Your blood was colored water

When I met him after one year 

He is angry still angry that neither him nor his family got justice, well for me it’s not surprising especially in this country I mean a dudgeon of lifeless souls; you can expect every mess.

I said, Sher Afzal; you will not get justice neither your family, you died for a cause which was yours not ours. Your blood wasn’t blood, but colored water for us. He was surprised not even surprised but really shocked looked at me with many questions on his face.

Then he gathered himself and said but I have sacrificed my life, to be the voice of my people and get our rights, I said you are right that’s why I am telling you it was your cause not mine nor of any Hunzukuts.

He took a long breath and said we, the people of Hunza are united and we have the courage to live and die for our mutual cause.

I said it is good to say, hear and read, but in practice we are Brushu, Shina, and Wakhi speakers then how can we forget that we are from Hindi, Central Hunza and Gojal, we can’t even betray our mir, wazir, raja, arbob, thramfa because they are our idols.

Our political so called gruesome ideologies are like religious ideologies which we can’t disobey.

I realized, he is getting more frustrated, he said we have the most educated youth who are the real power.

I agree I said, we have the highest literacy rate in Pakistan but our youth is preparing, some of them have been prepared and some of them are already in the business, to be a Corporate Salve.

So you shouldn’t expect anything from these corporate slaves to chant slogans for your cause or justice. They don’t have time for all these bullshit, they are dreaming about highlife, beautiful wives, big bungalows, luxury cars and high tech they damn care about your cause, because your home has been submerged none of theirs.

He said why the hell are you so pessimistic? 

I am not, I said, but it’s the harsh realities.

Suddenly he asked have you ever been through such experience being ignored our brushed aside by your people??

I said yes, the issue was not personal, but for a social cause when I realized that I am not inhabitant of so called, Hunza.

We were chanting slogans in the streets of Gilgit for quick drainage of the lake water; suddenly the GB police reacted like a wild dog to stop the peaceful protest, many of the protesters got bruises.

During the protest I heard many people around, saying these are from upper part leave them, not our problem.

From that moment I lost the element of trust in my people.

Now you should stop dreaming about your cause and justice, I said

I saw tears rolling in his eyes

Then what should I do, how I would be able to get justice for me for my family?

There was no answer, after a long silence I said

Tell your family member to take the revenge there is no other way out.....

As our Lawyers are big liars and busy selling justice, our people have turned ostrich, our Corporate Slaves have got many task to do, so better go for this option, at least you will feel relieved

He didn’t say anything and suddenly screamed loudly then went away ......

AAzaad Nazm

Azaad Nazam        Didar Ali Jaffrey 

We failed to HONOR you

King of Ghazal Mehdi Hassan Khan   Photo Credit: Anonymous 

Today a coal mine has lost its only pride, a diamond which remained priceless and matchless. I am wondering if this so-called nation may utter a word for his contribution to music industry, his voice nourished many lifeless souls. It is not for the first time we dishonored legends like Mehdi Hassan Khan Sahab, we have long terrifying history in this regard.

We abuse, and politicize them whoever served this country with true heart, no matter more or less.

I am sorry King of Ghazal we are proud of slayers not legends like you, our forged history always refers to bigots like, Taimour, Ghori, Ghaznavi, Yaldaram, Tipu and many others but people will never find one line in history records about, Maulana Azad, Mangal Panday, Bhagat Singh, Rani Lakshmibai, Tansen, and many unsung heroes of sub-continent.

We have even ignored arrogantly, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Sahir Ludhyanvi, Habib Jalib, Mohsin Naqvi, Sadquain, Jaun Elia and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for their priceless contribution to literature, music, poetry and art.

Your voice will echo in the valleys of love and peace, it may not  shake comatose but will remain fresh in the hearts and minds of your followers and music lovers.

The wicked dwellers are not even in a position to pray for your departed soul and eternal peace.   


Photo Credit Abu Hamza 

Sampooran Singh Karla, pen name Gulzar has exquisitely pen down his love and affection for Khan Sahab  and I completely agree with Gulzar Sahab's poetical view that there is no border for love.

I have felt blessed to have known and listened you Khan Sahab, you will never be forgotten. 
May the diviner spirit  bless your soul with eternal peace. Amen!!

