HUNZA,

Hunza is a mountainous valley in the autonomous Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Hunza is situated in the northern part of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, bordering with Khybar Paktunkhwa to the west and the Xinjiang of China to the north-east.

The Hunza valley is situated at an elevation of 2,438 meters. Geographically, Hunza consists of three regions, Upper Hunza (Gojal), Central Hunza “Hunza Valley” and Lower Hunza “Shinaki”.

HISTORY,

Buddhism, and to a lesser extent, Bon, were the main religions in the area. The region has a number of surviving Buddhist archaeological sites such as the Sacred Rock of Hunza. Nearby are former sites of Buddhist shelters. Hunza valley was central as a trading route from Central Asia to the subcontinent. It also provided shelter to Buddhist missionaries and monks who were visiting the subcontinent, and the region played a major role in the transmission of Buddhism throughout Asia.

PEOPLE,

The local languages spoken include Burushaski Wakhi and Shina. The literacy rate of the Hunza valley is more than 95%. The historical area of Hunza and present northern Pakistan has had, over the centuries, mass migrations, conflicts and resettling of tribes and ethnicities, of which the Dardic Shinae is the most prominent in regional history. People of the region have recounted their historical traditions down the generations. The Hunza Valley is also home to some Wakhi, who migrated there from northeastern Afghanistan beginning in the nineteenth century onwards.