THE LEGEND OF HUZA

                      THE LEGEND OF HUZA

                                                         NAZIR SABIR

Nazir Sabir Urdu: نذیر صابر is a Pakistani mountaineer. He was born in Ramanji a small hamlet in Chiporsun, upper Hunza known as Gojal. He is the only Pakistani to have climbed Mount Everest and four of the five 8000m peaks in Pakistan, including the world’s second highest mountain K2 also known as Chogori in 1981, Gasherbrum II 8035m and Broad Peak 8050m in 1982, Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak) 8068m in 1992 and he became the first from Pakistan to have climbed Everest on May 17, 2000 [1] as a team member on the Mountain Madness Everest Expedition led by Christine Boskoff from USA that also included the Everest famed Peter Habeler of Austria and eight Canadians.

Climbing carrier

Nazir started off his climbing career with a Japanese expedition to the 7284m Passu Peak in Hunza in 1974. In 1975 he was part of a German Expedition as a trainee that attempted Nanga Parbat (8125m) and only went to 6700m up the S W Ridge. On July 17, 1976 he made the first ascent of 6660m virgin Paiyu followed by Col. Manzoor Hussain and Major Bashir with the first Pakistani expedition organized by the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

In 1977 Nazir Sabir joined the largest Japan/Pakistan joint expedition to K2, attempting the traditional South East Abruzzi Ridge. It was a huge expedition, using bottled Oxygen; this team had an army of 1500 porters and 52 members. However Nazir Sabir’s first assault team including four Japanese had to turn back due to snow storms from 8280m. Another attempt with the same team had to be abandoned again from 8150m when they had to come down searching for two missing colleagues who were found alive below C4 the next day. However they put seven members of the team on the summit making the second ascent of K2. Till then only two mountaineers of the 1954 successful Italian expedition had stepped on the K2 Summit.

Nazir Sabir was invited to climb K2 in 1981 by his friends by the Waseda University Expedition attempting the West and South West ridges rather than the usual Abruzzi ridge. The Duke of Abruzzi had, in 1909, surveyed K2 from all its sides. He felt that K2 could only be assailed from the South East Ridge, which was to be named Abruzzi Ridge.

In 1978 the famous British climber Sir Chris Bonington made his first attempt on this new route up the West Ridge. Nick Estcourt, a member of this team, was swept to his death by a slab avalanche on the way to Camp 2 while Doug Scott barely survived the avalanche.It involves a difficult grade on a mixed ground of snow and rock at higher elevations. Doug Scott who was a member of the 1978 expedition led another team strong teams of five top British climbers but the gave up at 7300 due to bad weather.

Nazir, followed by Eiho Otani, reached the summit of K2 on 7 August 1981. Nazir and his team from the Waseda University created history by successfully climbing K2's West/South West Ridge for the first time. A documentary film of the climb, "50 Day Struggle" shown all over Japan, made Nazir Sabir a household name there.

In 1982, Nazir Sabir along with Sher Khan and the famous Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner climbed Gasherbrum II 8035m and Broad Peak 8047m. Both Gasherbrum II and Broad Peak were done in Alpine style in a period of just one week, the fastest ascent of two 8000m peaks at the time!

Everest Expeditions

Nazir Sabir first attempted Everest leading the first Pakistan Everest Expedition of ten plus a film team in 1997. Nazir had to abandon first summit attempt with his five colleagues due to strong blizzards blowing across the summit ridge from 8630m and again had to return from around 8500m on their two other summit attempts due to strong winds.

Nazir went back to Everest from Nepal side and on 17 May 2000, climbing in the company of his Nepalese Sherpa colleagues and a Canadian on a full moon night to avoid high winds he stepped on the highest summit at 0730 hours becoming the first from Pakistan to get to the roof of the world. After hoisting Pakistan flag atop Everest he paid tributes to his many dead friends on the higher ground of Everest including Scott Fischer, Rob Hall, Ube Akira, Kobayashi, Yasuo Kato, Futagami and many more who gave their lives in love of these eternal higher heavens. While waiting for Ben Webster of Canada and two other Sherpas he went on enjoying the most splendid moments of his life with his two Sherpa colleagues taking video shots of Ben and others climbing the last part of the summit ridge and the magical surroundings against the backdrop of the much blessed early morning sun approaching from behind 8462m Makalu, 5th highest mountain in the world.

He spoke to the base camp and sent the message of humbleness and happiness back home and to his closest friends who were watching his progress and counting steps up the last part of the mountain as he climbed through the clear night winds. He received hundreds of messages from across the country and the globe including that of Benazir Bhutto who was second to send in her congratulations from London where she lived at the time.