A view of Ghizer River in winter (Shandur top is also visible)

Shandur Top (12,200 feet) is located in District Ghizer of Gilgit - Baltistan.

Shandur-Top in Ghizer is often called the 'Roof of the World' where the Hindukush in Gilgit-Baltistan, Between Afghanistan and Gilgit-Baltistan and Karakorum mountainous ranges of Gilgit-Baltistan meet. 
The top is flat, a plateau and can be crossed between late April and early November. The grade is very gradual, and the area is crossed by small streams of trout!

Description:    Payam Trust

Picture Credit: Kamran

From the verge of Gojal Lake to the shores of Venice Italy

It was a unique experience of life, visiting Venice which is a sinking city of Italy; Venice attracts millions of visitors every year. This city is truly unique in a way that you will find boats and cruises instead of cars and trucks. There is no highway but narrow streets, footpaths, and bridges which connects mini land masses of the city.

Venice Italy  Photo Credit: Writer 

While passing through the narrow streets out of the blue, I was appallingly touched when I saw waves hammering the walls, which I have witnessed at Goze village in Gulmit but for me the case was different because my hometown was badly hit by a disaster which has paralyzed our normal life. Still we are suffering I don’t know how long it will take to come out of this trauma.

For the citizens of Venice life in water is not new they have got used to it and now they are earning millions of dollars.
What I missed while walking in the streets was the lure, the excitement, of life; which you can only find on a piece of land. I missed the real emotion of liveliness, the energy, the spark of life, even though thousands people of Venezia are living in old-color faded buildings but I couldn’t ignore the feeling of haunted. 

I was a bit tired but found a place to lighten up for a while and to drink some water. The thought was still in my mind and I was comparing (that what sort of unwanted changes it has brought and how it will affect people of the area in coming days) my hometown with Venice, indeed we have lost much after the disaster.

It was my first visit to home after the disaster and I really missed those mid-day or afternoon walks the chit-chat with friends on KKH through Goze Village, Mengshi or Lakhsh area the residents of these areas are now scattered everywhere, the days of neighborhood  has lost the charm now they are trying to manage things around with new neighborhood within their limited resources but the good thing is the sheer brotherhood, humility and love of the locals for each other (which you will never find anywhere on planet earth) they gave everything to normalize the life of their brothers and sister who lost everything in this catastrophe. 

 So far I realized that, the locals are trying to avoid too much visits to Gulmit Village (even people of upper Gojal are doing so) because of the worse road and highly risky boat services (I should not say “service” because those, who are in transport business are trying to suck the last drop of blood). I have witnessed many locals have celebrated their marriage ceremonies in downtown areas like Hunza, Gilgit, or in big cities like Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi these little but unnoticed changes will modify the big picture one day, I feel.

I was also trying to justify the idea of people, turning the Gojal Lake into tourist spot. Being a student of Tourism and Marketing Management I was and I am still not convinced. I know it will magnetize some bucks but it will ruin our social setup, then I thought but we can take measures to preserve our social complex and cultural diversity. how effective it will be and for how long?  Still I am not sure and the answer is not clear to me ……..

What I have experienced about Europeans, they are more proud of speaking their native languages and practicing their traditions no matter how frequent but they do; even once in a blue moon, which I really like, but this is not the case of my area we are more exposed to external changes, majority of us don’t like wearing our traditional dress or even cap, we prefer conversation in Urdu or English language instead of our mother tongue.

I am not an anthropologist neither a student of any other aspect of social science but I can compare and justify my contemplation. These unnoticed changes have listed our mother tongue among the endangered languages, which means after few decades there will be only stories about our mother tongue. We have even forgotten about the beautiful cultural traits the traditions and the local games.

Now I am still confused about the business ideas, what would be the use of that income, who will get benefit from, and how will be the condition of our social circle and identity?

The reality is that we are self-centered; still we prefer living in our shells no matter how worse is the social injustice.

Sustainable Tourism Pakistan, a fancy dream

A new bottle is mandatory for new wine.

