Explore Gilgit-Baltistan

Finally! The wait is over.
Good news for tourists who are about to visit Gilgit Baltistan. ❤️

Blossom in Hunza Valley, Gilgit Baltistan.

Hailing from Hopar Nagar, Mahnoor gets the award for her best performance as the youngest athlete in National Ice Sports Competitions 2022, Ghulkin Hunza.

Dear Friends,
The last Buddhist King of Gilgit was Shri Baddat [said to be killed in 749 AD]

Shri Baddat was killed by a Persian adventurist Azur Zamshed, who came from Baltistan to Gilgit and fell in love with king daughter Noor Bakht. Shri Badat was maligned/charged as Adam Khor [ cannibalism ] and was trapped by his own daughter in connivance with Azur and was burned to death in a ditch. After King died, Azur ruled for 15 years and then abducted the throne to his wife Noor Bakht [ daughter of Shri badat ] and she became the first lady ruler of Gilgit and the second lady ruler was famous Dadi jawari khatoon.
Shri Badat polo ground [ on top of mountain Muhalla Napura ] and big black stone in the middle of River Gilgit [ opposite Shikar Koi and Amphary Muhallas in middle ], are remnants of King Shri Baddat. Kindly watch the photo of Buddha- locals call it Hachini [ engraved in Kargah Nalla [ 10 km from Gilgit city ], which is near to ancient Napura Buddhist Monastery / University.
People all over the area have got folklore and still celebrate / festivals on Shri Baddat Death. [ more research is needed that was he really an adam Khor? ] or he was maligned by outsiders to overthrow his rule. My own estimate about black / metallic stone in River is that it is a meteorite fell from the sky in ancient times.

The Indigenous People of Erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.
This is a graphical representation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir made by Arsalan Khan and Rajja Sourav Singh Sarmal. A brief description of each by me to help in better understanding (Clockwise from top) :
The Hunza : The Hunza or the Burusho people inhabit the Hunza Valley and neighboring Valleys in the extreme North of the state. They speak the Burushaski language which as a language has not been identified with any language Group. The Hunzai now mostly follow different schools of Islam.
The Baltis : The Baltis are the inhabitants of the Baltistan and are of Tibetan origin with Dardic admix. Their language is Balti, which is a part of the Tibetan language Group. Infact it has the greatest similarity to old Tibetan. The Baltis follow Islam.
The Ladakhis : The Ladakhis are the inhabitants of the Ladakh region and are of Tibetan descent. The Ladakhi language is from the Tibetan family. Ladakhis are Buddhists as well as Muslim.
The Kargilis : The Kargilis or the Purigpas as they are called inhabit the Western part of Ladakh at the crossroads with Baltistan and Kashmir. Their language Purigi is a dialect of Balti and as such they are also a part of the Tibetan family. Purigis are mostly Muslim.
The Bakarwals : The Bakarwals and their close cousins the Gujjars are traditionally nomadic pastoral people who inhabited the foothills of the Himalayas and moved to the Mountains in the Summers with their livestock. They (Gujjars/ Bakarwals) form the majority in the Poonch Rajouri region and spread among the Jammu Division and in Kashmir as well. They follow Islam.
The Dogras : The traditional dwellers of the Jammu region or the “Duggar” as the region was known. They live in the foothills of Jammu and are spread into Himachal Pradesh as well. The Dogras speak the Dogri language which is from the Western Pahari Group of languages. The Dogras are mostly Hindu though a significant number converted to Islam and were referred to as Chibalis.
The Potohari : The Potohari/ Pahari are the most Punjabic people of Jammu and Kashmir and live across the Potohar Plateau which stretches well beyond Rawalpindi. They are in sizeable numbers in Poonch. Their language Pahari-Pothwari belongs to the Lhanda Family of Punjabi. They are majorly Muslim but there is a strong Hindu minority as well.
The Kashmiri : The people of the Kashmir area found mostly in the Kashmir Valley. They are the biggest Indigenous Group of people in the state. They speak Kashmiri language which belongs to the Dardic family of languages. Kashmiris are mostly Muslim though a small minority of Kashmiri Hindus also exists.
The Gilgiti : The Gilgiti or the Dards are the inhabitants of the vast Gilgit Valley in the North West of the state. They speak the Shina language. They (Dards) are also found in other areas of the state like Gurez and Drass where they have said to have migrated from Gilgit. They follow Islam though a few follow Buddhism as well in Ladakh.
The Kalash : The Kalash inhabit three Valleys in the Chitral Region now in KPK though at one time the Chitral Kingdom paid tribute to the Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir. The Kalsha speak the Kalasha language which is a part of the Dardic family of languages. They have a distinct culture which has been under threat. Most Kalasha have converted to Islam though a small number (3000 app) still follow traditional Animist beliefs.
Post by : Kiki Mathawan

Junction point of two most scenic highways of the world. Road on right side goes towards Skardu, while left goes towards Hunza.

PC: @thelonetravelller

When we were children, we used to listen to the stories of our elders traveling towards the north of Pakistan and how tremendous landscapes our country held up north with rugged natural beauty including some of the world's highest peaks, snow-capped mountains, rivers, and colorful valleys. Always wanted to travel to these places and explore whatever I had heard in my childhood. But then 9/11 happened which eventually lead to the global terrorism war and our country, unfortunately, caught up in the wave at that time. Everything changed. Foreign tourists stopped coming. Even the local tourists stopped heading towards the north or anywhere. Time passed and now things are changing. Once thought of as one of the world’s most dangerous countries, Pakistan is back in the spotlight, but this time as a budding tourist destination. Me and my fellow photographers to name a few P.C @the_ateeq @asmarsphotography @nasrrahmanofficial @imrankw @_the.lost.soul @ali_awaiss @tahamalix @uzair_ahmads_photography @backtopavilion @gojophotography @usman_zubair @iamkhandanish and many others have really worked hard in the promotion of these areas in our capacity. We have worked to portray the beauty of these areas to the whole world through social media platforms since a couple of years. Right now, the Current government is taking special measures for the promotion and revival of Tourism in Pakistan and our country has been recently ranked as the top tourist destination for 2020 by publications like @forbes and @condenasttraveller. In the frame is @smollwanderer in collaboration with @lostwithpurpose