Health Secrets Of The Hunza people

                Health Secrets Of The Hunza

It is believed that among these people centenarians are a common occurrence, and that it is not unusual for elderly persons to reach the venerable age of 130. It has even been reported that a significant number have survived to the incredible age of 145!   

You can get the complete "Hunza Health Secrets" ebook free with Peter Kelders "The Eye of Revelation." 

These people are not the product of legend, nor is the country they inhabit a mythical utopia. They call themselves the Hunzas (pronounced Hoonzas) and live in what has come to be known as the roof of the world - the mountain peaks of the Himalayas. To be more precise, the Hunza country, with a population of only 30,000, is situated at the extreme northern point of India, where the borders of Kashmir, China, India and Afghanistan converge. 

It is said that this tiny group of people, residing in an inaccessible valley about 3000 meters (9000 feet) above sea level, are more or less completely cut off from the outside world. It is also said that they are the happiest people on earth. 

Another important point to understand is that the health of the Hunzas is not characterized by the simple absence of disease, although that in itself is quite an accomplishment. More than just not being affected by diseases that strike down so many of our peers in the prime of life, the Hunzas seem to possess boundless energy and enthusiasm, and at the same time are surprisingly serene. Compared to the average Hunza, a westerner of the same age - even one who is considered extremely fit - would seem sickly. And not only seem sickly, but actually be sick!

Exceptional Longevity 

The life expectancy of the average Westerner is about 70 years. The life expectancy of the average Hunza falls onto a different scale altogether - these people reach both physical and intellectual maturity at the venerable age of one hundred! This fact emphasizes the relative nature of what we refer to as normal. 

As we’ll see a little later on, the way we are conditioned to perceive aging has a determining effect on the way we develop. 

At one hundred years old, a Hunza is considered neither old nor even elderly. Even more extraordinary is the fact that Hunzas remain surprisingly youthful in all ways, no matter what their chronological age is. 

According to a number of sources, it is not uncommon for 90 year old Hunza men to father children. Hunza women of 80 or more look no older than a western woman of 40 - and not only any woman, but one who is in excellent shape. 

They also force us to ask the following question: is there some secret technique that allows these people to live so long, and stay so healthy? The answer is yes – the Hunzas do know something we don’t. But there isn’t just one secret, there are many. 

The first, and certainly the most important of these secrets concerns nutrition. Interestingly enough, the Hunza approach resembles that outlined by Hippocrates, father of modern medicine, who lived over 2000 years ago in ancient Greece. The basic precept of their common notion of what constitutes a proper diet is simple: the food you eat is your best medicine. 

There’s a modern saying, coined in the sixties: ‘You are what you eat.’ 

So what do the Hunzas eat? 

Well, the basis of the Hunza diet, which to a large extent is dictated by the rather harsh climatic and geographical conditions of their home country, can be summed up in one word: frugality. 

Hunzas eat only two meals a day. The first meal is served at twelve noon, although the Hunzas are up every morning at five a.m. This may sound surprising, since most nutrition experts here in the west stress the importance of a hearty breakfast, even though our life-style is relatively sedentary compared to that of the Hunzas, who engage in demanding physical labor all morning long on an empty stomach. 

Unlike most Westerners, Hunzas eat primarily for the establishment and maintenance of health rather than for pleasure, although they are very meticulous when preparing their food, which, by the way, happens to be delicious. 

In addition, Hunza food is completely natural, containing no chemical additives whatsoever. Unfortunately, that is not the case as far as most of our food is concerned. Everything is as fresh as it can possibly be, and in its original unsalted state. The only "processing" consists of drying some fresh fruits in the the sun, and making butter and cheese out of milk. No chemicals or artificial fertilizers are used in their gardens. In fact, it is against the law of Hunza to spray gardens with pesticides. Renee Taylor, in her book Hunza health secrets ( Prentice-Hall 1964) says that the Mir,or ruler of Hunza, was recently instructed by Pakistani authorities to spray the orchards of Hunza with pesticide, to protect them from an expected invasion of insects. But the Hunzas would have none of it. They refused to use the toxic pesticide, and instead sprayed their trees with a mixture of water and ashes, which adequately protected the trees without poisoning the fruit and the entire environment. In a word, the Hunzas eat as they live - organically. 

The Hunzas, then, eat very little. But what exactly do they eat? 

Well, a large part of their diet is composed of grains: barley, millet, buckwheat and wheat. 