We cannot disprove the importance of tourism for any country, in arrears to the income generated by the ingestion of goods and services by the tourists, the taxes charged on businesses in the tourism industry, and the opportunity for employment in the service industries associated with tourism. The industries related to tourism sector are transportation services (like airlines, cruise ships, buses, trains, and taxis), hotels, restaurants, bars, and other hospitality services such as spas, sauna, resorts and health resorts etc.

If Pakistan is acknowledged in the world of tourism, it is vitally because of the mountainous regions of the North; the four mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush, Pamir, KaraKorum and the Great Himalaya form the densest concentration of high peaks in the world. The high-flying feature of the country geography is the diversity of its landscape, from the coastal regions and the deserts of the south to the thriving plains of the 2500 km long Indus River, which paths through the country, rising in Tibet and emptying into the Arabian Sea. 

Gilgit-Baltistan (formerly known as Northern Area) is one of the main tourism destinations in Pakistan both for foreign and domestic tourists. The natural beauty, some of the highest mountain peaks (like K2, Nanga Parbat, Rakaposhi, etc.) in the World, the largest glaciers outside the polar region, the rich cultural heritage, the odds and ends of the long history in the form of archaeological sites are the main tourism assets of the area. Plenty mountaineering and trekking expeditions visit the area every year. Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the economy of Gilgit-Baltistan.

In contemporary period Ministry of Tourism is responsible for policy making, marketing and promotion of foreign and domestic tourism and the synchronization and regulation of federally administered areas and provincial governments (Sindh, Blochistan, Punjab and KhayberPakhtoonkhuwa) and other private sectors involved in tourism industry. There are several agencies and organizations working with Tourism Department in order to promote tourism and safeguard cultural heritage of the area. The target of sustainable tourism development and conservation of cultural heritage can be achieved if all the stakeholders address various issues faced by the sector in corresponding way.

Photo Credit: Anonymous 

Economic growth can lead to disparity, which in turn can strike poverty eradication. Societal allies such as crime are bound to increase more in an imbalanced society and that uneven socio-political conditions can lead to a fall in inequality levels because growth and distribution are mired. Disparity will increase as a result of openness of trade which will truly affect small players of the industry. 

Therefore, handling poverty in partial mode will make more harm so it is worthy to deal with it in broader way. There is interrelationship between social and economic factors, and survival of a society is dependent on a balance between the two; a holistic approach to poverty cutback would infiltrate the root of the problem and lead to sustainable development. The end results will be more effective if there is interaction between the various policies, rather than allowing each policy to deal separately with the problem of poverty.

The approach towards human resources is not organized in Pakistan; utilizing human resources can lead to better results. There are many skilled and talented workforces in tourism business; still they need key skills and business tactics in specific areas such as tourism management and forecasting, information mediums and marketing these essential components in the launch of any kind of change in tourism industry of Pakistan. Management, training and guidance of human resource both in the public and private sector and especially at the top level would be a stride in the right direction. People at the top level are responsible for taking key decisions which influences tourism trend of the country. A lucid knowledge of planning, marketing, information, distribution and evaluation are essential components for empowering tourism professionals to act as effective agents of tourism industry Pakistan.

Interaction between diverse stakeholders will also help in further development of tourism because these sorts of interactions can bring people into contact from different hierarchy, backgrounds, disciplines, and organizations. Under one circumstance this would not be possible because of societal, cultural, economic, political and technological barriers. However building trust, confidence and competencies can bring people together but the idea of coming together should be entirely based on voluntary basis. To materialize the common goal, stakeholders should increase awareness, emphasize professional support, cooperate, organize and exchange knowledge, and to share decision making because the network has no center. Currently the case is not encouraging for the industry in Pakistan because Government and Ministry are not taking serious measures to materialize industrial goals of tourism sector.

Poor infrastructure is one of the main obstacle which slowdowns developmental process. Derisory road transport and dependency on taxis; inadequate, costly and unpredictable air transport services and preposterous national air carrier especially to Gilgit-Baltistan; inadequate telecommunications networks; inadequate water supply and sewage amenities; irregular power supply and poor roads; lack of information centers and tourist rest-points; poor signposting and printed material; and most importantly, poor maintenance of the castles, forts museums and cultural sites.

