Mir Safdar Ali Khan

Mir Safdar Ali Khan as a poor man in exile in Kucha, Sinkiang. He fled to Sinkiang when the British invaded Hunza-Nagar. He was the Mir/Tham (ruler) of Hunza from 1886-1892, he was born in 1865 and died in 1930. Photograph taken by Col. Reginald Schomberg probably in 1928.

Courtesy of Robert Wright & Pitt Rivers Museum Oxford University.

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PELLAZGO-ILIRET E AFGANISTANIT… TRASHEGIMTARET E LEKES SE MADH

PELLAZGO-ILIRET E AFGANISTANIT… TRASHEGIMTARET E LEKES SE MADH !!!
Postuar më Qershor 17, 2013 nga albanopoli -albanology nën ERNEST KOLIQI, Kategoritë e Mendimit, Shoqeria

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Where ripen Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and China, there is spout Hundza. It`s over 2500 m above sea level and surrounded by mountains seven thousand meter high. Pone this mountain altitude produced entirely of vegetables, fruits and whole grains endryshëm, there are produced from potatoes, beans, wheat, barley, watermelon, grape, cherry, apple, pear, peach and apricot. Residents are field-makers (farmers) have created wonderful Nail its system of irrigation and drainage, drainage channels called KULLSE. (Classifieds drainage) mountain top covered with glaciers called RAKAPOSHI (K-fell kahposhtë) supplies the valley with drinking water. Qafirstani seen as paradise on earth in northeast Pakistan, with beautiful lakes, ujëvaremahnitise, green forests intact, permanent snow and sun gently. But nukështë only country that fascinates. But who are the kafir? Hundëzakët live about 100-140 years. Residents living in harmony and kanëshëndet good time without disease are known to live in that world. A mother gives son tëlindur breasts to three years, and only two girls. In no partitions spout married couples. They call themselves hundëzakë because they live in valleys between mountains eka shape of the nose. Languages spoken by them is BURRUSHASKI (slip-burrërrisht), which is not written language. Men wear SHALVARE (Albanian: shal-sledge), while their gratëbluzën KAMISHA call. Their dances accompanied by drums, flutes and dancers jump apopipëzat capture hand in hand around. On festive occasions burratveshin wool cape called Peaks. October is a celebration of wine (alcoholic beverages). Gratënuk are covered with veils or headscarves Holiday is the most important of the Solar New Year. This celebration is called Uros NA (Classifieds). In a single day of December marriages performed all year. Hundëzakët etregojnë generations how their history have remained there since the III century p. e. s.dhe that originate from the time of Alexander the Great. Aristides Kola arvanitas historian in his book, Arvanites “writes. . . Big Alexandria, Illyrian his mother had increased his army with soldiers chosen Illyrians. But the Kliti pasvrasjes by Alexander the Great, note that the period of about six thousand ushtarëilirë were separated from the latter and being separated positioned separately in Braktane up Qafirstanin SAU focused on today. . . Spout, because they live in the geographical part of the form of Nasal. So we have to address a host of Illyria (today about 50 thousand of them) which remain to ngakoha of Alexander the Great, from the time of the conquest of the Kingdom of Darius of Persia. The place was called Qafirstan ihundëzakëve because not accept Islamization. (Qafirstan-country unbelievers). Hundëzakët lived for thousands of years as early pagan shekullitXIX until Amir Abdur Rahman Khan of Kufr has converted to Islam. (1895-1896). After the conquest of the Emir of Kabul place was named Nuristan (Spot Light). Qafirstani ishtepushtuar often Emir and certainly before their identities were downgraded, “Priest” of them were killed, burned religious centers, youth were taken by force to the military, the harem kursevajzat Khan. What is also important to hundëzakët today’s meujë mixed drink wine, as our ancestors Illyrians. People are tall, with white skin and red sunken cheeks, most of them with blue eyes, green and gray, hair, brown to yellow, gjëqë distinguishes the Afghans or Pakistanis tagjikët. Many of them leshkuq. Qafirstanit woman, “the Hundëzës Kalash women with her beauty only makes mashkullinjo kalash also lose his religion.” “When a Kalash woman drinks water dukegjarpëruar seen water down her throat during the beautiful” These zakonshmeqë are descriptions of the beauty and tenderness become kafir women. They are believed to be more white than ebardha. “From her skin veins seen through her white body.” While living high in the mountains of the Kalash tribe characteristic. Fundittë Kalash are animists of Central Asia. As a small group of five thousand persons have a history unlike other ngahundëzakët. Over the centuries Qafirstani was divided into two areas-it’s tëzinj kafir today are the kafir Kalash and red, their descendants now live in Nuristan qëiu subject of jihad Emir of Kabul. “The black kafir” live their faith today Animist, which is believed to edhedruri soul. With thousands of years Kalash have survived and maintained their unique culture, social and linguistic identity, but the new century has faced two new tëfundamentalizmit religious confrontation and climate change. Hundëzës and hundëzakëve study is of great importance for Albanian culture, sepsekanë lived thousands of years apart from the circle and also are popular store features, and customary language Illyrian-Albanian. Where are we? Pakistani media first started shkrujnë for this group of people during the 70-takur Qafirstani faced with hunger. Thanking Prime Zylfiqar Ali Bhutto (who was originally from hundëzakët), was declared tragedy and saved Gentiles, ndërsaAli Bhutto was their hero. But, with the advent of Deoband in force since 1979 (President Zia Ul Haq) the last shënoifillimin kafir (hundëzakëve). Who are Deoband? A Wahhabi version of Islam, who believe that only atadhe wahabitë should exist, other Islamic sects should disappear. Gjeneral Zija Ul Haq (himself a member of the sect Deobant) went so far as to side tablirrëve (tablirrët, stream deobantëve) islamizoi every corner of Pakistan. As a result of kësajtablirret (Taliban) forcibly entered Qafirstan taking over 70% of the territory and destroy everything indigenous and imposing harsh of Islam. The kidnap of Hundëzake-Kalash women and forced marriages to Muslim converted were and are one of the methods used today. The kidnaped women and forcibly married were not allowed to see their relatives përderisaedhe they do not take Islam as their religion. But is not the women also fsheftësi are sold with the way “that pays more.” transfer not allowed. Qafirirëve Poverty is also another major factor for tablirri-embracing Islam. The government does not give credits ot the kafir, and state police and justice of Pakistan nukkundërvehet never hundëzakëve property when attacked. Tablirret also play a hundëzakëve letërtjetër giving money to usury (which is against principles), and when they could not turn them on or else no way left tëislamohen or lose the property. Water is water and electricity only for Muslims, but the Kalash are deprived of the good ones. ËshtëSiberik Qafistanit winter, the conditions of life are papërshkruarshme. Mosques and ngrohtadhe are coursed with piped water, and Kalash houses of the snow should mërdhijnë shkrirëpër to drink. During the Kalash winter sleep and live together with the few domestic animals that kanë.S ‘no hospitals or Dispensary. Voices from coursed with magnifying read vargjekuranike day and night, and many die because they lack Kalash even elementarshëndetsor care, even recently, during the women’s birth. Thanks tablirrëve indigenous Kalash culture there më.Në almost 80 years it emerged that the wide end of the twentieth century will come to ekalashëve extinction, but is still alive about 2 to 3 thousand of them. Government of Pakistan’s kaformuar “Kalash Foundation for salvation and propagation of kafir culture. But the facts speak otherwise. CHES Valley Visitors must pay well to those people parëato countries. Visitor tickets given to depreciate called “kopshtitzoologjik ticket”. Thanks to this foundation have become artifakteantropologjike Kalash. To be the greatest irony, animal protection associations vajtojnëpër disappearance of any kind, and nobody raised their voice in defense, the tablirrët evazhdojnë recent settlement of European nations It is interesting that our neighbors have the courage to jump pathirrur our wedding. . . Greeks to send teachers for years, Greek schools open and convince the world përprejardhjen hundëzakëve like Greek, Slav-Macedonians and since 1996 dërgojnëlinguistë Slavs Kalash place to find continuity between language and the Macedonian-gjuhëssllavo burrerrishte. But the greatest irony is that in 2008 when Prime Fyromit, Gruevskithirri hundëzakë visiting Prince Ali Khan and Princess Gacanfer Roni Attica, as descendants of Alexander the Great, this just to show continuity with hundëzakët Macedonian Slavs (!) . . . . . . . Albanians our wedding and we put her veil and neglect.


