Location: Gilgit–Baltistan region Map
Elevation: 8,000 ft (2,438 m)
The Hunza (Urdu: ہنزہ) is a valley traced by the river of the
same name near those of Gilgit and Nagar, located in the
Gilgit-Baltistan region, Pakistan.
The Hunza valley
extends for approximately 7,900 km². The main city is Karimabad
(formerly called Baltit), also known as a tourist attraction for
the spectacular landscape given by majestic reliefs, such as the
Rakaposhi 7,788 m, the Ultar Sar (7,388 m) and the Bojahagur
Duanasir II (7329 m), and also Ghenta, Hunza, Diran and Bubli
Motin, peaks that all exceed 6000 m.
This region is also
known as the place where Shangri-La is located, the land where
youth is eternal. The American writer James Hilton was inspired
in the valley for his novel Lost Horizon (1933), staged in two
films: the first in 1937 and a remake in 1973.
Baltit Fort (Hunsa Valley)
stands on a rocky spur above Karimabad in the Hunza Valley of
Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, where it once served as the royal
residence of the Mirs of Hunza for centuries.
The oldest core
of the fort, a defensive stone-and-timber tower, dates to the
8th century, with later expansions that culminated in major work
in the 15th or 16th century after Mir Ayasho II married Princess
Shah Khatun of Baltistan, whose artisans introduced Tibetan and
Ladakhi elements that give the structure a tiered form sometimes
compared with the Potala Palace.
Strategic placement on the
moraine below the Ultar Glacier allowed the rulers to oversee
the valley, control water channels, and monitor Silk Road
routes, and the fort remained the seat of power until the Mirs
moved to a new palace in 1945.
After decades of decay, the
Aga Khan Trust for Culture restored the fort between 1990 and
1996 using traditional earthquake-resistant cribbage techniques,
and it reopened as a museum run by the Baltit Heritage Trust
while remaining on Pakistan’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative
List since 2004.
Inside, visitors walk through restored royal
chambers, kitchens, audience halls, and wooden-balconied
terraces that blend stone masonry with carved timberwork
reflecting Balti, Kashmiri, and local craftsmanship.
From the
upper levels the view stretches across Karimabad’s apricot
orchards and the Hunza River to the towering face of Rakaposhi
and the surrounding Karakoram peaks, making the fort one of the
most photographed landmarks in northern Pakistan.
Access is
by a short uphill walk of about 15 minutes from the Karimabad
bazaar, with entry fees typically higher for foreign visitors,
guided tours available, and opening hours generally from morning
until late afternoon, though visitors should confirm details on
site.
Hunza was formerly a princely state bordering China to the
north-east and the Pamirs to the north-west, surviving until
1974, when it was finally dissolved by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It
was bordered by Gilgit Agency to the south and the erstwhile
princely state of Nagar to the east. The capital was the town of
Baltit (also known as Karimabad).
Hunza was an
independent principality for more than 900 years. The British
gained control of Hunza and the nearby Nagar valley between 1889
and 1892, following bloody clashes. The then thom (prince) Mir
Safdar Ali Khan of Hunza fled to Kashghar in China, seeking what
today may be called political asylum.
First Muslim thum
«The ruling family of Hunza is called Ayeshe (divine), from the
following circumstance. The two states Hunza and Nager were
previously united into one, governed by a branch of the
shahreis, the ruling family of Gilgit, whose seat of government
was Nager. Tradition reports that Mayroo Khan, apparently the
first Muslim thum of Nager almost 200 years after the
introduction of the Islamic religion to Gilgit, married a
daughter of the trakhan of Gilgit, who gave birth to twins
called Moghlot and Girkis. From the first descended the current
ruling family of Nager. Legend has it that the twins had shown
hostility towards each other since birth. Their father seeing
this and unable to solve the problem of succession, to satisfy
them both, divided his state into two parts (whose border was
marked by the river), giving Girkis the north and Moghlot the
south. »
Thum
The traditional name given to the ruler
of Hunza was thum, being also a name of respect used both by the
Hunza people and by the Nager people belonging to the Boorish
tribe. Shin use the term yeshkun for boorish.
