As a photojournalist based in Pakistan, I feel there is a huge disconnect with what the country offers compared to what the world sees. There is an immense responsibility that sits on the shoulders of a storyteller; with the aid of my lens and two decades of traveling to this region, I would like to take you on a visual tour of Hunza a mountainous valley located in Gilgit Baltistan region in Pakistan, which borders with Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan and Xinjiang region of China.
My first time in Hunza remains one of the most memorable life experiences to this day. I visited for the very first time in 1998, when I was 12 years old. Visiting the Khunjerab Pass which is the Pakistan- China border, with my father was the moment my love for photography began. My father took out his Kodak camera and took multiple photos while turning on the spot, and a week later he printed those photos and taped them together, creating a panorama. This was the day I was inspired for the first time to pick up a camera, so it holds a special significance for me.
For the last six years I have traveled there extensively as a photographer, mostly avoiding the summer tourist season, but instead focusing on the colours of fall in November, or the blossoms in April, or even the harsh winters. Each season gives me different stories and color palettes.
Each season is so different that it feels like an entirely different place each time. Be it falling yellow leaves in autumn, or the glowing apricot trees in spring, or the Himalayan Ibex descending down to graze in the winters while people collect wood for fire, and water from frozen rivers. The hospitality of my wonderful friends from the area will always stay with me, and has taught me so much.
The land of Hunza
The valley is popularly believed to be the inspiration for the mythical valley of Shangri-la in James Hilton’s 1933 novel Lost Horizon. Hunza, for a fact is one of the most exotic places in Pakistan. Several high peaks rise above 6,000 m in the surroundings of Hunza valley. The valley provides spectacular views of some of the most beautiful and magnificent mountains of the world which include Rakaposhi 7,788 m (25,551 ft), 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).
To give you an insight on the vastness of this region, it’s vital to understand how Hunza is divided into three geographical subdivisions, Upper, Lower and Central.
The upper Hunza district also known as Gojal Valley, is close to my heart and I have come to not only love it as a photographer, but I see it as second home, knowing many friends there and ability to speak a bit of Wakhi, the local language in Gojal. This valley includes villages, towns and valleys like Gumit, Passu, Sost, Ghulkin, Shimshal, Jamalabad, Gircha, Chipursan, Khyber, Shishkat and Hussaini.
Lower Hunza is made up of Aliabad tehsil of Hunza District and the main towns, villages and valley in this area are Nasirabad, Khanabad, Mayoon, Hussainabad, Khizerabad among many others.
Central Hunza comprises parts of Aliabad tehsil of Hunza district and the main towns, villages and valleys are Aliabad, Hyderabad Hunza, Dorkhan, Karimabad, Baltit Fort, Altit Fort, Ahmedabad, Ganish Village, Hassanabad and Murtazaabad.
Central Hunza is very popular with tourists due to royal gardens, historic forts (Altit and Baltit), more hotels, cafes and handicraft shops, all of which are in proximity to each other.
Historically, Hunza used to be a princely state until the British military conquest. It was then dissolved in 1974 by the then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The local languages spoken in Hunza include Burushaski, Wakhi and Shina.
It is important to also mention Nagar valley, where I have done a lot of photography. Although it is a separate district and former princely state, it is not very far from Karimabad and it boasts some of the most incredible landscapes I have seen, including notable peaks such as Spantik peak (also known as Golden Peak) and the famous Rush lake.
The Nature of Hunza
The beauty of this mountain paradise is matchless; from the soft blossoms of the apricot trees to the dark snowcapped rock monuments of Rakaposhi (7788 m), Ultar Peak (7388 m) jabbing a vivid blue backdrop high above, and Bublimoting Peak.
The region is blessed with an abundance of wilderness, surrounded by trees which Atabad Lake shifts in color as does nature in seasons; the fertile land produces Walnut (Gilos in Wakhi, a regional language spoken in upper Hunza), Mulberry, high quality Grapes, Cherries, Juniper (Traik), Walnut (Toor), Peach (Shufta Lu), apple (Mur), apricot (Chu Wan), Dispor and pine trees.
The wildlife is also truly remarkable – ranging from Himalayan and Siberian Ibex, Snow Leopard, Yak, Marco Polo Sheep, Blue Sheep, Brown Bear, Fox, Golden Marmot, Wolf, Mole, small snakes (nonpoisonous) and if you’re lucky, you can even spot a seal! From the birds there are Sparrows, Siberian Ducks, Bats, Pigeons and many more.
Climate & The Human Factor
Hunza is blessed with best of all seasons and is particularly popular around summer. During spring it’s almond and apricot trees blossom in beautiful pink and white colors, and in fall it has beautiful shades of red, yellow and gold.