     
Ata që njohin gjuhën e mistereve të qiellit e të tokës. Këta janë Hundëzakët, banorë të një lugine majë malesh, 2500 mt. mbi nivelin e detit, aty ku piqen Afganistani, Pakistani, Taxhikistani dhe Kina. Ata flasin Sanskritisht, sot e mijra vjet, e kjo gjuhë në fakt nuk është gjë tjetër përveçse gjuha antike pellazgo-iliro-shqiptare.

-këto vajza të vogla, si shumë moshatar të tyre që jetojnë këtyre majave, duken si banoret e fshatrave tona të thella malore, por ata janë thjesht banorë të Hundëzës, dhe trashëgimtarë të padiskutueshëm të Lekës së Madh-
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Për Hundëzakët nuk ka mëshirë! Të gjithë i kanë bezdi, për pastërtin dhe bukurin e rracës, për dinjitetin e tyre, sidhe për veçorinë e gjuhës që askush nuk ua kupton. Ajo gjuhë njeh dhe fsheh mistere të mëdha, tokësore e qiellore. Por bota ziliqare, malinje, mendon se ata duhet të zhduken! Por sa gabim e kane !!!


Para disa muajsh, atje, ne ato male u gjend një makineri shume e çuditshme, e fshehur ne nje shpelle, sigurisht nga banoret e zones, nga hundëzakët. Kjo ishte makina fluturuese, ajo që indianët e vjetër e konsideronin si kopja teknologjike e asaj qe realizon vet njeriu i plotesuar, njeriu qe fluturon vetem me fuqine (energjine) dhe teknikat e trupit te tij. Amerikanet, dmth, ushtaret qe pastronin ato male nga talebanet, u futen ne shpelle dhe gjeten kete relike, sidhe nje dokument qe pasqyronte teknologjine dhe formulen e ketij lloj fluturimi, si per makinen si per vete njeriun perfekt. Por ky dokument eshte i shkruar ne nje gjuhe qe askush nuk e njeh, perveç ketyre njerezve te mire e te vecante…!!! ………………………..

 Ne shqiptarët dasmës sonë ia vëmë vellon e harresës!Aty ku piqen Afganistani, Pakistani, Taxhikistani dhe Kina, aty është Hundëza.
   
Hundëzaështë mbi 2500 m mbi nivelin e detit dhe rrethohet me male 7 mijë metërshe të larta. Po në këtë lartësi mbidetare e krejtësisht malore prodhohen perimet, pemët dhe drithërat e ndryshëm, aty prodhohen prej patateve, fasules, grurit, elbit, shalqirit, rrushit, qershisë, mollës, dardhës, pjeshkës dhe kajsisë. Banorët janë arë-bërës(bujq) të mrekullueshëm dhe e kanë krijuar sistemin e vet të vaditjes e kullimit, kanalet kulluese pra, që quhen KULLSE (shqip kulluese).