«Both thums
are still referred to with the revered title soori. This appears
to have the same meaning as sri, a prefix commonly given to the
names of Hindu princes in India, to denote their honor and
prosperity. The wives of the thum are called ghenish, a word
almost identical to the original Sanskrit word for mother, and
their children are called gushpoor."
Hunza Valley lies in the Karakoram range of Gilgit-Baltistan,
northern Pakistan, at roughly 2,400–2,500 meters elevation along
the Hunza River. For centuries it formed one of the most direct
overland corridors from the high mountains of Central Asia
toward the ancient kingdoms of Swat (Uddiyana) and Gandhara
farther south. Travelers and traders moving between the Tarim
Basin, the Pamirs, and the plains of the subcontinent had few
practical options; the valley’s narrow, controlled routes
offered a comparatively short path despite their extreme
difficulty.
The old trails were too narrow and broken for
pack animals. Only human carriers could use them, and only with
the permission of the local people who controlled the passes.
Paths were often less than half a meter wide, clinging to sheer
rock faces, crossing crevasses, and running beneath unstable
cliffs. Sudden rockfalls, landslides, and bad weather made every
crossing hazardous. Chinese accounts called these routes the
terrifying “hanging passages” (xuandu, or suspended crossings).
Related Sanskrit terms such as śaṅkupatha (“peg-path”) describe
the technique of driving wooden pegs into the rock and using
ropes or plank sections to edge along the cliffs. Even
experienced travelers, including the famous 7th-century Buddhist
monk Xuanzang, found them daunting. Earlier pilgrims such as
Faxian also left vivid descriptions of rope bridges, iron
chains, and narrow ledges where a slip meant a fatal fall into
the gorge below. Locally, remnants of these cliff paths
(sometimes called rafiqs) remain visible in places and
illustrate why the valley was so hard to traverse.
Because of
this natural defensibility, Hunza long remained an independent
mountain principality ruled by the Mirs (earlier known by the
Burushaski title Thum) from strongholds such as Baltit Fort and
the older Altit Fort. Altit Fort, with its Shikari Tower, is
among the oldest standing monuments in Gilgit-Baltistan, with
core elements dating roughly to the 10th–11th century. Baltit
Fort, above modern Karimabad, has core structures from around
the 8th century and was substantially rebuilt in the 16th
century after a Mir married a Balti princess; craftsmen from
Baltistan introduced Tibetan and Ladakhi architectural
influences, including the tiered form and wooden balconies. Both
forts commanded views over the valley and the trade routes. The
Mirs maintained complex tribute relationships, including
occasional payments or recognition toward authorities in
Yarkand, while remaining largely autonomous until the late 19th
century. British forces occupied Hunza in 1891; the last ruling
Mir’s powers were abolished in 1974 when the state was
integrated into Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region. Today both
forts have been restored (with major work by the Aga Khan Trust
for Culture) and serve as museums and cultural sites; Baltit is
on Pakistan’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
Petroglyphs at the Sacred Rock of Hunza (Haldeikish) near Ganish
record centuries of traders, pilgrims, and messengers moving
through the valley. The name Haldeikish is linked to “a place of
many male ibex,” and the rocks carry thousands of carvings and
inscriptions in scripts including Bactrian, Sogdian, Kharosthi,
Brahmi, Tibetan, and Chinese, along with images of ibex,
horsemen, and other motifs. Dating mainly to the 1st millennium
AD, the site confirms Hunza’s place in the wider Silk Road and
Buddhist networks that linked Central Asia with the Gandharan
world. It sits near the modern Karakoram Highway between Ganish
and Attabad Lake and is easily visited.
The people of the
valley are primarily the Burusho (also called Hunzakuts), who
speak Burushaski, a language isolate with no known relatives.
They are predominantly Ismaili Muslims, with smaller Shia
communities. Terraced apricot orchards, traditional stone and
timber architecture, and a strong sense of mountain identity
remain visible throughout the area.
