement.The Hunzakuts had lighter skin than the neighboring tribes and appeared to be of Caucasian origin. John Clark reported in 1950 seeing children with black, brown and blond hair and an occasional redhead. They probably chose the Hunza River Valley because of its sheer isolation, but the men took wives from neighboring peoples. Hunza women were said to have been beautiful. This is highly probably since the Persian women taken as captives were likely the best looking. The Hunza people were land poor since there was never enough space to provide plenty. Shortage was always present and people lived in fear of the springtime starvation when food ran desperately low.

Hunza had no soil as such. The river and glacial silt that formed the terraced gardens was simply ground rock. All of the animal manure was spread on the gardens to fertilize the crops and trees. The people defecated directly on the garden, and the soil was deficient in lime and phosphates causing the trees and plants to suffer. The garden yield was considerably less than in the United States and elsewhere where good soil is available. The nitrate fertilizer from animal and human excrement was quickly flushed from the silt by the weekly flooding with glacial water.

The Hunzakuts called this "the land of just enough." The truth is Hunza was always a land of never enough, and everything was in short supply including the usable land which was limited to five acres (20,000 sq. m) per family. Animals were limited because of the lack of grazing pastures in the lower valley. The goats, sheep and Yaks were moved to the higher mountains in summer in search of the sparse vegetation. The herdsmen had an excess of milk while the people in the valley suffered a shortage. This is the reason summer visitors to Hunza see a people eating a low-fat, near-vegetarian diet. The winter diet was vastly different.

Team HunzaHistory

A Theoratical Journey To Batura Sar (7795m)

Batura Sar:

Batura Sar, also referred to as Batura I, is the 25th highest mountain on earth[1] and the 12th highest in Pakistan. It is the highest peak of the Batura Muztagh, which is the westernmost subrange of the Karakoram range. It forms the apex of the Batura Wall, which is a continuously high part of the backbone of the Batura Muztagh.

Alternate forms of the name of this peak are Batura, Batura I, and Batura I East. The height is also sometimes listed as 7785m, and the Western top of Batura I is of very similar height (often given as 7794m).

Location:

Batura Sar and the Batura Wall lie near the middle of the Batura Muztagh, which is the only part of the Karakoram which is west of the Hunza River. The river curves around the southwest, west, and northwest sides of the Batura Muztagh. In turn, the Hunza Valley lies in the Gilgit District of the Northern Areas of Pakistan.

Notable Features:

In addition to being one of the highest mountains in the world, Batura Sar is also the second most prominent peak in the Karakoram range. Since it lies at the northwest end of the Karakoram, there is no higher peak north or west of it in the world.
The Batura Wall is notable for being a long (approximately 10 km) and imposing ridge over 7000m. Batura is a very ridgelike peak, not a pointed spire.
Although it is just slightly higher (according to the usual figures) than nearby Rakaposhi, it is not nearly as famous, since it is set back much further from the Hunza Valley.

History:

Climbing began in the Batura Muztagh later than in other parts of the Karakoram, and despite Batura Sar's height, it has seen little climbing activity.A climber named Matthias Rebitsch is recorded (by Neate) as having been in the icefall area (this is presumably the Batura First Ice Flow on the north side of the peak) in 1954. The peak was attempted in 1959 by three British and two German climbers, but they all died, probably in an avalanche. Some of the climbers may have gotten near the summit.The first ascent of the peak was in 1976 by the Göppingen Karakoram-Himalaya Expedition, led by Dr. Alexander Schlee. They placed their base camp on the Baltar Glacier, below the South Face of the peak, on May 21. Hubert Bleicher and Herbert Oberhofer reached the summit on June 30.

The first ascent route climbed first from the Eastern Baltar Glacier up and over Batokshi Peak (called "Saddle Peak" by the first expedition) to Batokshi Pass (called the "Batura Saddle"). It then climbed diagonally up and northeast to East Ridge, and thence to the summit. The route used five camps above base camp.