 Mali i lartë i mbuluar me akullnaja quhet RAKAPOSHI ( shqip -ra kahposhtë) e furnizon luginën me ujë të pijshëm. Qafirstani shihet si parajsë në tokë në Pakistanin Verilindor, me liqene të bukur, ujëvaremahnitise, pyje të paprekura të gjelbra, borë të përhershme dhe diell të butë. Nuk është vetëm vendi që të magjeps. Por kush janë qafirët? Hundëzakët jetojnë rreth 100- 140 vjet. Banorët që jetojnë në harmoni të plotë dhe kanë shëndet të mirë pa sëmundje të kohës janë të njohur në botë se rrojnë gjatë.
Një djali të lindur nëna i jep gjinj deri në tre vjet, kurse vajzës vetëm dy. Në Hundëzë nuk ka ndarje të çifteve të martuara. E quajnë veten hundëzakë, sepse lugina mes malesh ku jetojnë eka formën e hundës. Gjuha e folur prej tyre është BURRUSHASKI ( shqip-burrërrisht),gjuhë e cila nuk shkruhet. Burrat veshin SHALVARE ( shqip:shal-vare), ndërsa gratë bluzën e tyre e quajnë KAMISHA. Vallet e tyre shoqërohen nga tupanët, fyejt apopipëzat dhe valltarët kërcejnë të kapur dorë për dore në rreth. Në raste festash burratveshin pelerinë leshi të quajtur çuka. Në tetor është festa e verës (pijeve alkoolike). Gratë nuk janë të mbuluara me perçe e as shamija.


-nje hundëzake dhe nje mirditore- (gjejeni dallimin)
Festa më e rëndësishme është ajo e Vitit të Ri Diellor. Ky festim quhet NA UROSH (shqip). Në një ditë të vetme të dhjetorit kryhen të gjitha martesat e vitit. Hundëzakët e tregojnë brez pas brezi historinë e tyre se si kanë mbetur aty që nga shekulli III p. e. s.dhe se e kanë prejardhjen që nga koha e Aleksandrit të Madh. Aristidh Kola, historian arvanitas në librin e tij , , Arvanitasit” shkruan. . . Aleksandri imadh, ilir nga nëna e tij e kishte rritur ushtrinë e tij me ushtarë të zgjedhur ilirë. Por pasvrasjes së Klitit nga ana e Lekës së Madh, atë periudhë e veçojmë se rreth 6 mijë ushtarëilirë u ndanë nga ky i fundit dhe veçuan duke u pozicionuar të veçuar në Braktane deri sau përqendruan në Qafirstanin e sotëm. . . Hundëza ,me qenë se pjesa gjeografike ku ata jetojnë e ka formën e Hundës. Pra, fjalën e kemi për një mori ilirësh ( e sot rreth 50 mijë sish) që kanë mbetur aty që ngakoha e Lekës së Madh, nga koha e pushtimit të Mbretërisë së Persisë të Dariusit. Vendi ihundëzakëve u quajt Qafirstan për shkak se nuk e pranuan islamizimin. (Qafirstan –vendi jobesimtarëve). Hundëzakët jetuan me mijëra vjet si paganë deri në fillim të shekullitXIX, deri sa Emiri Abdur Rrahman Khan i konvertoi qafirët në islam. (1895-1896). Pas pushtimit të Emirit të Kabulit vendi u quajt Nuristan (Vend i Dritës) . Qafirstani ishtepushtuar shpesh edhe para Emirit dhe sigurisht që identiteti i tyre u degradua, ”priftat “ e tyre u vranë, qendrat fetare ishin djegur, të rinjtë ishin marrë me zor për ushtri, kursevajzat për haremet e khanëve. Çka është e rëndësishme që hundëzakët edhe sot e kësaj dite e pinë verën e përzier meujë, si të parët tanë ilirët. Janë popull trupgjatë, me lëkurë të bardhë dhe mollëza të kuqe,shumica e tyre me sy të kaltër, të gjelbër dhe hiri, flokët e verdhë deri në ngjyrëkafe, gjëqë i dallon nga afganët, tagjikët apo pakistanezët. Shumë prej tyre edhe leshkuq. Femra e Qafirstanit, “femra kalashe e Hundëzës me bukurinë e saj e bën që mashkulli, jo vetëm kalash, të humbë edhe fenë e tij.” “Kur një grua kalashe pi ujë i shihet uji duke gjarpëruar teposhtë fytit të saj të gjatë e të bukur”, Këto janë përshkrime të zakonshme që i bëhen bukurisë dhe butësisë së femrës Qafire. Ato besohet të jenë më të bardha se e bardha. ” Nga lëkura e saj shihen edhe venat nëpër trupin e saj të bardhë “. Kurse lartë në male jeton fisi karakteristik i Kalashëve. Kalashët janë animistët e fundit të Azisë Qendrore. Si grup i vogël prej 5 mijë vetash e kanë një histori më ndryshe nga hundëzakët tjerë.