May typically brings daytime highs around 20–27 °C and nights
near 10–14 °C; by October highs fall to about 10–18 °C and
nights can drop toward freezing or below. The practical tourist
season runs from May to October. Outside these months the
Karakoram Highway is often affected by snow on higher sections
toward the Khunjerab Pass, though the main valley road remains
more accessible than some neighboring high routes. Spring
(apricot and cherry blossom time) and autumn (clear views and
golden poplar and apricot foliage) are especially popular, with
dramatic vistas of peaks such as Rakaposhi (7,788 m), Ultar Sar
(around 7,388 m), and the Passu Cones. Summer offers the most
reliable access for trekking and longer stays, while the
shoulder seasons balance milder crowds with excellent mountain
visibility.
Modern travelers reach the valley by the
Karakoram Highway, which follows parts of the ancient corridor
but bypasses the worst of the old hanging passages. The
combination of dramatic scenery, restored forts, rock art, and
living mountain culture continues to draw visitors interested in
both the natural landscape and the historical routes that once
linked distant regions.
Today, the famous Karakorum Road runs through the Hunza region,
linking Pakistan to China via the Khunjerab Pass. Traveling from
the south to the valley, the Hunza region is on the left, and
the previous state of Nagar to the right of the Hunza river.
Regular bus and trucking services generally operate between
Gilgit and central Hunza (Aliabad and Karimabad) and also
between Gilgit and Sost Gojal. The PTDC office in Gilgit, Sost
and Islamabad organizes travel and transportation for visitors.
Spectacular scenery
The Hunza is one of the most impressive places in the world.
Many peaks rise above 6000 m surrounding the Hunza valley and
providing spectacular views of some of the most beautiful and
magnificent mountains in the world, including Rakaposhi (7788),
Ultar Sar (7388 m), Bojahagur Duanasir II (7329 m) , Ghenta
(7090 m), Hunza (6270 m), Darmyani (6090 m), and Bublimotin
(6000 m). The Hunza valley is also home to the ancient watch
towers, Baltit and Altit. The Rock of Baltit is located above
Karimabad, while the Rock of Altit lies low in the valley.
It is popularly believed that the valley provided the
inspiration for James Hilton for his 1933 Lost Horizon tale
where he talks about the mythical Shangri-La valley. While
traveling along the Karakorum road, beautiful scenery is
revealed to the visitor, who can observe the 65 km long glacier
'Batura', the second largest in Pakistan, surrounded by the
Shishper, Batura and Kumpirdior peaks. Coming to Sost, you can
continue your journey to Khunzhrav or turn west to witness the
mystical beauty of the Chipursan valley (also called Chapursan),
which has some of the most exotic tourist spots in the area.
From Yarzerech (or Yarzirich) you can see the majestic Kundahill
(6000 m), or hike along the Rishepzhurav to Kundahill to
experience the soothing scenery. After Yarzerech you can travel
past Lupghar, Raminj, Reshit, Yishkuk to Bobo Ghundi (Oston),
the shrine of Baba-e-Ghund, a saint of Afghanistan near the
border between Pakistan and the Wakhan region of Afghanistan.
Just as the valley is famous for its beauty, the Hunza people
are renowned for their friendliness and hospitality. Local
languages spoken are Burushaski, Wakhi and Shina, many people
understand Urdu. The Hunza Valley's literacy rate is believed to
be 90%. Virtually every child of the new generation studies up
to high school level. Many continue their studies in prestigious
schools and universities in Pakistan or abroad.
Most
Hunzas are Ismaelite Shiite Muslims, followers of His Highness
Prince Karim Aga Khan IV.
The Hunza region is home to
three ethnic groups:
The Lower Hunza region - (from
Khizerabad to Nasirabad is mainly inhabited by Shinaki who speak
the Shina language;
The Central Hunza region - (from
Murtazaabad to Ahmedabad) is mainly inhabited by burushaski
palanti.
The Upper Hunza region, known as Gojal - (from
Shiskat to Khunjerab is mainly populated by speakers of the
Wakhi language;
The majority of people are Ismaili Shia
Muslims, followers of the Aga Khan. The current Aga Khan IV has
provided much funding for the region to support agriculture and
the local economy through the Aga Khan Development Network.
New district
In 2015, Hunza became a new district of Gilgit-Baltistan. A Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Council Assembly (GBLA) venue has already been planned for Hunza.