The Ghizer District ( ur, ضلع غذر), formed in 1974, is the westernmost part of the

Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative territory, and constituting the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute bet ...

region of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Currently, it is proposed to split Ghizer District into two (2) districts: # The western part of Ghizer District includes the actual Ghizer/ Gherz Valley of Phander, Gupis and Yasin. The name as Ghizer District will be kept with this region due to the connectivity to its origin. # While the eastern part of the current District will include Puniyal and Ishkoman. And probably the newly district would be given the name as Puniyal-Ishkoman District. The current district has

Gahkuch Gahkuch ( ur, ) is the capital city of Ghizer District in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The city lies on the way to Ishkoman The Ishkoman ( ur, ) valley lies in the north of Ghizer District in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan a ...

as its capital. Ghizer was a crossroads between

Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...

and

Chitral Chitral ( khw, , lit=field, translit=ćhitrār; ur, , translit=ćitrāl) is situated on the Chitral River in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Chitral District and before that as the capital of Chitral ...

via

Shandur Pass Shandur Pass( ur, ) is a pass located in Ghizer, District of Gilgit Baltistan . It is often called 'Roof of the World. During the annual ' Shandur Polo Festival,' there are polo matches played in Shandur Polo Ground on Shandur Top, between the ...

, and also to China and Tajikistan via the

Broghil Pass Broghil, also spelled Broghol, elevation , is a high mountain pass along the Durand Line border that crosses the Hindu Kush mountain range and connects Wakhan District of Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan with Chitral District of Khyber Pakhtunkh ...

through Ishkomen Valley. Ghizer was a multi-ethnic district and three major languages were spoken:

Shina Shina may refer to: * Shina language, an Indo-Aryan language spoken in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan * Shina people, a Dardic ethnic group in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan People named Shina * Shina Matsudo (born 1973), Japanese freestyle swimmer * ...

, Khowar, and

Burushaski Burushaski (; ) is a language isolate spoken by Burusho people, who reside almost entirely in northern Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, with a few hundred speakers in northern Jammu and Kashmir, India. In Pakistan, Burushaski is spoken by people in ...

. There were also Wakhi speakers in Ishkoman and some

Tajiks Tajiks ( fa, تاجيک، تاجک, ''Tājīk, Tājek''; tg, Тоҷик) are a Persian-speaking Iranian ethnic group native to Central Asia, living primarily in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Tajiks are the largest ethnicity in Tajik ...

. The word Ghizer came from the name "Gherz" which means "refugees" in Khowar. "Gherz" is a village in

Golaghmuli Valley Golaghmuli Valley ( ur, وادی پھنڈر) or Koh-i-Ghizer ( ur, کوہ غذر) or Valley of Martyrs ( ur, وادی شہداء) or Shandur Valley ( ur, وادی شندور) is a high mountainous valley in the present day Gupis–Yasin District ...

, which is now known as Golaghmuli. The

in the

Suzerainty Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...

of the British Raj forced some people to migrate towards Gupis, Yasin, Phander Ishkomen and also to Punial. They were settled in the area between Chitral and Gupis and the area called Gherz and the people were called Gherzic. When Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto the President of Pakistan abolished the FCR system and gave another administrative district comprising the Tehsils (Political districts) the name Ghizer was given and agreed on unanimously. The then Resident and Commissioner for Gilgit and Baltistan, Ijlal Husain An Officer of the now defunct Civil Service of Pakistan - CSP played an important role in creating this administrative division in 1974–75. Ghizer District comprised Punial, Gupis, Yasen, Phander and Ishkoman Valleys. The major portion of its area was ruled over by Brooshay Rajas known as Raja Sha Burush, Khan Bahadur Issa Bahadur Akber Khan, Raja Anwar Khan, Raja Mirbaz Khan and last Broosh families Raja Jan Alam and Raja Muzafer (who was living in Golodass, also known as Anwerabad as its second name). In 1885 new rulers from Altit arrived to rule the vast territories of Ghizer valley they were from the Aqa Shah Dynasty. 6 generation of rulers from this family have been rulling the state the and in context it helped to spread the Ismaili Faith into the vast territories of Ghizer District. In 1900's the territories of Ishkoman, Punial, Kuh, Yasin and Ghizer came under their rule until 1974 when FCR system was amended. Currently, the living Raja families in the District are living in Ayshi Bala but they have no administrative function but act as a leading role in the development of society. Their linkage goes back to Sha Burush. Sha Burush, Sha Katur, and Sha Khushwaqt are three brothers except the Aqa Shah's, they are from other linkage, mainly From Hunzukutz. Historically two main characteristics of the folk dress of Ghizer is the Khoi and the Shokah. The khoi is headgear made of homespun woolen cloths, while the shokah is a homespun woolen cloak reaching to the ankle with long sleeves. The region typically known for its lakes and landscapes.