Me kalimin e shekujve Qafirstani u nda në dy zona- ajo e qafirëve të zinj e që sot janë kalashët dhe qafirët e kuq, pasardhësit e tyre sot jetojnë në Nuristan e që iu nënshtruan xhihadit të Emirit të Kabulit. “Qafiret e zinj” jetojnë edhe sot me besimin e tyre Animist, me të cilin besohet se edhe druri ka shpirt. Me mijëra vjet kalashët e kanë ruajtur dhe mbijetuar kulturën e tyre unike,identitetin social dhe gjuhësor, por shekulli i ri i ka përballur me dy përballje të reja tëfundamentalizmit fetar dhe ndryshimeve klimatike. Studimi i Hundëzës dhe hundëzakëve ka rëndësi të madhe për kulturën shqiptare , sepsekanë jetuar me mijëra vjet të veçuar nga rrethi dhe ashtu janë ruajtur tiparet popullore,gjuhësore dhe zakonore ilire-shqiptare. Ku jemi? Mediet pakistaneze filluan së pari të shkrujnë për këtë grup njerëzish gjatë viteve të 70-takur Qafirstani u ballafaqua me uri. Duke i falënderuar kryeministrit Zylfiqar Ali Bhutto( i cili ishte me origjinë nga hundëzakët), u shpall tragjedia dhe paganët shpëtuan, ndërsaAli Bhutto ishte hero i tyre. Por, me ardhjen e deobandëve në fuqi dhe viti 1979 (Presidenti Zia Ul Hak) e shënoifillimin e fundit të qafirëve (hundëzakëve). Kush janë deobandët? Një version Wahabi i islamit, të cilët mëndojnë se vetëm atadhe wahabitë duhet të ekzistojnë, sektet tjera fetare islame duhen të zhduken. GjeneraliZija Ul Hak (edhe vetë pjesëtar i sektit Deobant) shkoi aq larg sa me anën e tablirrëve(tablirrët, rrjedhë e deobantëve) e islamizoi çdo skutë të Pakistanit. Si rrezultat i kësajtablirret (talebanët) me forcë u futën në Qafirstan duke marrë mbi 70% të territorit dheduke shkatërruar çdo gjë autoktone hundëzake dhe duke iu imponuar Islamin në mënyratmë të vrazhda. Rrëmbimimi i femrave hundëzake –kalashe dhe martesat me dhunë për t’i konvertuarnë islam ishin dhe janë një prej metodave të përdorura edhe sot e kësaj dite. Femrave tërrëmbyera dhe të martuara me dhunë nuk iu lejohej të shihnin të afërmit e tyre përderisaedhe ata nuk e merrnin islamin si fe të tyre. Por, nuk është as fsheftësi kur femrat edhe janë shitur me mënyrën “se kush paguan më shumë”. Hundëzakëve nuk iu lejohet bartja earmëve. Varfëria e qafirirëve është po ashtu faktor tjetër i madh për përqafimin e tablirri-Islamit. Qeveria nuk jep kredite pë qafirët, kurse policia dhe drejtësia shtetërore e Pakistanit nukkundërvehet kurrë kur sulmohet prona e hundëzakëve. Tablirret luajnë edhe me një letërtjetër duke iu dhënë hundëzakëve para me fajde (që është kundër parimeve), dhe kur ata nuk mund t’i kthejnë më ato s’u mbetet gjë tjetër ose tëislamohen ose të humbasin pronën. Uji i ujësjellësit dhe rryma elektrike është vetëmpër myslimanët, kurse kalashët janë të privuar nga ato të mira. Dimri i Qafistanit ështëSiberik, e kushtet e jetës janë të papërshkruarshme. Xhamitë dhe mejtepet janë të ngrohtadhe me ujë nga ujësjellësi, kurse shtëpitë e kalashëve të mërdhijnë e bora duhet shkrirëpër t’u pirë. Gjatë dimrit kalashët flenë dhe jetojnë së bashku me shtazët e pakta shtëpiake që i kanë.S’ka spitale e as dispanzeri. Zërat me zmadhuese nga mejtepet ditë e natë lexojnë vargjekuranike, kurse shumë kalashë vdesin sepse iu mungon kujdesi edhe më elementarshëndetsor, bile së fundi edhe gjatë lindjës së grave. Duke iu falënderuar tablirrëve kultura autoktone kalashe thuaja se nuk ekziston më.Në vitët e 80-ta flitej se gjerë në fund të shekullit XX do të vijë deri te shuarja ekalashëve, por ja që janë ende gjallë nja 2 deri 3 mijë sish. Qeveria e Pakistanit e kaformuar “Fondacionin Kalash për shpëtimin dhe propagimin e kulturës Qafire. Por,faktet flasin ndryshe. Vizitorët e Luginës së kalshëve duhet të paguajnë mirë për t’i parëato vende e ata njerëz. Bileta që i jepet vizitorit quhet me nënçmim “biletë e kopshtitzoologjik”. Duke iu falënderuar këtij fondacioni kalashet janë shndërruar në artifakteantropologjike. Për të qenë ironia më e madhe, shoqatat për mbrojtjen e kafshëve vajtojnëpër zhdukjen e ndonjë lloji, kurse askush nuk e ngrit zërin në mbrojtje të tyre, e tablirrët evazhdojnë shlyerjen e paganëve të fundit evropianë Është interesant që fqinjët tanë kanë guxim që të pathirrur të kërcejnë në dasmën tonë. . .Grekët me vite të tëra dërgojnë mësues, hapin shkolla greke dhe e bindin botën përprejardhjen e hundëzakëve si grekë, kurse sllavo-maqedonasit që nga viti 1996 dërgojnëlinguistë sllavë në vendin e kalashëve për të gjetur vazhdimësi gjuhësore në mes gjuhëssllavo-maqedone dhe asaj burrerrishte. Kurse ironia edhe më e madhe është ajo e vitit 2008 kur kryeministri i Fyromit, Gruevskithirri në vizitë princin hundëzakë Gacanfer Ali Khanin dhe princeshën Roni Atika,si pasardhës të Lekës së Madh e kjo vetëm për të treguar vazhdueshmërinë sllavo –maqedonase me hundëzakët(!). . . . . . . kurse ne shqiptarët dasmës sonë ia vëmë vellon eharresës dhe të mospërfilljes.
p.s.
Ju falenderoj per vemendjen dhe interesin qe tregoni ndaj albanologjise. Ju repspektoj per qendrimet tuaja dinjitoze dhe kuptimplote. Pa ju bezdisur, do t`ju ftoja qe nese desheroni te kontribuoni ne realizimin e ketij misioni, pra vajtjen ne kete vend, midis Pakistanit dhe Afganiztanit, dhe realizimin e nje dokumentari te plote ne lidhje me keto fise iliro-shqiptare antike qe mbajne gjuhen tone dhe zakonet tona

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The land of long life people

What Is the Hunza Diet?