The second ascent of the peak was in 1983 by an Austrian group, who climbed a new route, to the left of the first ascent route.The Himalayan Index lists an ascent in 1984, but this is contradicted by Neate's book, so the status of this is unclear.The year 1988 saw the third or fourth ascent of Batura Sar, by another Polish-German expedition, led by Piotr Mlotecki. They used the first ascent route; however they failed in an additional goal of reaching Batura I West.

The Himalayan Index lists five other failed attempts on the peak; these include a winter attempt by an Austrian group in 1981. However there seems to have been little or no activity on the north side of the mountain since the 1950s.

Climbing:

The first ascent route is outlined above. The first ascent party reported ice up to 50 degrees, but they do not record the use of any extensive fixed ropes. They noted the weather and repeated storms as the primary difficulty.

References:

1.High Asia: An Illustrated History of the 7000 Metre Peaks by Jill Neate, ISBN 0-89886-238-8

2.Batura Mustagh (sketch map and pamphlet) by Jerzy Wala, 1988.
3.Orographical Sketch Map of the Karakoram by Jerzy Wala, 1990. Published by the Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research.

 Team HunzaHistory

About Hunza Peak.... 6270m

Hunza Peak lies in the westernmost subrange of the Karakoram range along with the Ladyfinger Peak (Bublimating). It lies on the southwest ridge of the Ultar Sar massif, the most southeasterly of the major groups of the Batura Muztagh. The whole massif rises precipitously above the Hunza Valley to the southeast.




Bublimating, while having little prominence above the saddle with nearby Hunza Peak, is particularly notable for being a sharp, relatively snowless rock spire among snow peaks.

FLYING OVER HUNZA PEAK :





This peak has at least two known routes, both climbed in 1991. Both routes where done in alpine style, the first by a Swedish expedition and the second by a British team, which included Caradog Jones and Mick Fowler.

Team HunzaHistory

Strike in Aliabad Hunza : Residents demand one more seat in legislative assembly

People of Hunza-Nagar observed complete strike and held a big rally at Aliabad here on Thursday for acceptance of their demand of another seat for Hunza in the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly.


Civic and business life came to a grinding halt and transport remained off the road throughout Hunza, Nagar and Gojal. Thousands of protesters blocked Karakorum Highway (KKH) for about eight hours. The call for the shutter-down and wheel jam strike was given by the All-Parties Hunza Action Committee formed recently to spearhead the struggle for two seats in the legislative assembly.

 








Hunza, with a population of over 61,000 and an area of 10,100 square kilometres is the largest constituency in Gilgit-Baltistan which has one seat in the legislative assembly.







Addressing the rally, leaders of the political parties highlighted the geo-strategic importance of Hunza and said that the valley which is known for its beauty and considered the popular tourist destination in the world is the gateway to China and Central Asian states. The government is earning billions of rupees as revenue from this area.







The people of Hunza have played a leading role in the liberation war of Gilgit-Baltistan and other wars but successive governments have failed to acknowledge their sacrifices, and deprived the people of their basic rights, they said.







They said Hunza was given a single seat in the Advisory Council in 1974 after abolishing the princely state by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto while some tehsils in Gilgit-Baltistan with less than 30,000 population had been given two seats.







They also condemned Gen Ziaul Haq for abolishing the Additional District status which was given in 1974 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.







Ghulam Muhammad, senior leader of Pakistan People’s Party Gilgit-Baltistan expressed his confidence on the youth for their struggle. He, however, came down heavily on chief Executive and other elected representatives of Hunza for failing to resolve the longstanding issue of additional seat.







Atiqa Ghazanfar, member NALA urged Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to visit Hunza to take stock of the grievances of the people.







Chief of Labour Party Boloristan Advocate Ehsan Ali said that all successive governments have ignored and done injustices to the people of Hunza. He said the share of people of Hunza in government departments and local administration is negligible. He said the youth were now united to fight against all injustices and violation of merit.







Mir Baz, another senior PPP leader, criticised the ruling elite of Hunza for their apathy towards the problems of the people and urged the people not to vote for those candidates and leaders who are responsible for this situation and elect educated and young leadership in the legislative assembly.







Sultan Madad of Boloristan Research Forum said the rulers have deprived the people of Gilgit-Baltistan of their democratic and constitutional rights.







