lonely Tree and the Mountain

Sultanabad Glacier:

Sultanabad is a village near Gilgit city in Northern Areas of Pakistan.The main source of water is from the Glacier. This is an extremely beautiful place to visit, but it takes a lot of time to walk there.
This photo was taken on 22 July 2012. We can clearly see a lonely tree in front of a lush green mountain peak with beautiful white snow patches.

Rahim Abad Village

Rahim Abad, Gilgit

Rahim Abad

Rahim Abad village is located on the KKH road, near Gilgit city. Most of the people migrated from Hunza and settle here permanently. They speak Burushaski and Shina (Hunza accent) languages.

There are some good spots for tourist. You can view the wonderful Karakoram Highway passing through the center of the village and the mighty Hunza river is flowing beneath the village.

Atta Abad Lake, Hunza

Atta Abad Lake (Photo By: Imran Khan)

Cars were carried on boats. 

Two boats going towards their destiny (Photo By: Imran Khan)

Boats were the only source to carry people to other areas of Hunza, which were cut of due to the lake.

Atta Abad Lake: 

Attabad Lake is a lake in Hunza(Northern Areas) created in January 2010 by a landslide (slipping down of a large mountain). 

The lake (a blue lagoon) was formed due to a massive landslide at Attabad village in Gilgit-Baltistan, 9 miles (14 km) upstream (east) of Karimabad that occurred on 4 January 2010.The landslide killed twenty people and blocked the flow of the Hunza River for five months. The lake flooding has displaced 6,000 people from upstream villages, stranded (from land transportation routes) a further 25,000, and inundated over 12 miles (19 km) of the Karakoram Highway. The lake reached 13 miles (21 km) long and over 100 meters (330 ft) in depth by the first week of June 2010 when it began flowing over the landslide dam, completely submerging lower Shishkat and partly flooding Gulmit. The subdivision of Hunza has the greatest number of flooded buildings, over 170 houses, and 120 shops. The residents also had shortages of food and other items due to the blockage of the Karakoram Highway. By 4 June water outflow from the lake had increased to 3,700 cu ft/s (100 m3/s).

Location:

 Hunza Valley, Northern Pakistan (With China Border).

Karim Abad Hunza

Karimabad - Hunza Valley Northern Pakistan

INTRODUCTION:

Karimabad (Urdu: كريم آباد‎) is the capital of Hunza Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan. Baltit is the old name of Karimabad. It is named after Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual head of Shia Ismaili Nizari community. People still refer to Karimabad as Baltit. The Guardian ranked it as one of the five "Best Tourist Sites" in Pakistan. Both Baltit Fort and Karimabad village received the World Award of Tourism in 2000 when Indonesia, Australia, India and Britain and other countries competed.
Karimabad town, located on the west bank of the Hunza River, is in the Northern Areas of the Pakistani-administered part of the Kashmir region, in a valley which is at 8,200 feet (2,500 m) elevation. The town is made up of stone walled steep sloping large terraces. The town was a caravan halting place for people who were traveling through the Hindu Kush mountains to the Vale of Kashmir. It is set amidst snow clad mountain peaks of Rakaposhi (altitude of about 25,000 feet (7,600 m)), and glaciers like the Ulter Nala as a backdrop, and deep gorges. Access is by hill road from Gilgit.
The floral vegetation in the wild consist of roses, pansies, lilies, zinnias, and cosmos, along with trees such as apple, apricot, walnut, mulberry, willow, fir, and poplar trees.The fauna recorded in the village consist of ibex (Capra (genus), duck, red-striped fox, snow leopard (Panthera uncia syn. Uncia uncia), markhor (Capra falconeri) (wild goat), Marco Polo sheep, and yak 

Karimabad Hunza

SHORT HISTORY

Karimabad, then known as Baltit, was originally under the monarchic rulership of the Mir of Hunza. The Baltit Fort was built at that time to function as a palace. The locality was known for its slave trade and as a caravan resting stop. Baltit served as the capital of Hunza valley for over 750 years, until the middle of the 20th century. After Pakistan became an independent country in 1947, the Hunza province controlled by Mir joined Pakistan.Earlier, the capital had been shifted from Balit to the lower part of the hills to Karimabad where new buildings were erected and it became the new capital. The town has developed into a tourist place, following the development of the Karakoram Highway, with a number of shopping complexes dealing in handicrafts, hotels, restaurants, and travel agencies.

Seven Wonders of Hunza

The Second (2nd) Wonder of Hunza Valley

The Baltit Fort

A close look of Baltit Fort Hunza

Historical Background of Baltit Fort-Hunza

 

Baltit Fort in Mid Summers

In olden times a number of small independent states existed in the history of Northern Areas of Pakistan. Among them Hunza and Nager were the traditional rival states, situated on opposite sides of the Hunza (kanjut) river. The rulers of these two states, known as Thámo / Mirs (Thάm=S), built various strongholds to express their power.
According to historical sources {Ref: Tarikh-e-Ehd Atiiq Riyasat Hunza by Haji Qudratullah Baig, Pub: S.T.Printers Rawalpindi 1980 Pakistan}, the Hunza rulers initially resided in the Altit Fort, but later as a result of a conflict between the two sons of the ruler Sultan, Shah Abbas (Shάboos) and Ali Khan (Aliqhάn), Shaboos shifted to the Baltit Fort, making it the capital seat of Hunza. The power struggle between the two brothers eventually resulted in the death of younger one, and so Baltit Fort further established itself as the prime seat of power in the Hunza state.


The rich beauty of Baltit Fort can be traced to over seven hundred 700 years ago. Ayasho II, Tham / Mir of Hunza in the early 15th fifteenth century married Princess Shah Khatoon (Sha Qhatun) from Baltistan (In Moghul history Baltistan is called Tibet Khurd mean, little Tibet), and was the first to modify the face of Altit and, subsequently Baltit Fort. Baltistan meaning land of Balti people had a very strong cultural and ethnical relation with the Ladakh territory of India then. Consequently, the structure of Baltit Fort was influenced by the Ladakhi / Tibetan architecture, with some resemblance to the Potala palace in Lahasa. Then additions, renovations and changes to the building were being made through the centuries by the long line of rulers of the Hunza that followed.
A veritable treasure house for ancient forts, the Northern Areas of Pakistan lost most of its glorious built heritage around the 19th century as a result of the destructive attacks by the Maharja of Kashmir.
  

View of the Hunza Valley and Rakaposhi peak form Baltit Fort.

However, in this regard people of Hunza were exceptionally fortunate to successfully defend against the invasions of Maharaja Kashmir four times.
{Ref: Tribes of Hindoo Koosh by John Biddulph Chapter: II Page: 29, Pub: The Superintendent of Government Printing-Calcutta India 1880, Reprint: Ali Kamran Publishers, Lahore-Pakistan 1995. First attack 1848, 2nd attack: 1865, 3rd attack 1866 and 4rth attack 1888 Ref: Beg Qudratullah}
One of the biggest changes in the structure of Baltit Fort came with the invasion of British in December 1891. Tham / Mir Safdarali Khan, ruler of Hunza his wazir Dadu (Thara Baig III), fled to Kashgar (China) for political asylum with their fellows and families. With the conquest of Hunza and Nager states by the British forces in December 1891, the fortified wall and watch towers of the old Baltit village and watch towers of the Baltit Fort on its north-western end were also demolished as desired by the British authorities.