Fitti  is made from flour and water which is eat with tea specially in breakfast

There are many different diets available for people who wish to lose weight, live healthier lifestyles, or cure certain ailments. The Hunza diet is a low-fat option that has grown in popularity. The meal plan is based on the diet of the Hunza people of the Middle Eastern Kashmir Valley.

The Hunza people are known for their unusual longevity. Most members of the group live up to 120 to 140 years of age. When death comes, it is typically attributed to old age rather than the diseases that claim so many lives in the Western world. It is widely believed that this extreme longevity is due to the Hunza diet.

Unprocessed whole foods make up the backbone of the Hunza diet. Forty percent of total calories consumed come from whole grain foods, such as wheat, millet flour, buckwheat, or ground barley. Fresh vegetables make up an additional 30 percent of the diet. Mulberries, apricots, grapes, and other fresh fruits account for 15 percent of total calories in the diet.

Most of the rest of the diet includes beans and nuts or seeds. Of all of these foods eaten, most are consumed raw. Processing, if any, typically involves drying fruits in the sun. Milk and dairy products like yogurt are also eaten regularly, and provide protein as well as intestinal flora.

The Hunza diet typically includes a only small amount of meat. Traditionally, meat was reserved for celebrations or special occasions, though this could change when meat was readily available. This translates to a very low concentration of saturated fat by the Hunza people, preventing diseases such as gout, osteoporosis, kidney disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, kidney stones, colon diseases, and heart disease. Most of these conditions are considered the cause of death for many people in the West.

Results from the Hunza diet include a healthy digestive tract due to the high amount of fiber from the whole grain diet. Most of the Hunza people are said to possess a keen enthusiasm for life, as well as boundless energy. The diet is also credited with producing a calm serenity that counteracts the common stress involved with Western life. Long-lasting youth is another reported benefit of the Hunza diet.

Living as high as the peaks of the Himalayan Mountains, the Hunza are essentially cut off from the rest of the world. Their small population of 30,000 people are considered one of the happiest cultural groups in the world. Even at age 100, Hunza people do not consider themselves old. Some Hunza men produce children at this age.

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Journey to roof of the world

Although I am not fond of traveling to northern areas but this time I planned for the vacation to see how much Pakistan is blessed with the beauty of nature so I decided to visit the most beautiful place called Hunza Valley and Khunjerab Pass. With a group of 80 people from each age bracket we traveled breaking all the barriers of the false assumptions about the security issues and infrastructure issues and reached Khunjerab Pass (China Border).

We started our journey from Lahore. With the non-stop travelling we first reached Naran , crossing  Abbottabad and Balakot, stayed there for a while to gear up for next long journey. With the dirt road up we reached Babusar top which is a lonely, wind-swept mountaintop with no settlements in sight. It was so cold there that our hands were freezing. Chilas comes right after it.

Chilas which is the capital of Diamer District and is a small town located on the left bank of the Indus River. The Karakoram Highway (KKH) passes right through it and there is a PTDC motel for travelers going onwards to Gilgit and Skardu. For me, it was a creepy place where women were nowhere to be seen and its weather was too hot to bear. There were a few scattered villages with little children in rags playing on the roadside. It took more than two hours to cross it and then Gilgit comes. From Gilgit approximately there is five hours drive for Hunza.

Hunza is the northernmost part of a region known as the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It is a real life green paradise on earth. Aliabad is the main town while Karimabad is a popular tourist destination because of the spectacular scenery of the surrounding mountains like Ultar Sar, Rakaposhi, Bojahagur Duanasir II, Ghenta Peak, Hunza Peak, Passu Peak, Diran Peak and Bublimotin (Ladyfinger Peak), all 6,000 metres (19,685 ft) or higher. This place is like the story book where you find a lot of beautiful views green fields and apricot tress which looks like paradise. The famous Karakoram Highway crosses Hunza, connecting Pakistan to China via the Khunjerab Pass.

At night after two days travelling, finally we arrived at our hotel which was ‘Eagle Nest’. It is located on the apex of Hunza Valley and is just twenty minutes away from Karimabad town. This hotel is one of the famous places of Hunza where foreigners and visitors come and stay for a long time. Guests can easily reach hotel through carpeted road that is about six kilometer from Karimabad. We stayed here for three days and two nights.

In Hunza Valley, friendly people greet you everywhere. The women do not wear veils. There are many schools, also some especially for girls. One of the main activities of the locals is the cultivation of apricots. The local languages spoken include Burushaski, Wakhi and Shina, although most people understand and speak English and Urdu aswell. The literacy rate of the Hunza valley is believed to be more than 95%. Here people live with compassion and harmony. One of the most notable thing of the valley is that these people do not allow any outsider to buy any kind of property because they think it can affect their peace. People from Korea , China, Russia and other countries comes here and stay for months just because they trust these people and they feel good and fresh after spending their vacations. People are trustworthy and honest. You cannot see any kind of wastage on the roads too. Most of the people are highly qualified and if someone could not study due to some reason then there are some technical schools for those kids so that they could have some skills to live an independent life.

The visitors are overwhelmed by the rugged charm, the fragrant breeze singing through graceful poplar trees and the velvet-like green carpet of wheet fields, set against the background of snow-covered mountains.

After a long journey, when we woke up in the morning, a surprise was waiting for us, the beautiful view of the mountains from our room balcony. This view really surprised us all.   From the hotel we could view 11 top peaks and among them most popular were Rakaposhi, Ultar Peak, Golden Peak, Diran Peak and Lady Finger. After breakfast our tourist guides planned hiking for us. We climb the mountain which was near to our hotel and it was great fun. In the night the hotel management arranged a musical night for all their tourist staying there so that people get to know about the culture and music of Hunza.