Sheikh Abid urged the people to continue their struggle for the cause and said that the action committee would make future strategy to continue protests till the demand is met.







Sheikh Musa Karimi said that Hunza is a model educated and peaceful society thanks to the efforts of civil society organisations but the government has always discriminated against the region. He condemned the assertions of Kashmiri leaders over the Gilgit-Baltistan.







Baba Jan, chief organiser of Progressive Youth Front warned of the government of the consequences if the demand of the people of Hunza was not met.Fida Karim, president of Hunza chapter of PPP, assured all out support to the action committee in their just struggle for the rights of the people. He said PPP would not compromise on principles and will also opt for the election boycott.
Noor Muhammad, general secretary of the action committee, said that the people of Hunza were facing discriminations in public sector jobs and projects.Karim Sher, Former District Councillor condemned the role of some leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-N and Jamiat Ulema Islam-F for creating hurdles in creation of six new seats in legislative assembly.Ali Qurban, Iman Shah, Haider Tai, Sher Khan, Ghulam Murtaza, Ikram Najmi, Irfan Karim and others also spoke the rally.
In the end, the participants marched from College Chowk to Aliabad Police Station and chanted slogan against the government and local administration for discrimination.

Team HunzaHappenings

Elections in Northern Areas on Nov 12th 2009

Pakistan has decided to hold party elections for the legislative assembly of the Northern Areas on November 12, 2009.




According to official sources, the Chief Election Commissioner of the Northern Areas has ordered the commissioner to start preparing the election lists for all seven districts.



The assembly completes its five-year tenure after being elected on October 12, 2004. The government has also decided to take some measures in accordance with the Governance Amendment Order before the elections.



According to the new amendments, the Senate will be formed along with a council and the prime minister of Pakistan would be given the post of chairman of the council. The chief executive would be the chief minister. The new amendment order, which has to be approved by the Federal Cabinet, would also include amendments to end the post of governor in the Northern Areas and to change the name to Gilgit Baltistan.

Gilgit Baltistan borderS Swat, Dir, Chitral and Kohistan districts of NWFP. Gilgit Baltistan is a constitutional part of Pakistan, but Pakistan has administrative control of it and officially calls it the Northern Areas of Pakistan.

Team HunzaHappenings

Changes In History of Northern Areas

That the announcement of the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-Governance Order in northern areas by PM Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has been received with a mixed reaction should be no surprise. The cross-section of historical legacy with political imperatives provides the basis for the present controversy around the strategically important region that has common border with Afghanistan and Xinjiang region of China in the north of the country. However, seen in the context of long-standing struggle of the people of Gilgit and Balochistan for their fundamental, political and legal rights, the up gradation of the status of the northern areas under the Order is a new milestone in the history of the region, for which Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) can rightly claim credit. For, since the first PPP government led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto took the initiative almost four decades ago to constitute northern areas out of Gilgit Agency, Baltistan District and the states of Hunza and Nagar, no government paid any attention towards redressing the grievances of the people of these areas.