They also eat fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. For the most part, these are consumed fresh and raw, although some vegetables are cooked for a short time. Their preferred fruits and vegetables include potatoes, string beans, peas, carrots, turnip, squash, spinach, lettuce, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries and blackberries. They also have a particular fondness for apricot pits. (You can get apricot seeds in your health food store, get only the dried ones which don't have all the important enzymes killed off). Almonds are eaten whole, or used to make oil through a process that has been transmitted from generation to generation. 

Milk and cheese are important sources of animal protein. Meat, although not completely eliminated, is consumed only very rarely, reserved for special occasions like marriages or festivals. This fact is no doubt one of the reasons why the Hunzas have such healthy digestive systems. Even when meat is served, portions are very small: meat is cut into small pieces and stewed for a long time. Beef and mutton are rarely used - chicken is their most common source of animal protein. 

The important thing to remember is that although the Hunzas are not wholly vegetarian, meat forms a minimal part of their daily diet. 

They generally eat meat only once a week, if that often, and live longer and stay healthier than we do. 

Like grains, fruits and vegetables, yogurt is also a staple of the Hunza diet. Yogurt, which replenishes intestinal flora, is extremely beneficial for the human organism. Bulgarians, who also eat a lot of yogurt, are another people who live to a ripe old age. Bulgaria boasts 1,666 centenarians per million inhabitants, while here in the west the number is only 9 per million inhabitants. 

Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, beechnuts, etc. also comprise an important part of the Hunza diet. Along with fruit, or mixed into salads, nuts often constitute an entire meal. 

No discussion of the Hunza diet would be complete without mentioning their special bread, called ‘chapatti,’ which is eaten along with every meal. Since it is used so often, it would be logical to conclude that it is a determining factor - or at least a very important one - in causing their amazing longevity. (There are a couple of recipes included below). 

Specialists believe that it is this special bread that endows 90-year-old Hunza men with their ability to conceive children, something that is unheard of here in the west. In fact, chapatti bread contains all essential elements. It can be made from wheat, millet, buckwheat or barley flour, but what is most important is that the flour is whole, i.e. it is not refined, and has not had its germ removed, a common practice here in the west. It is this part of a grain which gives it its reproductive power, as well as its brown color. Unfortunately, westerners tend to associate the whiteness of flour with purity, something that is completely false. In addition, leaving the germ intact makes storing flour-based products more difficult. This presents a problem for the food industry, which prefers using refined white flour even though it has been stripped of most of its nutrients. 

The germ of grains has astonishing nutritive properties. For one thing, it contains all of a grain’s Vitamin E content. This vitamin plays an important role in maintaining sexual functions in both humans and animals, and as you may know, sexual activity, which is directly related to the proper functioning of the hormonal system, is vital for health. 

theories about hunza land

                             HUNZA LAND

There are, of course, many theories about why the people of Hunzaland live so long. Patrick Flanagan, the founder of Micro Cluster technology believes that the water is the secret along with hundreds of other people who have been using his products. The King of Hunza Land was asked why their people live so long and he said "It's the Water." The lifestyle and diet likely play an important role but their water is very different then water in other parts of the world. However, the author of the following article has her own theories. The article does provide a good picture of the superior health of the inhabitants of Hunzaland.

According to mr.Jane Kinderlehrer,

How would you like to live in a land where cancer has not yet been invented? A land where an optometrist discovers to his amazement that everyone has perfect 20-20 vision? A land where cardiologists cannot find a single trace of coronary heart disease? How would you like to live in a land where no one ever gets ulcers, appendicitis or gout? A land where men of 80 and 90 father children, and there's nothing unusual about men and women enjoying vigorous life at the age of 100 or 120? 

  

We see a lot of hands going up. Fine. But first, you have to answer a few more questions before setting out for a place called Hunza, a tiny country hidden in the mountain passes of northwest Pakistan. 

  

Are you willing to live 20,000 feet up in the mountains, almost completely out of touch with the rest of the world? Are you ready to go outside in every kind of weather to tend your small mountainside garden, while keeping you ears open for an impending avalanche? Are you prepared to give up not only every luxury of civilization, but even reading and writing? 

  

We see a lot of hands going down. But if you want the benefits of the pure air that whips by the icy cathedrals of the Himalayan Mountains, the pure water that trickles down from glaciers formed at 25,000 feet, and the mental and spiritual peace that comes from living in a land where there is no crime, taxes, social striving or generation gaps, no banks or stores-in fact,-no money- where are you going to find it outside of Hunza? 

  

But don't give up! Not yet, because there is still one more question to be answered. That is: are you prepared to eat the kind of food the Hunzas eat? If you are, then you can rightfully expect to give yourself at least some measure of the super health and resistance to degenerative disease which the Hunzakuts have enjoyed for 2,000 years. 