The above mentioned problems are main reasons for poor tourist inflow in Pakistan and consequently the local businesses and especially those in micro-scale are deprived of revenue. Infrastructural development and especially communications and transportation are preconditions for tourism development since tourism requires physical resources and utilities to facilitate business transactions. Insufficient technology hinders local entrepreneurs’ but propagation and further expansion of small and medium scale businesses to compete in local, regional, national or international markets. At the other hand tourists themselves are also unfortunate, to value and fully enjoy the tourism attractions as well as to assist with conservation. But there are areas where the worldly renowned organizations (like IUCN, WWF etc.) have contributed to highlight the existing issues and also to create awareness among people about the concept of eco/responsible tourism. Insufficiency in physical capital is already identified in terms of security, sanitation, banking, hotels and restaurants, and prices.

There are no tourism partnerships at micro-level neither at macro-level or any other significant linkages between travel agents, tour operators, hoteliers and other players of the industry. Vague definition of partnerships or insufficient information about markets and its value makes people distrustful. Therefore they prefer to work as an individual on a small or medium scale instead of sharing their markets with other players of the industry which leads limited budget and poor market activity. Partnerships can help to push out assets to the businesses, such as reserved capital and expertise. It can also help to develop linkages between tourism and other businesses, which is currently rare in the designated communities, but idea will increase sense of contact, trust and good will among communities.

Sustainable tourism could only be developed if socially responsible amendments were made at an institutional and policy level so that the main concern is shifted towards developing tourism as an apparatus for poverty reduction and not only as a medium for development.

Developing socially liable sustainable tourism can contribute towards sustainable poverty reduction which requires empowerment of the poor and formation of partnerships among all the stakeholders.

The most important factor which can boost healthy tourism environment is awareness, open dialogue, schooling, and guidance for the local communities because better education can change mental approach and perception about foreign tourists.

Trophy Hunting & its Impact on Eco-tourism Gojal Valley

Gojal is an enchanted valley famous for high mountains, beautiful lakes, fascinating glaciers, beautiful meadows, breath-taking pastures, educated and hospitable community. Along with natural wealth and beauty, the valley harbors a diverse and endangered mountainous cultural tradition. The total population of the area is about 25000 and majority speaks Wakhi language; while Burushaski and Domaaki languages are also spoken in some villages.

Trophy hunting has visible supporters and opponents. There is still public debate about trophy hunting and still there are questions about the morality of sport hunting and the question about the scope to which the money paid by trophy hunters benefits the population of game animals and the local economy. The concept and practice of trophy hunting should not be confused with poaching, the practice of taking game illegally.

For the people of Gojal, pastures and other natural reserves are important asset, but poor awareness, inappropriate management ,strategies and conflicts over some pastures have increased the insecurity for the wildlife. Now a days trophy hunting is practiced in a controlled way, following with some formal administrative procedures which produce financial and conservation benefits. Percentage of revenue generated from Trophy is used for  infrastructural development and other community support activities, the revenue does not only improves the material condition of the local population, but it also gives them a stake in the wildlife as an incentive to conserve it. 

Photo Credit: Writer 

Number of illegal killings and poaching has been considerably reduced through trophy hunting initiatives. The licensing system introduced by the government with the help of IUCN, WWF and other stakeholders allows wildlife populations to be effectively monitored. Compared with the random and indiscriminate slaughter carried out by poachers, selective culling by hunters is leading to a healthy and balanced population and prevents one species flourishing to the detriment of another.
The locally formed committees and organizations have contributed at their level best to materialize the paper plans prepared by IUCN and WWF. KVO (Khunjrab Village Organization) is considered the role model in trophy hunting and conservancy related effort.  
Trophy hunting initiative is attracting handsome numbers of tourists, but the vague definition and propagation about Northern Areas on national and international media has discouraged number of potential hunters and visitors.  