Musical night was superbly arranged in which the famous musician of that area performed and made all the audience spell bound with their talent, music and dance. One of the musician was a polio patient but was blessed with talent of playing flute. He played it excellently. It was most amazing time we had there.  Biker Moin Khan also joined us there and shared some of his views about the town. His fellow friends also gave their contribution in music and sung a wonderful song.

On the next day, we went to Khunjerab Pass (China Broader). It took almost one hour from our hotel to Attabad lake from where we had to sit in boats and cross the lake where jeeps were waiting to take us to the broader.

The Attabad Lake was formed following a massive landslide in 2010, which buried 20 people beneath it and blocked the flow of River Hunza, creating a natural dam. The water has displaced thousands of people and inundated over 19 kilometers of the Karakoram Highway. It has clean blue water. Boats ferry people, their belongings and even cars from one side to the other, all through the day. Even the trucks coming from China, carrying material and equipment for the Karakoram Highway construction have to cross the lake on a barge. It takes almost 45 minutes to cross the lake.  Further there was four hours drive to reach the broader. There is a city called ‘Sust’ which comes in the middle of Karakoram Highway. This town has an important place on the highway for all passengers and cargo transport because all traffic crossing the Pakistan-China border passes through this town. On our way we also found a melting glacier and flow of the water was fast. After a long dive we reached China Broader and it was an awesome feeling to be there. Weather was very normal there. We stayed there for an hour, met the soldiers who were serving there and had a good conversation with them. When we were on the way back to the lake, the melting glacier became hinder for us as in night the flow of the water was too much fast that we could not cross that small path on our vans. After waiting almost two hours near the glacier, a big truck came to take us to the lake. The group of 80 people was shifted in the truck. The road was bumpy and it was a difficult way to cross it. By the time reached the lake at late night. After reaching near lake first we have to take the permission from DCO of that area as it was not allowed to travel in lake after evening. After the permission we again seated in the boats and crossed the lake where our buses were waiting for us. It was a wonderful experience to cross that beautiful lake in the mid night with the light of moon only. Through it seems horrible at the same time but we all made that moment very memorable with our jokes.  That day became the most adventurous day of our trip.

Next day, the time came to say bye bye to people of Eagle Nest hotel who were very friendly and generous. We did some shopping from the shops inside the hotel. These shops have handmade jewllery, clothes and caps from which their culture reflects. The entire staff of the hotel and the owner himself was very kind and benevolent. With their blessing we say them good bye.

Coming down from the hotel, we stayed at Karimabad for some hours to explore their bazaar and also to see the Baltit castle.  The fairy-tale like castle of Baltit, was built about 600 years ago. It is situated on the top of a hill from where it overlooks the whole valley. Stilted on massive legs, its wooden bay windows look out over the valley. Originally, it was used the resistance of the Mirs (the title of the former rulers) of Hunza. Baltit Fort is three-storey building with 53 rooms. The main gate opens into a dark hall or corridor on the ground floor. The fort has been well kept. It maintains a museum, library and a nice restaurant. The credit goes to the Agha Khan Trust for Culture. There are guest rooms, kitchens, storerooms, prisons and living rooms attached to this corridor. A wooden staircase goes up through a square opening in the floor above. Preservation at its best, this Fort serves as a perfect example of culture restored and preserved for the future generations of the mountain people.

After visiting bazaar and fort we moved to the way back to Lahore. With incredible peeks, beauty of hunza, this trip not only gave all of us a respite from our daily dull routines; also it gave us the chance to explore new things. The most memorized time is the visit to the china broader. Despite of bumpy rides, difficult roads, the trip did not lose its charm and fun. Our tourist guide ‘The Traveller’, thanks to them for arranging such amazing and pleasant trip for all of us. Your smiling faces and efforts gave us courage and motivate us to all come all the difficulties.    

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Hunza: another view

With reportedly the highest GDP per capita and a literacy rate of above 80pc, the Hunza valley, originally famous for its natural beauty and high life expectancy rates, has been dubbed as a successful model of development within Pakistan and abroad.

The models of poverty alleviation pursued by a number of non-profits were soon replicated in all Pakistani provinces and even in neighbouring countries.

Whether Hunza still remains a successful model of development in the developing world is debatable. Much has changed in the economics of poverty and development, and the combination of high income and high literacy rate might not have translated to societal improvement.

Contemporary economics of human development puts more weight on the quality of living standards, access to health and education, freedom of choice, ability to participate in local decision-making etc. Deprivation in these areas may lead to multidimensional poverty. Based on Mahbabul Haq’s human development foundations, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen introduced this path-breaking concept of multidimensional poverty.

This seems applicable to Hunza where conventional economics failed to capture the multidimensional aspects of well-being. Take health. Despite being the richest region in terms of per capita income, almost all Hunza villages are without basic health facilities. Hospitals in Aliabad and Karimabad, the two major towns, are hardly equipped to handle complicated pregnancies, major accidents or serious illnesses.

Likewise, Gojal, the upper part of Hunza, which remains cut off from the rest of the region due to the formation of the Attabad lake, is reported to have not even a single medical practitioner. Picture a situation where you get sick and are stuck in Gojal because of a frozen lake; even though you have enough money to pay the doctor, no medical service is available.

Ironically, life expectancy, a major development indicator in yesteryear Hunza, has plummeted, thanks to increasing diseases like cancer and other illnesses. The alkaline water, once the secret of longevity in Hunza, now seems to be the reason for disease, along with other factors. There have been reports that tap water is contaminated in the few villages lucky enough to have a drinking water supply.

Likewise, many primary school-going children in remote villages within Hunza have no access to quality education; their parents of course can sell their potatoes and cherries to pay for their children’s tuition fee but in some cases there’s no school within five kilometres of their residence. How parents manage to send their offspring to school is another story.

