VIEW THE BEAUTIFUL IMAGES OF PAKISTAN's NORTHERN AREAS.

INTRODUCTION.

The northern areas of pakistan are one of the most beautiful spots in the world.It enjoys the possession of 13 out of 30 highest cliffs in the whole world.remarkably K-2 which is the second largest mountain of the world after Karakoram in Nepal.Through this site I will take you to the brief tour of these beautiful areas.

GILGIT

Gilgit(Urdu: گلگت) is the capital city of the Northern Areas, Pakistan and a tehsil (headquarters) of Gilgit District. Its ancient name was Sargin, later to be known as Gilit, and it is still called Gilit or Sargin-Gilit by local people, in the Burushaski language, it is named Geelt. Ghallata is considered its name in ancient Sanskrit literature. Gilgit city is one of the two major hubs on the Northern Areas for all mountaineering expeditions of Karakoram to the peaks of the Himalayas, the other hub being Skardu.

Gilgit has an area of 38,000 square kilometres (14,672 sq mi). The region is significantly mountainous, lying on the foothills of the Karakoram mountains, and has an average altitude of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). It is drained by the Indus River, which rises in the neighbouring regions of Ladakh and Baltistan.

HISTORY OF GILGIT

Gilgit was an important city on the Silk Road through which Buddhism was spread from South Asia to the rest of Asia. A large number of Buddhist Sanskrit texts, included the long version of the Heart Sutra have been unearthed in Gilgit. The Dards and Cizinas also appear in many of the old Pauranic lists of peoples, with the former finding mention in Ptolemy's accounts of the region. Two famous travellers, Faxian, and Xuanzang are known to have traversed Gilgit as per their accounts.

“ 'The former rulers had the title of Ra, and there is reason to suppose that they were at one time Hindus, but for the last five centuries and a half they have been Mohommedans. The names of the Hindu Ras have been lost, with the exception of the last of their number, Shri Buddutt. Tradition relates that he was killed by a Mohommedan adventurer, who married his daughter and founded a new dynasty , since called Trakhane , from a celebrated Ra named Trakhan , who reigned about the commencement of the fourteenth century . The previous rulers of whom Shiri Buddut was the last were called Shahreis. ”

Gilgit
Mountainous region on the northwest frontier of Kashmir, under the rule of Pakistan; formerly a British Agency established in 1889; area 38,021 sq km/14,680 sq mi. It is drained by the Gilgit and Indus rivers. The region's town, Gilgit, was formerly a Buddhist centre. It lies at nearly 1,500 m/5,000 ft above sea level; during the winter the town can be approached only by plane.

HUNZA VALLEY

Hunza Valley(URDU: ہنزہ) is a mountainous valley in Gilgit in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. The Hunza valley is situated at an elevation of 2,438 metres (7,999 feet). The territory of Hunza is about 7,900 km² {3,050 mi²). Karimabad (formerly called Baltit) is the main town which is also a very popular tourist destination because of the spectacular scenery of the surrounding mountains like , Ultar Sar, Rakaposhi, Bojahagur Duanasir II, Ghenta Peak, Hunza Peak, Darmyani Peak, and Bublimating (Ladyfinger Peak), all 6,000 m (19,685 ft) or higher.

Hunza,a remote mountain kingdom,may have been the inspiration behind James Hilton's"SHANGRI-LA".The area opened up in the 1970s following the completion of Karakoram highway;an engineering marvel tracing the old silk route from Pakistan into China.
The fair skinned and light-eyed Hanzakuts claim to be descendants of soldiers lost from Alexander's army invaded India.Their language Burushaski,privides linguists an enigma as it is unrelated to any other language known to man.
The beauty of this mountain paradise is matchless;from the soft blossoms of the apricot trees to the dark snoew capped rock monuments of Rakaposhi (7788m.)and recently climbed altar (7388m.)jabbing a vivid blue backdrop high above.

GEOGRAPHY OF HUNZA

The Hunza is situated at an elevation of 2,438 metres (7,999 feet). For many centuries, Hunza has provided the quickest access to Swat and Gandhara for a person travelling on foot. The route was impassable to baggage animals; only human porters could get through, and then only with permission from the locals.

Hunza was easily defended as the paths were often less than half a metre (about 18") wide. The high mountain paths often crossed bare cliff faces on logs wedged into cracks in the cliff, with stones balanced on top. They were also constantly exposed to regular damage from weather and falling rocks. These were the much feared "hanging passageways" of the early Chinese histories that terrified all, including several famous Chinese Buddhist monks such as Xuanzang