The locals of Gojal Valley has now agreed and recognized wildlife as a precious resource, the local community has wisely managed their natural resources with result oriented plans. The effort towards conservation has benefited the local tourism industry not in big amount but the effort has a long lasting impact. Through this, Gojal Valley  has got an additional USP to attract tourists, especially those who believe in responsible tourism acivity. Some guideline has been setup for the visitors which are available online and in printed form. These little developments has been streamlined the efforts related to tourism. It also helps to resolve the conflicting interests of human and animal populations. It is in those countries where sport hunting does not take place that the wildlife is at greatest risk

Urdu Ghazal

Urdu Ghazal                Didar Ali Jaffrey      

Cultural Significances and Economic Prospective of Ondra Fort in Gulmit Gojal (Part 4)

Significance of Ondra Fort in the contemporary period

Manifestation of historical Forts are generally considered to be living monuments and reflect of history and culture of the areas they are situated in.

These monuments reflect through their architectural features, size, and internal structure, life style, economic prosperity condition, artistic skills and defense mechanism of the people of that era.

Historical forts are recognized as archaeological heritage, which influences inhabitants of the surrounding localities in a diverse manner.

Promotion of Cultural Heritages

There are few cultural sites in Gulmit, which are in plight condition; these historical sites need people’s attention as quick as possible.

Heritages are pride of nations, which helps people to find their roots in the past, which gives the evidence of their past and helps to elaborate their life style, which they had.

This fort will not only serve as a tool to propagate the cultural and historical heritage of the area. It will also be helpful in boosting up self-esteem and cultural pride of inhabitants, which inherits such historical monuments.

Ondra Fort will help to preserve other historical sites of the area, which have been ignored by the locals.

Cultural Sites in Gulmit

·               Old House of Khalifa Aliyar (near Polo Ground)

·               Shrine Khoja Mardi Wali (bottom of the Fort)

·               Gulmit Cultural Museum (near Polo Ground)

·               Flood-Escaped House in Dalgirum

·               Graveyard of Mir Saleem Khan III

·               Mir’s Palace (Near Polo Ground)

·               Shrine of Shohi Chirogh (Odver)

·               Ismaili Mosque (Scouts Office)

·               Suspension Bridge Gulmit

Promotion of Craftsmanship Tradition

Restoration of Ondra Fort will be as an opportunity for training young preservationists from Gojal or any part of Pakistan. Architects, engineers, and local artisans will be promoting through on-site training sessions, supplemented by seminars, workshops, and special training courses within and outside the country.

Artisanship

 Restoration of Ondra Fort will be a catalyst for positive changes and revitalization of artisanship in Gojal valley.

Micro and macro level of partnership will help to provide income-generating opportunities for local artisans through promotion of the traditional handicrafts of the region.

Woodcarving tradition has a long history in Gulmit and Gojal, which is dying as it’s slowly replaced by the introduction of concrete, aluminum, steel and glass.

Restoration of the Fort will provide an opportunity to revive the woodcarving tradition through skill enhancement and training programs. This will inspire a glitch of change, in traditional building techniques and skills, which are now in high demand.

In addition, rapid and unplanned urbanization will be controllable through modern construction techniques along with traditional style.

Promotion of unique cultural tradition and language

Many activities has been carried out by local organizations and few individuals to conserve and promote the unique cultural tradition, some steps has been taken to protect the endangered language by promoting folk music using modern instrument.

Restoration of this Fort will further energize these activities, as visitors will be taking interest in music, and other traditions of the area.

Economic Significance

Transportation

The Fort will materialize the reason for transport service improvisation of the area specifically and Gojal valley in general, because some new transport service companies will step up to provide their services in the area.

General standard of locally available transport are poor and risky which is a big reason for tourist inflow.

Hotel Industry

Hotel industry throughout the Gilgit-Baltistan and particularly in the Gulmit Gojal will be a source to earn their bread for many people.

Most of the hotels managed by inexperienced local owners, who has not formal education or training in hospitality sector, and employees of these hotels are unskilled and have little work experience.

It will create competitive environment among the hotel owners, which will enhance the services to the tourists.

Promotion of Local goods

It will give an exposure to the international market, which ranges from food items to handicrafts, local handmade Carpets, traditional caps, wool sweaters, and antiques, which subsequently help in promotion of local cottage industry.

Retail Traders

It’s obvious that tourists love to buy souvenirs from the local shops whether it is purchasing of Gems, Picture Postcard, local embroidery, carpets, caps, shirts, dry fruits and other different kinds of antiques from the local retail shops, which help to boost the local economy.