The list of dirty laundry to be aired is too long. It ranges from the lack of proper sanitation facilities and of supply systems for drinking water to mounting income disparity, the absence of electricity and unprecedented corruption that has been inflicted on Hunza by imported development models. The failure of high per capita income and a high literacy rate to manifest themselves in societal development arises for two reasons: firstly, while the Western world was incorporating this aspect in its development models and public policies, the models that were executed here were more skewed corporate models that accentuated individualism rather than collectivism.

While Professor Elinor Ostrom was winning the Nobel Prize for encapsulating friendship, fairness, trust, and reciprocity as reasons for the enduring success of common resource pools in rural societies, the latter were relying on outdated Western development models of competition that neglected overall societal improvement.

Community decision-making is an integral part of politics says renowned political scientist Deborah Stone. Contrary to that, the parochial political culture in Hunza is an outcome of the desire of some to emerge as rapid game-changers rather than to facilitate the change stemming from within the society itself.

Secondly, the government has given short shrift to the entire development episode in Hunza, and shied away from its responsibility of providing basic civic amenities. More astonishing is the apathetic behaviour of the masses towards societal development as no noticeable voice has been raised for civic rights in the last many decades.

The bottom line is that, the flawed notion of development in Hunza undertaken by non-profits eventually gained currency among the masses and was accepted and pushed by governments to save their own funds.

The masses were thus mesmerised by an illusionary development metaphor and many believe they were in fact ‘developed’. For that reason, they might not demand their civic rights that are crucial to any society.

Until the public remains apathetic, neither the government nor the non-profits can have any reason to work for the genuine societal development of Hunza. ‘Development’ in Hunza, however, remains a success story for classical economists — the adherents of capitalism.

The writer is pursuing a doctoral degree on Gilgit-Baltistan.

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Local sightseers inject new life into Hunza valley

Tourists visit the Baltit fort in Karimabad, a town of the northern Hunza valley.

After a slump in foreign visitors triggered by a deadly attack last year, a new wave of local sightseers has saved tourism in Pakistan’s idyllic northern Hunza valley — but not everyone is happy.

Though there are no official figures, hotel owners say large numbers of domestic tourists are visiting in unprecedented numbers, heading north to escape the sizzling heat of summer that lasts well into October.

In the valley’s main town of Karimabad, they snap pictures at the ancient Baltit Fort, a resplendent 1st century redoubt from where they can take in breathtaking views of lush forests and snow-capped peaks that have attracted the best climbers from around the world.

International tourism once helped shape the Gilgit-Baltistan region but it has slowed to a trickle after the killing of 10 foreign climbers at the base camp of Nanga Parbat mountain last year ended a post 9/11 revival.

In their place have come visitors from eastern Punjab, and the city of Karachi.

Though their business is both welcome and vital, cultural differences also highlight the growing gap between the religiously conservative south and traditionally secular north,
according to observers.

Some complain the local guests can be disrespectful toward the liberal traditions that have long set the area apart from the rest of the country, and are prone to spoiling the region’s natural beauty by
littering.

Others say they don’t spend as much as foreign tourists.

“This year there are no foreigners, only Pakistanis and the Pakistanis don’t buy things from here as they don’t need it,” said Saddar Karim, who owns a forlorn-looking trekking shop, adding Pakistanis usually aren’t interested in climbing.

Bewitched by the region’s splendour, as well as the famed hospitality of its mainly Ismaili Muslim inhabitants, foreign visitors in the late 20th century helped create around a dozen schools and have invested heavily in hundreds of others that dot the villages of the countryside.

One such is Hasegawa Memorial Public School established in 1995 to commemorate renowned Japanese mountaineer Tuseno Hasegawa who is buried in the lap of the mountain, as per his will.

Schools like Hasegawa introduced English as the medium of instruction and played a major role in boosting the region, say locals.

“International tourism has made a tremendous contribution in the socio-economic uplift of Hunza and we should be thankful for that,” said Imtiaz Ali, owner of Hunza Holidays, a leading tour operator.

International tourism took a major hit after Pakistan joined hands with the US in its war against terror after 9/11.

Sherbaz Kaleem, manager of the ancient Baltit Fort, said that during peak season before 2001, “we used to receive almost 200 - 300 international community tourists” daily.

The numbers were reduced to a trickle, but began to pick up once again later that decade.

The slow recovery came to a screeching halt last June, when gunmen shot dead 10 foreign tourists at the base camp of the Nanga Parbat — giving a new meaning to its nickname among climbers “Killer Mountain”.

It was the deadliest assault on foreigners in the country for a decade.

Kaleem said many people cancelled visits to Hunza while those at Baltit fort came numbered two to three every day. “Even then they were afraid and many people told them that they should go back.”

Ali of Hunza Holidays said the industry was now re-orienting itself to focus on the local
market.

“I think it’s time now that we should focus on domestic tourism as unlike international tourism it is more viable and is not very much affected by the
political and security situation.”

It can help to create bridges of understanding between the various cultures of Pakistan,” he added.

Others are less enamoured of their new guests.

“The domestic tourists spread a lot of pollution in the area, they throw the trash everywhere,” grumbled Ahmed Ali Khan, a guesthouse owner.

Residents also complained that their cultural values, including their traditionally open and tolerant Ismaili Islam, were
under siege.

Aziz Ali Dad, a social commentator, said: “The difference between domestic and international tourists is that the international tourists are more conscious about the local values and respect them - which is not the case with the domestic tourists.”

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A woman tends her potato field in the fortified village of Altit. The village, in the Hunza region, is over 1,000 years old.

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Hunza is situated at the point where Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and China meet. It is over 2500 m above sea level and is surrounded by seven-thousand-meter-high mountains. But at this entirely mountainous elevation there are grown vegetables, various fruits and grains such as potatoes, beans, wheat, barley, watermelon, grape, cherry, apple, pear, peach and apricot.