The region officially known as Northern Areas of Pakistan, Gilgit-Baltistan will have an area of 27971 square miles and a population of approximately 1,000,000. The region was a part of princely State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) before 1947. This is the reason why the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir refer these areas as part of J&K for the purpose of determining its future through a plebiscite. But the people of Gilgit and Baltistan had never accepted the forcible occupation of their land by pre-partition Dogra rulers. In 1947, through a popular revolt against Maharaja Hari Singh, they got themselves liberated from the yoke of Dogra rule. The Mirs of Hunza and Nagar and other chieftains of the areas requested Pakistan to assume direct responsibility for the administration and security of the Agency. Pakistan agreed to their request, pending the settlement of the future of J&K, under the provisions of the Interim Constitution of Pakistan (1947-54), which allowed any "other area" with the consent of the federation to be included in Pakistan. Since then the people of Gilgit and Baltistan have been demanding a status for their region equal to other provinces of Pakistan. The successive governments of Pakistan, however, did not pay any heed to the popular aspirations of the people of these areas, who were groaning under the oppressive laws and regulations enacted and enforced during the colonial era. When a mass popular movement against the autocratic regime of Ayub swept the whole of Pakistan in 1968-69 and demanded the restoration of democracy, the people of Gilgit and Baltistan also organised a movement for their rights and voiced their demands for an end to the centuries old system of feudal slavery. This is to be noted that General Yahya Khan, who took over from Ayub Khan accepted East Pakistan's demand for one-man-one vote as the basis of 1970 elections and also agreed to the dismemberment of One Unit granting provincial status to Balochistan, but did nothing either for FATA or the northern areas, although both of these regions, like other parts of Pakistan, direly needed political reforms. When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto assumed power in 1972, the initiation of development works in FATA and introduction of political reforms in the northern areas were among the earliest measures taken by the first PPP government in response to the aspirations of the people of Pakistan expressed during the mass popular movement of 1968-69. Mr Bhutto was keenly interested in altering centuries old status quo in these areas and in order to bring it about he established personal rapport with the people by visiting these areas a number of times and by directly speaking to the people through public rallies

Team HunzaHistory

Ox War In Hunza

The History Of Most Beautiful And Difficult Mountain On Earth (RAKAPOSHI)

The history of the RAKAPOSHI is as ancient as man’s gaze.

The highest and most visible mountain, the MOTHER OF MISTS, is part of the imaginary of each person, wayfarer or inhabitant, that has ever set his eyes and foot onto the Hunza Valley [North Pakistan].

Unlike K2 and other mountains of the Karakoram, the powerful bulk of DUMANI has accompanied all the people who have lived or travelled along one of the crucial nodes of the ancient caravan routes that connected East and West, variants of the famous Silk Route.

The valley dominated by RAKAPOSHI is harmonious and powerful, and has cultural and environmental riches. The valley was the centre of the ancient kingdoms of Hunza and Nagar, and Rakaposhi with its SHINING WALL is an unrivalled buttress to the greatest road ever built: the Karakorum Highway.

But RAKAPOSHI itself is one of the most magnificent works that nature has produced. Rakaposhi is an extremely wide mountain, nearly 20 km from east to west, and is the only peak on Earth that drops directly, uninterrupted, for almost 6000 m from the top to the base.

Few people have climbed RAKAPOSHI.

Many people have dreamed of doing it.

First amongst these, was the British art critic William Martin Conway who went in 1896 in order to explore its southern slopes. He did not find any easy access route, but it was the first true mountaineering expedition in Karakoram.

In 1938 another enterprising British explorer, Campbell Secord tried to approach the great mountain from Jaglot, along the West face and tackling the longe NW Ridge up to 5800 m [Secord Peak].

In 1947 Secord returned with one of the patriarchs of world-wide exploration, Bill Tilman [one of the 20th century’s most important explorers, who disappeared in the waters of Antarctica in 1977], to find an alternative route to the same side on the mountain. After having made an attempt on SW Spur reaching quota 6200, Tilman again ascended NW Ridge reaching just over the 6000 m mark.

Exploration of the West face of Rakaposhi was completed in 1954 by an expedition from Cambridge University, led by the Genevan Alfred Tissières, who after having abandoned the umpteenth attempt on the NW Ridge, concentrated efforts on the Kunti Glacier, along the SW Spur that leads to the characteristic Monk's Head (6300 m), which is clearly visible both from north and south. Members of this strong expedition were the Austrians Anderl Heckmair [the first climber on Eiger North face in 1938], Matthias Rebitsch [the great climber and precusor of modern free climbing, famous for his attempt on the Eiger’s North face in 1937 and for the hard routes on Laliderer North face and on Goldkappel] and the English student George Band [the young mountaineer of the expedition that had already scaled Everest in 1953, and who, two years later, was to become the first ascender of the third highest mountain on Earth, the Kangchenjunga].

