Gojal (Wakhi: , Kyrgyz: ), also called Upper Hunza, is situated in northwestern Pakistan. It borders China at the Khunjerab Pass and the Shimshal valley, and Afghanistan at the Chapursan valley. In 2019, Gojal Valley became the second Karachukar sub-division within the Hunza District. It is geographically the largest subdivision of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Gojal or Upper Hunza is composed of a number of large and small valleys sharing borders with Central Hunza to the south, China in the northeast, and Afghanistan in the northwest. Ainabad is the first village of Gojal. Except for the Shimshal, Misgar, and Chapursan valleys, all the villages of Gojal can be seen from the Karakoram Highway (KKH), which passes through the tehsil and enters China at the Khunjerab Pass. The Gojal region has 20,000 Ismaili residents. Gojal is predominantly populated by the Wakhi people.

History

The valleys and villages of Gojal were settled over time by people from surrounding regions. Kyrgyz nomads initially used the areas in Upper Gojal as winter pastures. Wakhis migrated from Wakhan to this region, the Yishkuk, Chapursan Valley, the Avgarch area of Gircha and Sost villages were settled in the upper Gojal while in the lower Gojal is considered an ancient settlement. When Hunza was under the Central Government of Gilgit, the Ishkook settlement was wealthy and paid cattle and other dairy products to the Raja of Gilgit. As Hunza emerged as an independent state during the early 15th century so it can be inferred that different valleys in upper Gojal were inhabited by the Wakhi speaking migrants prior to the emergence of the Hunza state. Later, the oral history holds, a catastrophic flood destroyed the Ishkook settlement during the 18th century.

Abdullah Khan had five children including one daughter and four sons. The daughter named Mirona was the eldest amongst all and was married in his father's lifetime in Siriqol. Amongst his sons the eldest was Ali Parast who was married to Princes Bi Bi Aftab, the daughter of Mir Shah Ghazanfar, and was given Jagir in Hyderabad Hunza by Mir Shah Ghazafar however later during Ghazan Khan II's period migrated to Passu, others were Muhammad Bari, Ali Fatah, and Abdullah Beg. Muhammad Bari migrated to China with Mir Safdar Khan during the British invasion of Hunza in 1891. Ali Fatah was settled in Ghulkin and Abdullah Baig in Chapursan.

After the death of Mir Shah Salim Khan who was the first-ever Ismaili in Hunza, Shah Ghazanfar and Abdullah Khan was amongst the few people in Hunza who got exposure to the Ismaili faith and became Ismaili during the first half of the 1800s. Mir Shah Salim Khan accepted the Ismaili faith as a result of the discussions with an Ismaili missionary Said Shah Ardabil during his visit to Gulmit. Mir Shah Salim was the first person in Hunza whose funeral was performed as per the Ismaili Tariqah and Chiragh-i-Roshan was performed for the first time in the history of Hunza for him in Gulmit.

In the later part of the 1800s, a major landslide near Sarat village blocked river Hunza and in three years' time, a major lake was formed which inundated major parts of the villages of Gulmit, Hussaini, and Passu. A major portion of the fertile land and orchards came under the lake. Most recently on 4 January 2010, another major landslide occurred in the same area in Atta Abad village which again inundated parts of Shiskat, Ayeenabad, and Gulmit.

Shimshal

Shimshal valley is the most prominent village among all the valleys of Gojal. It lies at an altitude of 3,100 m (10,170.6&nbsp;ft) above sea level and is the highest settlement in the district. It is the largest valley in Gilgit-Baltistan and it covers almost area of Hunza District. Shimshal is a border village that connects the Gilgit-Baltistan area of Pakistan with China. The total area of Shimshal is approximately 3,800&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> and there are around 2000 inhabitants with a total of 250 households.

Shimshal valley along Hispar has its largest adventure area in Hunza and is a major attraction for tourists. Distaghil Sar is the highest mountain in the Shimshal Valley, part of the Karakoram mountain range in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It is the 19th-highest mountain on Earth and the 7th-highest in Pakistan. Disteghil sar is a Wakhi language word suggested by the Wakhi people of Shimshal, meaning "above the inner ranch." Shimshalis are to Pakistan as Sherpas are to Nepal. More than thirty well known mountaineers from this valley have made Pakistan proud in the field of tourism. Some people call it " The Valley of Mountaineers". Its mountains like Distaghil Sar (7,885 m), Kunjut Sar (7,790 m), Trivor (7,577 m), Pumari Chhish (W) (7,492 m), Yukshin Gardan Sar (7,530 m), Momhil Sar (7,343 m), Malungutti Sar (7,207 m) Shimshal Whitehorn (6,303 m) Minglik Sar (6,150 m), Lupghar Sar (7,200 m), Dut Sar (6,858 m), Sonia Peak (6,310 m), Purian Sar (6,293 m), Yazghail Sar (6,000 m), Yawash Sar II (6176 m) and others are well known among mountaineers. Gigantic glaciers include Malangudhi, Yazghail, Khurdopin (5,800 m), Braldu, Odver, Ver Zharav, and main passes are Chafchingoal, Khurdopin, Mai Dur, Braldu, Boi Sam and others, among which the Khurdopin glacier pass remains the most favorite destination for trekkers.

