Gulmit
Encyclopedia
Gulmit is the headquarter of the Gojal
Tehsil
, in the upper Hunza
region of the Gilgit
territory in the deep in the Karakoram
Mountain Range. Gulmit is a centuries-old historic town, with mountain
s, peaks and glacier
s. It is a tourist spot and has many hotels, shops and a museum. Its altitude is 2408m (7900 ft) above the Arabian Sea
level.
Gulmit, is also a Turkish or Iranian word which means the valley of flowers.
language and belong to the Shia Imami Ismaili
sect of Islam
. Population of Gulmit, according to 2003 census, consists of around 2500 individuals. Forty nine percent of the population comprises females
s or religious community centres 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 Headquarter, 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.
Apart from these social organizations there are other Ismaili organizations, working under the banner of the Shia Immami Ismaila Council for Gulmit. These ismaili organizations cater services to the entire Gojal Valley but Gulmit, being the headquarter, hosts their offices.
Gojal
Gojal, also known as Upper Hunza, is an area north of Gilgit in the far north of Pakistan near the Chinese and Afghan borders. It is the largest tehsil of the Gilgit-Baltistan autonomous area of northern Pakistan....
Tehsil
Tehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
, in the upper Hunza
Hunza Valley
The Hunza Valley is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. The Hunza valley is situated to the north of the Hunza River, at an elevation of around . The territory of Hunza is about...
region of the Gilgit
Gilgit District
Gilgit District is one of the districts of the federal territory of Gilgit-Baltistan in northern Pakistan. It was formed in 1970 when Gilgit-Baltistan was federally administered as the "Northern Areas". It is bounded by the Wakhan Corridor to the north; Xinjiang to the northeast and east; Skardu,...
territory in the deep in the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
Mountain Range. Gulmit is a centuries-old historic town, with mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s, peaks and glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s. It is a tourist spot and has many hotels, shops and a museum. Its altitude is 2408m (7900 ft) above the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
level.
Gulmit, is also a Turkish or Iranian word which means the valley of flowers.
History
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. Most of the families have migrated from Bagrot and chaprot to this wakhi place.The people
People in the entire Gojal Valley have Central Asian ancestral backgrounds. The people speak WakhiWakhi language
Wakhi is an Indo-European language in the branch of Eastern Iranian language family and is intimately related to other Southeastern Iranian languages in the Pamir languages group.-Classification and Distribution:...
language and belong to the Shia Imami Ismaili
Ismaili
' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
sect of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Population of Gulmit, according to 2003 census, consists of around 2500 individuals. Forty nine percent of the population comprises females
Buildings
There are six Jamaat-khanaJamaat-khana
Jama'at Khana -literally, a "congregational place" an amalgamation derived from the Arabic word jama‘a and the Persian word khana is used by various South Asian Muslim communities to denote a place of worship or gathering...
s or religious community centres 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 Headquarter, 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.
Hotels
There are well furnished hotels in Gulmit valley. Some of these hotels are Silk Route Lodge, Marco Polo Hotel, Village Guest House, Gulmit Tourist Inn, Shutubar Inn and Horse Shoe Motel (not in running condition).Village organizations
There are as many as (twenty six)26 registered organizations working wholehearted for betterment of the village. . Most of these organizations work under the umbrella of Gulmit Organization for Local Development (GOLD).Some of the larger organizations, member-wise and activities-wise are the following:- Gulmit Educational and Social Welfare Society (GESW)
- Counselling and Management Body Gulmit (CMBG)
- Gulmit Arts Council
- Gulmit Natural Resources Conservation Group
- Rituals Committee
Apart from these social organizations there are other Ismaili organizations, working under the banner of the Shia Immami Ismaila Council for Gulmit. These ismaili organizations cater services to the entire Gojal Valley but Gulmit, being the headquarter, hosts their offices.