In 1958, an Anglo-Pakistani expedition, led by Royal Navy captain, Mike Banks, succeeded in reaching the Rakaposhi summit from Monk’s head, following the same route taken by Tilman. On the summit were Mike Banks himself and lieutenant Tom Patey. Banks learnt the lesson from his unsuccessful attempt in 1956 at the head of an Anglo-American expedition. The first ascenders reached the 7788 meters summit without the use of additional oxygen, but both suffered frostbite in their hands and feet.

Almost 20 years passed, before, in 1979, other climbers tackled the infinite ridges of this great mountain and finally reached the summit. Starting from Biro Glacier, a Polish-Pakistani expedition reached NW Ridge and got to the top via a route that was as long as the first route, but much more difficult [the route was repeated in 1988 by a Dutch expedition]. Two illustrious names from Polish women’s mountaineering, Anna Czerwinska and Krystyna Palmowska, took part in this expedition.







In the Seventies climbers turned their attention to the great inviolate walls of the highest summits. The Rakaposhi NORTH FACE, 20 km wide and characterized by huge spurs, was and is one of the most impressive walls that can be climbed. In 1971 and 1973 the German Karl Herrligkoffer [the famous Herr Doctor, organizer of the expedition to the Nanga Parbat of 1970 where Reinhold Messner lost his brother Günther] led two expeditions to the base of North Spur , but the attempt failed for strategic difficulties due to the complexity of the ascension.

It was in 1979 that the sharp North Spur was scaled by a Japanese expedition from Waseda University led by Eiho Ohtani. The seven climbers besieged the mountain for six weeks bridling the spectacular spur with 5000 meters of fixed ropes, distributed on six high quota camps. Ohtani and Matsushi Yamashita did a bivouac at 7600 meters before tackling the difficult cliffs of the final crest. Three very hard lengths, VI (UIAA) and A2, at 7700 meters, had to be surmounted by the two Japanese climbers before reaching the top. Back to the bivouac, it took them two hard days to go back to base camp.







The Japanese ascension passed unnoticed until 1984, when a Canadian team repeated the extraordinary route in the face of inclement weather. After various weeks spent, uselessly, equipping the route, the eight young, strong mountaineers decided to abandon their attempt on the North Spur [at first the Canadian team’s intention was to open a new route on North Face]. A few days before abandoning the mountain, an unexpected spot of good weather made them immediately change their plans. In seven days the three climbers, Dave Cheesmond, Barry Blanchard and Kevin Doyle, attained the summit in semi-alpine style leaving their mark on mountaineering history and in the pages written by the leader, Dave Cheesmond, to describe the difficult ascension, "one of geatest modern Himalayan ascents", defined "the Cassin ridge of the Himalayas" by the first class climber Barry Blanchard. An attempt to repeat this route was made by a Slovenian expedition in 1987, but failed.







In 1985 the huge North Face received another important visit from a strong Austrian team guided by Edi Koblmüller. They aimed at the spur on left of the great wall, the North Spur of East Secondary Summit, where they traced another superb route.

After 20 years from those enterprises on NORTH FACE, Rakaposhi still hides many incognito and is a challenge for the future of mountaineering. Although hundreds of mountaineers are crowded on normal routes of 8000s, and in spite of the poverty of ideas and ethics makes more and more appear a mirage the evolution of mountaineering in terms of exploration, inside and outside oneself, although many speak bad and little write well of contemporary mountaineering, nowadays mountaineering has still ways to explore and poles to discover.

One of these is NW Spur, the longest spur of the world, still unclibed.

Team HunzaHistory

Shamans and mountain spirits in Hunza. (northen Pakistan)

The Hunzakut, a high-mountain people in the western Karakoram mountains of northern Pakistan, possess a shamanistic tradition centered around religious specialists known as bitan. These practitioners inhale the smoke of burning juniper branches, dance to a special music, drink blood from a freshly severed goat's head, enter into ecstatic trances, and converse with supernatural beings. An ethnographic and historical analysis of this little-known shamanistic tradition is offered, focusing on the rituals, beliefs, and practices of Hunzakut bitan, the place of these practitioners in the traditional ritual and politico-ideological apparatus of the former Hunza state, and their role as healers and soothsayers.