Shishkat

Shishkat is also known as Nazimabad Shishkat is the first village of Gojal valley which borders Gojal(upper Hunza) with central Hunza. The total population of the village is 2,160 individuals living within 220 households. This is dominantly a Burushaski-speaking village. However, a sizable population of Wakhi and Domaaki speakers also live in the village. The village was settled down in 1903 during the reign of Mir Nazim Khan. Before this, the barren lands were used as grazing land of the Gulmit village. Some Wakhi households from Gulmit also permanently settled down in Shishkat while the Burushaski and Domaaki people migrated from Central Hunza. The village also has historical significance because this was the battleground between the Wakhi population above Gulmit and the state of Nagar and Hunza.

Gulmit - The Sub-Division Headquarters

Gulmit Gircha has been flooded multiple times. Fossils and woods can be seen in the sediments of cliffs made visible by recent erosions.

A flood from Dilboy stopped the Khunjerav River which eroded the old village and fort. People relocated the fort but the erosion continued and people had settle new villages nearby, namely; Sost, Nazimabad, Moorkhun, Jamalabad and Ghalapan.

Residents include the Bobo Sufi clan, further divided into Rumi Kutor, Posh Kutor, and Arbob Kutor, some Wakhi later inhabited the place and are called Khik Kutor, in an era of Mir Nazim Burushaski families were also gifted lands in Gircha.

Gircha remains a center of interest for visitors around the world, there are various springs which run the activities of the village, fossils, corals, sea shells, oldest mosque and first school of the region, historic houses, and traditional irrigation channels are major mentions.

The village is self-sufficient due to its own electric powerhouse, traditional watermill, women run handicrafts vocational center, the first and only veterinary, spring water trout fish farm, a dispensary and well equipped library.

Sost

Sost Saif Uddin Saif, Rehmat Ullah Mushfiq, Afzal Karim, and many more. Most of these poets write in the Wakhi language.

Tourist sites

Shishkat

Shishkat is the first village in Gojal valley, coming from the South. The famous Attabad lake, also known as Gojal Lake is also located in Shishat and Gulmit village. Attabad Lake came into being after the village of Attabad was destroyed by a massive landslide on 4 January 2010. The landslide blocked the Hunza River gorge and formed a lake which, at its peak, stretched from the Attabad barrier to Passu, almost 24 kilometers long. The people of Shishkat are also famous for their hospitality.

Lupghar Sar is 109th on the list of world tallest mountains. It is located in Shimshal valley. It is part of the Momhail Sar cluster of mountains and has an elevation of 7,200 meters (23,622&nbsp; ft) above sea level. In the Wakhi language, Lupghar Sar translates as "the top of the big rock".

See also

  • Hunza Valley
  • Chipursan
  • Shimshal
  • Khunjerab National Park
  • Wakhi language
  • Burusho people

References

  • PAMIR TIMES
  • Gojal.net Archived from original
  • Gojal Photo Gallery
  • Gojal Eco Tourism Study
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20111007181705/http://www.passu.webs.com/]
  • [http://www.gulbaturpassu.com]
  • [https://ismailimail.blog/tag/gojal/]
  • [https://bioone.org/journals/mountain-research-and-development/volume-33/issue-4/MRD-JOURNAL-D-13-00013.1/The-Atta-Abad-Landslide-and-Everyday-Mobility-in-Gojal-Northern/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-13-00013.1.full]
  • [http://www.igirchabsa.webs.com]
  • [http://nceg.uop.edu.pk/GeologicalBulletin/Vol-23-1990/Vol-23-1990-Paper13.pdf]
  • Rasheed, Zeeshan, and Muhammad Kashif Ali. "History And Development of Cultural Proxies of Wakhi People of Gojal-Hunza Pakistan." International" Journal of Academic Research for Humanities" 3, no. 4 (2023): 239-248. https://www.academia.edu/123030944/HISTORY_AND_DEVELOPMENT_OF_CULTURAL_PROXIES_OF_WAKHI_PEOPLE_OF_GOJAL_HUNZA_PAKISTAN