  

What kind of exotic, ill-tasting grub do these Hunza people eat, you are wondering. Strange as it may sound, virtually everything the Hunzakuts eat is delectable to the western palate, and is readily available in the United States-at least if you shopping horizons do not begin and end at the supermarket. 

  

Not only is the Hunza diet not exotic, but there's really nothing terribly mysterious about its health-promoting qualities, Everything we know about food and health, gathered both from clinical studies and the observation of scientists who have traveled throughout the world observing dietary practices and their relationship to health, tells us that it is to be expected that the Hunza diet will go a long way towards improving the total health of anyone, anywhere. The Hunza story is only on of the more dramatic examples of the miraculous health produced by a diet of fresh, natural unprocessed and unadulterated food. 

history of altit fort hunza

                                     ALTIT FORT HUNZA

Altit Hunza remained the capital village of Hunza for 800 years in history.this is a cultural village where mostly cultural activities can be observed.in ancient time Bo faw(Wheat spreading)festival Ginani Festival and other festivals were celebrated with zeal and zest in this village. 

The history of Altit Fort is interesting.Although in ancient time the rulers of this area were not so much rich,but the diginity was there due to rulers.In this situation a princes namely shah khatoon who was the daughter of abdullah khan from Bultistan ruling family got married with a prince of Hunza. that time tha situation of Hunza was very poor even Rulers also.The people who were come with princes told the poor situation of that time of Hunza.

Shamim baltistani says that this was happend in 1442.while the date of construction also written on the main gate of fort in sasecret languge,but now people can not read this language.I was talking about the construction of Altit fort,yes when these people discribed the situation infront of abdullah khan ruler of Baltistan who determined to build a glorious house for his daughter.Shah khatoon herself also felt the dearth of residence,So on the request of shah khatoon her father abdullah khan sent a famous construction master namily Alio from baltistan with some experts of construction means labores.

 some people says the total number of these were 60 and some says more than hundred.Who start this construction work on a rock and complete it in three years.Due to use of material in the form of mud and stones a big water tank which is called Fari in local language came in to existance.Up to60 years before this Fari was exsisted on a wast area atleast 5 cannals but now it has shrinked by people due to lack of cultivated land.Now this water tank Fari has been repeared by AKCSP in 2005-6.in the time of Ayashoo ruling families last Raja (Ruler) shifted this residence to Baltit.Although there was also a fort Baltit Fort was there, divided families of Raja were living there.No one look after of this Fort its distruction was started At the moment AKCSP take resposibility of this Fort,Now renevation work is in progress.We hope this fort will complete with in few years. 

Historical Background of Baltit Fort-Hunza

Historical Background of Baltit Fort-Hunza

   

  In olden times a number of small independent states existed in the history of Northern Areas of Pakistan. Among them Hunza and Nager were the traditional rival states, situated on opposite sides of the Hunza (kanjut) river. The rulers of these two states, known as Thámo / Mirs (Thάm=S), built various strongholds to express their power. 

According to historical sources {Ref: Tarikh-e-Ehd Atiiq Riyasat Hunza by Haji Qudratullah Baig, Pub: S.T.Printers Rawalpindi 1980 Pakistan}, the Hunza rulers initially resided in the Altit Fort, but later as a result of a conflict between the two sons of the ruler Sultan, Shah Abbas (Shάboos) and Ali Khan (Aliqhάn), Shaboos shifted to the Baltit Fort, making it the capital seat of Hunza. The power struggle between the two brothers eventually resulted in the death of younger one, and so Baltit Fort further established itself as the prime seat of power in the Hunza state. 

 Hunza Baltit Fort During Winter 2006

The rich beauty of Baltit Fort can be traced to over seven hundred 700 years ago. Ayasho II, Tham / Mir of Hunza in the early 15th fifteenth century married Princess Shah Khatoon (Sha Qhatun) from Baltistan (In Moghul history Baltistan is called Tibet Khurd mean, little Tibet), and was the first to modify the face of Altit and, subsequently Baltit Fort. Baltistan meaning land of Balti people had a very strong cultural and ethnical relation with the Ladakh territory of India then. Consequently, the structure of Baltit Fort was influenced by the Ladakhi / Tibetan architecture, with some resemblance to the Potala palace in Lahasa. Then additions, renovations and changes to the building were being made through the centuries by the long line of rulers of the Hunza that followed.

A veritable treasure house for ancient forts, the Northern Areas of Pakistan lost most of its glorious built heritage around the 19th century as a result of the destructive attacks by the Maharja of Kashmir.