Key words: Hunza (northern Pakistan) - shamanism - animal sacrifice - ritual healing - pre-Islamic religious beliefs

Introduction: Hunza, Islam, and Folk Religion






The past physical isolation of the Hunzakut, a high-mountain population in northwestern Pakistan, has been instrumental in allowing them to preserve elements of their pre-Islamic shamanistic religious beliefs. Centered around practitioners known as bitan, this tradition has certain characteristics - such as the shaman inhaling juniper smoke and drinking blood from a freshly severed goat's head - that seem to be unique among South and Central Asian peoples (Sidky 1990, 275-77). This paper examines the particular configuration of rituals and beliefs associated with these bitan, their place in traditional society, and their situation in modern-day Hunza.(1) The data were gathered during anthropological field research in Hunza in 1990 and 1991.






Hunza is located in the far northwestern part of the South Asian subcontinent, in Pakistan's Northern Areas District. This is a high-mountain area where the Hindu Kush, Karakoram, and Himalayan ranges have converged to produce a vast network of peaks, valleys, and glaciers. Here is the most massive concentration of high peaks to be found anywhere on earth. Hunza's territory is roughly 7,900 [km.sup.2] and borders Afghanistan and Xinjiang (Chinese Turkestan) to the north, Shinkari and Indus Kohistan to the south, and Kashmir to the east (see map). For centuries Hunza was an independent principality headed by a hereditary autocratic ruler, who was known locally as the Thum, but who also held the Persian title of Mir (Sidky 1993).

In the past, the region's formidable geographic barriers made access to this small mountain kingdom extremely difficult. Travelers from China and northern Afghanistan who wanted to reach Hunza had to traverse the high and extremely dangerous mountain passes of Irshad, Kilik, Mintaka, and Khunjerab, open during the summer months and blocked by snow for the rest of the year. Travelers from Shinkari, Kohistan, and Kashmir did not have to worry about snow, but still faced a treacherous trail zigzagging across steep and precipitous gorges. Incessant rockslides made journeys to Hunza from any direction both terrifying and dangerous, as accounts written by travelers to the area indicate (Clark 1956, 37-38; Schomberg 1935, 95; Shor 1955, 275; Stephens 1955, 155; Thomas and Thomas 1960, 96-97).

From earliest times, the stoic, heroic inhabitants of Hunza Valley (Hunzakuts) sandwiched between the Hindu Kush and Karakorum Ranges in northern Pakistan have been assailed by invaders - geologic, political, climatic and touristy - that would have reduced a lesser people to penury or wiped them out altogether.











Hunza has been ruled by the family known as Mirs of Hunza (called Thums) for centuries. Hunzakuts are believed to be the descendents of soldiers of Alexander the great who were left over battle march forward. The people of Hunza speak Brushuski, an aboriginal language. The medieval state retained its isolated independence for a long time in the remote part of the areas which now form the Northern Areas of Pakistan adjoining the Sinkiang region of China.










During early nineteenth century, Hunza resented Kashmir’s attempts to gain control and its rulers periodically expelled Kashmir garrisons, threatened Gilgit, and politicizing with the rulers of Kashgar to the north where the Russians were gaining influence.






Fearing Russians infiltration into their northern frontiers, the British took over direct political control at Gilgit in 1889. Bloody manoeuvrings in Hunza and Nagar made the areas doubly insecure. This, coupled with the Mir of Hunza’s consistent intransigence tempted the British to march on Hunza in December 1891, where they fought a decisive battle at Nilit, 60 kilometres beyond Diaynor Bridge. After this the British garrisoned Aliabad until 1897 when Hunza became a princely state protected by the British. After Pakistan was created, the people of Hunza also gained liberation and later the princely state was merged in Pakistan.














Travelling to the Hunza Valley in the past required walking (or driving a wretched track) through the roughest mountain glen on earth but these days one can commute on Karakorum Highway – ranked one of the highest highways in the world - to reach Karimabad – principal town in the Valley.






In all weathers, one senses the region’s Shangri-la-like isolation, the tall ranges that hem it in. Hunza is a really lovely place. I cannot put my finger on exactly why it was, but one feels really relaxed just hearing the sound of my own thoughts