However, in this heaven on earth, climate change is the biggest threat to Hunza, where average winters used to be -5 degrees Celsius, in January 2019, temperatures in Gojal valley were as low as -30 degrees Celsius! The average summers which peaked at 26 degrees Celsius, now gets as hot as 40 degrees Celsius.
Climate change is posing serious threats to the fragile ecosystems and communities. NGO’s like World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been struggling to protect and conserve biological resources of the region, and are hoping to implement the adaptation and mitigation strategies for Gilgit-Baltistan.
Due to the drastic change in temperatures, there has been a rise of flooding in central and upper Hunza.
There are many glaciers throughout Gilgit Baltistan, and there are many in Hunza which are high risk glaciers for GLOF (Glacial Lake Outburst Flood) such as Khurdopin glacier in Shimshal valley, Ghulkin-Hussaini glacier and Passu glacier.
There are sloping mountains and because of this, land sliding causes blockage in rivers and formations of lakes- the most popular one being Atabad lake. Although it is a popular tourist destination due to its pristine blue color and boating activities, its history is a tragedy. It was formed due to a massive landslide and blocked the flow of Hunza river for five months. Over 30,000 were displaced and 20 people were killed. Parts of villages were submerged in the lake, including one entire village. Due to this, a part of Karakoram highway was submerged as well and so people had to get around by boats.
A major landslide like this happens in Hunza every 150 years and same areas as Atabad were also affected by blockage in 1852.
Besides climate change, tourism, while a major source of the region’s economy, also comes with its disadvantages.
Unfortunately people play a big role in destroying this incredibly beautiful region. Every year, thousands of tourists flood the valleys especially in the summers and abuse the land by littering and irresponsible behavior towards Mother Nature.
Efforts to Protect
Hunza has a unique and vital role in sustainable development of Pakistan. Its geographic range of an area of 72,971 km2 (28,174 mi2), lying in the extreme north of Pakistan. Nature has gifted this area with high mountainous ranges, massive glaciers, glorious rivers and splendid valleys and full of precious and industrial mines.
In late April of 2019, Hunza became the first region in Pakistan to ban plastic. The provincial government of Gligit Baltistan banned “Plastic use, purchase, export or import” in an effort to cut plastic waste and pollution and rolled out first deliveries of cloth shopping bags. even This is a small step towards change, and we still have a long way to go. It is hard to miss pampers, water bottles, soft drink bottles and cans and snack packets floating over water channels and drainage along the Karakoram highway.
There have been provisions made for tourists, and local administration is providing eco-friendly bags, but it is not the complete solution. There has to be awareness and educational efforts implemented which can introduce the concept of recycling, particularly of plastic bags and bottles.
Even though there are laws in place for protection of the land, to make them more effective, it needs to be regularized and ease of access provided for areas which are off the beaten path.
For wildlife conservation, the wildlife department has a very strict check on illegal hunting in every village. A license is required for a legal hunt, and 80% of a legal hunt’s earnings go to the respective village where the hunting took place, and 20% goes to the government.
Communities of Hunza are vulnerable; they will be unable to respond to massive destructive events caused by climate change such as floods and droughts. More efforts are required to address climate change by Government and local administrations. Although flooding cannot be stopped, there should be a proper monitoring team to observe and report on a regular basis through many means, including drone cameras. There should be long-term projects or community-based disaster risk management, adaptations and mitigation enhancing activities to save life, livelihoods, ecosystems, biodiversity and infrastructure of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Access to heaven on earth
Gilgit Baltistan is one of the most famous travel destinations in the world, particularly Hunza and Skardu and there are international expeditions all year round to Pakistan’s two famous peaks- K2 and Nanga Parbat.
There are many means to get there. There are domestic flights that go from Islamabad to Gilgit and Skardu. The most common mode of travel is to go by road. Both private and public transportation runs around the clock. Travelers can choose to either travel directly to Gilgit and/or Hunza (it takes up to 15-17 hours) or break up the travel by having stopovers in between (Besham, Naran, Chilas, etc.) Once you reach these destinations, local transportation is available and bikes can be rented as well.
The visitors to Hunza will be overwhelmed by its rugged charm, the fragrant breeze singing through graceful poplar trees and the velvet like green carpet of wheat fields, set against the background of snow-covered mountains.
References for Article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunza_Valley
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Hunza_Valley
https://weatherspark.com/y/108087/Average-Weather-in-Gilgit-Pakistan-Year-Round
https://en.qantara.de/content/in-pakistansnorthern-mountains-plasticbags-face-the-bin
https://unpo.org/article/15483