The Inhabitants are great farmers and they have created their own system of irrigation and drainage; the drainage channels are called KULLS. The high snowcapped mountain, which is called RAKAPOSHI (ra kah posht – Albanian for fell downwards), supplies the valley with drinking water. Hunza people, who live in complete harmony and enjoy good health without the diseases of the time, are known in the world for their longevity.

They live up to approximately 100-140. Hunza mothers breastfeed their sons up to 3 years, whereas their daughters only up to 2 years. There is no separation of married couples in Hunza. They call themselves Hunza (=small nose in Albanian) people or Hunzakurt because of the Hunza valley’s shape like a nose. They speak BURRUSHASKI (burrërrishtja- Albanian for manliness language) which is an unwritten language.

Men wear SHALVARE, while women call their shirt KAMISHA (Albanian for Shirt). Their traditional dances are accompanied by drums, flutes or reed-pipes as they dance hand in hand forming a circle. On festive occasions men wear a woolen cape called Çuka. The wine (alcoholic beverages) festival is in October. Women do not cover their face or head with veils.

The most important holiday is the Solar New Year which is called NA UROSH (Albanian for Wish Us). All the year’s weddings are organized on a single day in December. Hunza people tell from one generation to another their story, how they have remained in the Hunza valley since 3rd century B.C., and that they have descended from the time of Alexander the Great.

Aristidh Kola, arvanitas historian writes in his book “Arvanites”: . . . Alexander the Great, Illyrian by his mother had expanded his army by choosing Illyrian soldiers. But the period after Cleitus was murdered by Alexander the Great constitutes a very significant moment because about 6 thousand Illyrian soldiers left the latter and stayed apart in Braktane until they settled in today’s Kafirstan. . .So we are referring to a large number of Illyrians (about 50 thousand of them) who have remained there since the time of Alexander the Great, since the invasion of Darius’s Kingdom of Persia. The region occupied by them was called Kafirstan (land of the infidels) because they did not accept Islamization. Hunzakuts lived for thousands of years as pagans until the early nineteenth century when Amir Abdur Rahman Khan converted them to Islam. (1895-1896).

After Emir of Kabul‘s conquest, the region was renamed Nuristan (Land of Light). Kafirstan had often been object of invasion before Emir and certainly their identity degraded, their “priests” were killed, religious centers were burned, young boys were forcefully recruited into the military forces, and young girls into Khans’ harems.

What is important is that Hunsakuts, just like our Illyrian ancestors, still drink wine mixed with water. They are tall, with a light skin and red cheek bones. Most of them have blue, green or gray eyes and blond hair, which distinguishes them from the Afghans, Pakistanis and Tajikistanis. Many of them are also red-haired.

High up in the mountains lives a peculiar tribe, the Kalash. The Kalash people are the last surviving animist in Central Asia. As a small group of 5 thousand persons, they have a slightly different history from the other Hunzakuts. Over the centuries Kafiristan was divided into two zones- the zone of the Black Kafirs who are the present day Kalasha people and the zone of Red Kafirs whose descendants still live in Nuristan. The latter subdued to Emir of Kabul’s jihad.

Black Kafirs still cling to Animism, the belief that all things have a soul even wood. For thousands of years Kalash people have survived and preserved their unique culture and their social and linguistic identity, but the new century has faced them with two great challenges: religious fundamentalism and climate changes.

fahri 5Studying Hunza and Hunzakuts is of great importance to Albanian culture, because they have lived for thousands of years apart from the rest of the world which has helped the preservation of Illyrian-Albanian customs and linguistic features.

It is interesting how our neighbors, although uninvited, have the courage to dance in our wedding. . . In fact Greeks for years have sent teachers, open schools and convinced the world of the Hunzapeople’s Greek origin, whereas Slavic-Macedonians have been sending Slavic linguists in Kalash since 1996. Their purpose is to find linguistic continuity between the Slavic-Macedonian language and the burrerrisht.

But the most ironic event took place in 2008 when the FYROM’s Prime Ministers Gruevski invited for a visit the Hunza Prince Ali Khan and Princess Gacanfer Roni Atika, as descendants of Alexander the Great. All of this was supposed to show the Slavic-Macedonian continuity with Hunza people (! ). . . . . . . On the other hand, Albanians have covered their wedding with a veil of oblivion and disregard.

Translated and edited by Margarita Paci

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ALTIT FORT HUNZA

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Security guard at Baltit fort Karimabad Hunza

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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.

Hunza Rajah and Tribesmen in 1981.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 compared 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. In 1950, John Clark reported 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 probable since the Persian women taken as captives were likely the best looking. See page 69 in John Clark's book.

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 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.

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Why humans of Hunza live long ?  most of people are really amazed by this question .

well humans of Hunza eat simple and pure food like Fiitti which is made from flour and Water . Hunza butter is also famous around the world . in Breakfast most of people eat above things like fitti , tea, egg is eat very rarely and Butter daily .

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Football is like life - it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority
                                                        Seen at Karimabad Hunza
                                             Ever shine football club Aliabad Hunza Players

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Kid

                     “The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.”

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'Having a big brother makes the whole world less scary.'

Deedar Alam and Danish

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                           A people without knowing there past history is like tree without roots

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                                   “Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.”
                                                  Seen at Hunza cultral Mela Islamabad
                                                         Photo credits : Arslan Haider

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This is the to way the Heavens

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Sword Dance in Hunza Valley

Sword dance is very famous in Hunza Valley. It is believed that the Kings of Hunza state train their army through music. There are very different kinds of musics in hunza culture. Sword Fight music is one of them, it is a special music on which each fighter practices his moves. Today Humans of Hunza keep their tradition, and perform this dance in each cultural events.

Traditional Sword Dance of Hunza

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