History

Historically, the region has been ruled by ethnic Kho Rajas (Katoor, Brushay, Shins) indigenous to the region. They all lead tribes which were considered brothers, however, some Balti Mehtars had also governed for some period in Mehraja's period. The Yashkun (Hakim) tribe also ruled for the long period which first led by Mehrban Shah up to 7th sterns. The longest period of rule was by

Katur Dynasty The Katoor dynasty (also spelled Katur and Kator) was a dynasty, which along with its collateral branches ruled the sovereign, later princely state of Chitral and its neighbours in the eastern Hindu Kush region for over 450 years, from around 157 ...

and later it was divided between the Mehtar of

and the

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...

of Kashmir. After 1895 all of Ghizer was annexed to Gilgit Agency, which was directly ruled by the British Government and not by the Kashmiri people. The hole region was under FCR since 1947 to 1972. Tehsil Gupis is the central part of Ghizer district. There are many villages and lush green places, such as Shandur, Phunder Lake, Khalti Lake. The largest lake, Khalti, is famous for its trout. There are PTDC hotels available and also some private hotels in Ghahkuch. Sailing Valley

Geography

Ghizer district was the northernmost part of the Northern Areas and hence the extreme north of the country. It borders the Wakhan strip of Afghanistan on its north-west, and China on its northern borders. On its west was the Chitral District of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

; and on its east the

Gilgit District The Gilgit District ( ur, ) is one of the 14 districts of Pakistan-administered territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. The headquarters of the district is the town of Gilgit. According to the 1998 census, the Gilgit District had a population of 243,324 ...

. Diamer District is on its south, which is again a part of the northern areas.

Gakuch Gahkuch ( ur, ) is the capital city of Ghizer District in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The city lies on the way to Ishkoman The Ishkoman ( ur, ) valley lies in the north of Ghizer District in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan an ...

was the capital of Ghizer District. Gupis has been serving as a junction between Yasin and Phander valley. It is the central place from all valleys like Phandar, Yasin, Poniyal, etc. The valley is located between the world's greatest mountain ranges, namely the Hindu Kush and Karakarum. The highest peak Ghizer District is

Koyo Zom Koyo Zom ( ur, کویو زوم) is the highest peak in the Hindu Raj mountain range at . The Hindu Raj mountain range sits between the Hindu Kush in the west and the Karakoram in the east. Koyo Zom is located on the boundary of the Chitral Distri ...

(6,871 m) (Hindu Kush Range), which lies on the boundary between Ghizer District and

. Some of the main places in the district are

Koh-i-Ghizer Golaghmuli Valley ( ur, وادی پھنڈر) or Koh-i-Ghizer ( ur, کوہ غذر) or Valley of Martyrs ( ur, وادی شہداء) or Shandur Valley ( ur, وادی شندور) is a high mountainous valley in the present day Gupis–Yasin District ...

, Ishkoman and

Yasin Yasin, Yassin, Yassine, Yacine or Yaseen may refer to: People * Yasin (name), an Arabic-based name * Yassin (name), an Arabic-based name * Yassine (name), an Arabic-based name * Yacine (name), an Arabic-based name * Yaşın (name), a Turkish-based ...

valleys. Other places include

Gupis Gupis Tehsil is an administrative division (a tehsil) of Gupis-Yasin District, in Gilgit-Baltistan, a northern region of Pakistan. Gupis lies in the southern part of the Gupis-Yasin District. There are many villages and lush green and very pleasa ...

, Chatorkhand, Imit,

Pingal Dingal (Devanagari, Devnagari: डिंगल; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''ḍiṁgala''; also spelled Dimgal), also known as Old Western Rajasthani, is an History of India, ancient Indian language written in Dev ...

Shahmaran Shahmaran ( Persian: شاهماران Şahmaran, lit. 'Shah (king) of the Snakes'; Kurdish: Şahmaran/Şamaran, Turkish: ''Şahmeran'', Tatar: Şahmara or Zilant, Зилант or Aq Yılan, Chuvash: Вĕреçĕлен, lit. 'Fire snake'), ...

and Utz.

