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.
The dominance of Central Hunza or Kanjud became significant during Mir Shah Salim Khan's period (1790-1824). Shah Salim Khan was raised by his foster mother, lady Gulbahar, wife of Ashoor of the Budlay family of Gulmit Gojal. Lady Gulbahar was the daughter of Qazi Makhtum, the Qazi of Wakhan. When Shah Salim Khan became the Mir of Hunza he paid attention to the expansion of the settlements of Gulkin and Gulmit and initiated the resettlement of Chipusan to increase revenue. One of the wives of Salim Kha, Princes Khushal Begum was the daughter of Qalam Ashqagha of Siriqol. On her wedding, Khushal Begum's father gifted her agriculture and grazing land and rights over collection of taxes from settlements in Siriqol. Through this, the state of Hunza extended its control to the areas of Siriqol. From Khushal Begum Mir Salim Khan had a son named Shah Abdullah Khan who was the youngest amongst five other sons of the Mir. Mir Shah Salim Khan died in 1824 in Gulmit. Subsequently, his elder son Shah Ghazanfar Khan (1824-1864) became the Mir of Hunza. Mir Shah Ghazanfar deputed his younger brother Shah Abdullah Khan as the Governor of Gojal and also assigned him the additional responsibility of the Commander of the forces of Hunza. It was this time when the resettlement of Chipursan valley was materialized by moving families from Gulmit, Gulkin, Hussaini, and Passu villages and bringing major parcels of land under irrigation. During this period Hunza emerged as a regional power and extended its borders to Siriqol, Yarqand, and Wakhan. The Wakhi people of Gojal emerged as warriors and took part in many wars. The forces of Hunza fought and won wars against Khojas, Kyrgyz people, and Badakhshan. During Abdullah Khan's period, Gojal emerged as a stronghold and the center became increasingly dependent both for its revenue and military power on Gojal. This increasing dependency on Gojal and increasing power of Abdullah Khan was seen as a threat by many in the center which resulted in the murder of Abdullah Khan by prince Ghazan Khan, the elder son of Mir Shah Ghazanfar with support from a group of killers from Altit and Karimabad. Ghazan Khan later murdered his father Mir Shah Ghazanfar also and became the Mir of Hunza.
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 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 km2 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 is the administrative headquarters of the Gojal Sub-Division. Gulmit is a centuries-old historic town, with mountains, peaks and glaciers. It is a tourist spot and has many hotels, shops and a museum. It is located above the sea level. Gulmit consists of small hamlets called Kamaris, Odver, Dalgiram, Laksh, Kalha, Shawaran, Khor Lakhsh, Chamangul, and Goze. Gulmit is home to around 4,000 people, all of them Wakhi-speakers and followers of the Ismaili school of thought of Shia Islam.
Before 1974, when Hunza was a state, Gulmit used to be the Summer Capital of the state. After the abolition of the state it became the Tehsil's seat of government. The oldest intact house in Gulmit is more than six centuries old.
There are six Jama'at Khanas or religious community centers in Gulmit. One notices their presence in every ward of the village. The old Summer Palace of Mir of Hunza stands at the northern edge of Gulmit's historic Polo Ground. Old mosques, now used as libraries, also adorn the beautiful physique of Gulmit valley.
Among new buildings constructed by the government in Gulmit are Tehsil Headquarters, Federal Government's Boys High School, Civil Hospital, Diamond Jubilee Girls Middle School, and Government Girls Higher Secondary School.
Al- Amyn Model School, a community-based organization, has a beautiful building standing next to the Health Center of Aga Khan Health Services.
Settlement of Passu Passu is located at 125 km from Gilgit on the KKH near the border of China and is surrounded by the mountains of the Karakoram range. Its neighborhood also includes two large glaciers: Batura and Passu Glacier. It is one of the most dangerous places to live in due to the continuous threat of floods and has been flooded four times in the past. Passu is also one of the most ancient villages in the area. According to archeologists, the first human settlement in the area dates back to 3000 BC or 5000 BC. There are many ancient rock carvings of ibex and zebra on several rocks, showing that ibexes have been around in the valley for many millennia, but the area no longer houses zebras. Other wildlife animals here are snow leopards and yaks. In the second settlement era, Chinese Buddhists lived here. The Buddhists of Gandhara, Swat, Gilgit, and Passu traveled from via this valley to go to China. Records of this settlement and subsequent migration are found in Karga Gilgit and Khurramabad Passu. The third settlement in the history of this valley is the Islamic era. Islam came to this area in the ninth century when Muslim soldiers and traders ventured to the region. Quranic verses were etched in the mountains around the valley during this era.
The fourth era was also Islamic, which was settled here in the 18th century. This time, the area boasted a vibrant populace of 315 families. However, this village was destroyed by a natural disaster with a landslide and the nearby river was blocked. Only a few families remained safe by the landslide. This village was destroyed once again in 1964 when the population was forced into migration by the flooding of the Shimshal River and erosion around the river bank. This time around too, the village had some 300 houses.