     

Altit Village & Fort, January 2006 

However, in this regard people of Hunza were exceptionally fortunate to successfully defend against the invasions of Maharaja Kashmir four times.

{Ref: Tribes of Hindoo Koosh by John Biddulph Chapter: II Page: 29, Pub: The Superintendent of Government Printing-Calcutta India 1880, Reprint: Ali Kamran Publishers, Lahore-Pakistan 1995. First attack 1848, 2nd attack: 1865, 3rd attack 1866 and 4rth attack 1888 

One of the biggest changes in the structure of Baltit Fort came with the invasion of British in December 1891. Tham / Mir Safdarali Khan, ruler of Hunza his wazir Dadu (Thara Baig III), fled to Kashgar (China) for political asylum with their fellows and families. With the conquest of Hunza and Nager states by the British forces in December 1891, the fortified wall and watch towers of the old Baltit village and watch towers of the Baltit Fort on its north-western end were also demolished as desired by the British authorities.

Hunza & Nager with the backdrop of Rakaposhi 7788 meter, January 2006 

  

The British installed his younger brother Tham / Mir Sir Muhammad Nazim Khan K.C.I.E, as the ruler of Hunza state in September 1892 {Ref: History of Northern Areas of Pakistan by Prof. A.H.Dani, Page:285 Pub: Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore Pakistan www.sang-e-meel.com, Reprinted: 2007}. 

During his reign, Tham / Mir Nazeem Khan made several major alterations to the Baltit Fort. He demolished a number of rooms of third floor and added a few rooms in the British colonial style on the front elevation, using lime wash and colour glass panel windows.Baltit Fort remained officially inhabited until 1945, when the last ruler of Hunza, Mir Muhammad Jmamal Khan, moved to a new palace further down the hill, where the present Mir of Hunza Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan (Current Chief Executive of Northern Areas) and his family are residing.

With no proper authority entrusted to care for it, the Fort was exposed to the ravages of time and over the years its structure weakened and began to deteriorate. His Highness Aga Khan IV initiated the restoration efforts for Baltit Fort in 1990, when Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan the son of last ruler of Hunza, Tham / Mir Muhammad Jamal Khan and his family generously donated the Fort to the Baltit Heritage Trust, a public charity formed for the explicit purpose of owning and maintaining the Fort.

Sir Mir Muhammad Nazim Khan K.C.I.E & Khan Bahadur Wazir  Humayun Baig Dehli Darbar 1911 

    

    

                            Mir Mohd Jamal Khan (d. 1976)

The restoration undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in Geneva in association with the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (Pakistan), took six years to complete. 

The project was supported by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture as the main donor through its Historic Cities Support Programme, as well as by the Getty Grant Program (USA), NORAD (Norway) and the French Government.  The restored Fort, resplendent in its regal glory was inaugurated on September 29, 1996 in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan IV and the president of Pakistan Farooq Ahmad Khan Laghari. It is now operated and maintained by the Baltit Heritage Trust and is open to visitors. Preservation at its best, the Baltit Fort serves as a perfect example of culture restored and preserved for the future generations of the mountain people.  

about baltit fort

In olden times a number of small independent states existed in the history of Northern Areas of Pakistan. Among them Hunza and Nager were the traditional rival states, situated on opposite sides of the Hunza (kanjut) river. The rulers of these two states, known as Thámo / Mirs (Thάm=S), built various strongholds to express their power.

According to historical sources {Ref: Tarikh-e-Ehd Atiiq Riyasat Hunza by Haji Qudratullah Baig, Pub: S.T.Printers Rawalpindi 1980 Pakistan}, the Hunza rulers initially resided in the Altit Fort, but later as a result of a conflict between the two sons of the ruler Sultan, Shah Abbas (Shάboos) and Ali Khan (Aliqhάn), Shaboos shifted to the Baltit Fort, making it the capital seat of Hunza. The power struggle between the two brothers eventually resulted in the death of younger one, and so Baltit Fort further established itself as the prime seat of power in the Hunza state.

The rich beauty of Baltit Fort can be traced to over seven hundred 700 years ago. Ayasho II, Tham / Mir of Hunza in the early 15th fifteenth century married Princess Shah Khatoon (Sha Qhatun) from Baltistan (In Moghul history Baltistan is called Tibet Khurd mean, little Tibet), and was the first to modify the face of Altit and, subsequently Baltit Fort. Baltistan meaning land of Balti people had a very strong cultural and ethnical relation with the Ladakh territory of India then. Consequently, the structure of Baltit Fort was influenced by the Ladakhi / Tibetan architecture, with some resemblance to the Potala palace in Lahasa