Passes

Some of the passes in the district are: *

(Punji-Lusht Plain between the boundary of Ghizer and Chitral District) * Qurumbar Pass, Chillingi Pass * Chumarkhan Pass (Barsat in Ghizer to Chapali village in Chitral) *

Hayal Pass Hayal Pass (el. 4700 m) is a high mountain pass to the north of Shani Peak in the Naltar Valley of northern Pakistan. The pass lies in the west of Naltar Pass Naltar Pass is a mountain pass to the north of Shani Peak in Naltar Valley in Pakistan ...

and

Naltar Pass Naltar Pass is a mountain pass to the north of Shani Peak in Naltar Valley in Pakistan. The pass lies west of Chaprot Pass and east of Hayal Pass. See also *Naltar Valley References External links Northern Pakistan detailed placemarks in Google ...

(on the boundary of Ghizer and

s) *

Bichhar Pass Bichhar pass (el. ) is a high mountain pass at the boundary of the Ghizer and Gilgit districts in Gilgit–Baltistan of Pakistan. To the north of the pass is Bichhari village in the Naltar valley in Gilgit district. To the south of the pass is ...

(on the boundary of Ghizer and

s) * Thoi Pass (on the boundary of Ghizer and

Yarkhon) *

Darkot Pass Darkot pass ( ur, {{nq, درۂ درکوٹ ) (el. 15,430 ft., open May through October) is a high mountain pass that connects Baroghil Valley in Chitral and Rawat valley of Ghizer District in Gilgit, Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), ...

(on the boundary of Ghizer and

Rivers

The main river in the district is the Ghizer River, which is formed from the

and Ishkoman Rivers; both meet at Hatoon valley with Hayim as the point of confluence. The other tributaries include the Qurumbar River, Phakora River, Hayal River, Singul River and Yasin River, Phander river tributary which also joins the mainstream at different points. The biggest nala in the region is singal nala in the terms of area, which connects the punial valley to the Diamer district.

Lakes

Handarap Lake Handarap Lake ( ur, ہندارپ جھیل, Khowar:شونجو چھت) is a high altitude water reservoir situated in the Shandur Valley in Gupis-Yasin District, the westernmost part of the Gilgit-Baltistan, the northernmost part of Pakictan. The ...

* Phander Lake *

Khalti Lake Khalti Lake (Urdu: خلتی جھیل, Khowar: خلتیو چھت) is situated in Gupis-Yasin District, the westernmost part of the Gilgit–Baltistan region and northernmost territory of Pakistan. This lake is an important source of fresh water a ...

* Karambar Lake * Baha Lake (Langar Khukush) * Shandur Lake * Attar Lake * Mathantar Lake * Utter lake / @Attar lake

Tehsils

* Puniyal * Ishkoman *

Phander Phander ( ur, پھنڈر) is the name of a settlement and valley in the Gupis-Yasin District located in Gilgit−Baltistan, Pakistan. It is situated about 184 Kilometers from Gilgit on the road to the Shandur Pass Shandur Pass( ur, ) is a pass l ...

* Sherqilla is the largest village of the district. Bubur Bridge

Colleges and schools

* Karakorum International University sub campus Ghizer *Government Model High School Gahkuch. *Aga khan Diamond Jubblie Model Higher Secondary School Singal, Punial. * Government Boys High school

* Professional Science & Arts Academic school Gupis * Government High School Golaghmuli Phander * Government high school Gullapur. * Aga Khan Higher Secondary School Gahkuch, Ghizer * Elysian Higher Secondary School Gahkuch Ghizer. *Iqra huffaz secondary school Gahkuch * Aga Khan Schools * Aga Khan Higher Secondary School Sherqilla, Ghizer * Hatun Degree College * LRS Thingai Ghizer * MIED College Phander * World Roof Public School And College Hundur Yasin * Inter College Gupis * FG Boys High School Phander * Govt Degree College Tause Yasin * LRS Phander Ghizer * Ghizer Public School

* Diamond Jubilee High School Gupis, Ghizer * Lalik Jan Shaheed (NH) Army Public School and College Hundur Yasin *Iqra huffaz secondary school Yasu * Diamond Jubilee Learning Resource High School Sandi Yasin * Begal Academy Thoi Yasin * Diamond Jubilee High School Thoi Yasin

Education

According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2015, Ghizer was ranked 10 out of 148 districts in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district was ranked 17 out of 148.The biggest contribution in the region in education is "Aga Khan Education Service Pakistan"(AKESP).

References

External links

* Rehmat Alam Puniyali
Map of Ghizer
flicker upload. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghizer District (1974-2019) Districts of Gilgit-Baltistan Ismailism in Pakistan States and territories disestablished in 2019 1974 establishments in Pakistan 2019 disestablishments in Pakistan