Significance in Tourism sector

Due to their historical importance, this Fort can attract thousands of visitors from within and outside of the country.

Promotion of Eco-Tourism

It will give a proper understanding of the term Eco-tourism to the local community. The locals are in a view that only nature based tourism is ecotourism; they are ignoring the social and environmental aspect of it. The reconstruction and renovation of the fort can play key role to promote ecotourism in the area to prevent from further harm.

Promotion of Trophy Hunting Sport

Trophy hunting is a form of sport hunting that has been practice as long as humans have hunted.

Trophy hunting usually involves a hunter seeking for hunt/trophy; the hunter has to pay before the hunt. This is in practice everywhere to reduce the illegal hunting and poaching.

 This Fort can a catalyst to promote trophy hunting which will help to earn reduce the illegal hunting and poaching further more through trophy hunting the local community will be able to earn handful amount of money in terms of

 Government License Fees

Community Trophy Fees

Auctions (Auctions usually raise the money when the hunt being offered is unique)

The practice will help to overcome the illegal hunting and will be useful too, to protect the endangered species.

Guiding and Porting

In guiding profession most of the locals are involved during tourist season, (normally they call it high season) because the locals can speak English, Urdu and some other European languages, they can communicate and exchange information easily.

Guiding is the most important field in tourism sector but ignored by the Government, the local community and the Non-governmental agencies.

This Fort possibly will provide opportunity to the locals to adopt guiding as profession and will increase the income level of those who are involved in it.

Portage is also an important part of tourism industry and source of income for many locals. Healthy tourism activities in the area will facilitate the local porters by giving earning opportunity and also awareness regarding using quality equipment for trekking and climbing to keep the safety measures.

 FINDINGS

Awareness about restoration of Ondra Fort and other cultural heritages has been augmented among the educated locals but it is still lacking among the general mass.

Therefore, demand for conservation and restoration of historically unique architectures have been increased significantly in the Gojal valley. Historical and traditional architectures have now regained respect and recognition, the ecological friendly and efficient land use nature phenomena can’t be denied. The local culture has been given a transformed justice with newly introduced powerful factors of change in Gulmit Gojal over the past few decades.

Using Ondra Fort as a museum and cultural center will play a vital role in research on local traditions, language. This Fort will be a center for exchange between national, international organizations interested in Gilgit-Baltistan in general and Gulmit Gojal in particular, especially for those who are in need of a base for their fieldwork.

Restoration of Ondra Fort will transform Gulmit Gojal into a focus of interest in Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan.

Restoration of Ondra Fort as a cultural heritage will be a step further for sustainable development in the region.

Recommendations

The local community should take initiative regarding rehabilitation of the Fort, if it is ignored again as the locals did in the past than it will be total disaster.

Due to the significance of this fort from historical, economic and tourism point of view, government or any non-governmental organization must invest handsome amount of money for reconstruction and maintenance of the Fort. Baltit, Altit and Shiger Forts are living examples in this connection.

There is strong need to form a Committee (e.g. Ondra Fort restoration committee) by the locals which should be included notables, historians, architectures, engineers and educated youngsters.

The Committee should adopt multi-branched initiatives, by establishing sub-committees for different purposes in Gulmit, Gilgit & Islamabad.

Giving stake and integration between Wakhi Tajik Cultural Association (WTCA), Gulmit Organization for Local Development (GOLD), Gulmit Young Stars Club and Social Welfare Organization, Open Ismaili Boy Scouts Gulmit and other local organizations will be a great help for the restoration of the Fort. 

The notables of Gulmit Gojal must guarantee the ownership of Ondra Fort for restoration purpose.

There is always a room for new experiences like construction of pony track from K.K.H. Chamangul via Dalgirum and Kamaris to the Fort, and using horses on this track will beautify the excursion which will be income opportunity to the local community.  

Creation of some new USP’s (Unique selling proposition) will help to increase tourist inflow like jeep safari, silk route car rally, and mountain motorbike or bicycle race. 

Cultural Significances and Economic Prospective of Ondra Fort in Gulmit Gojal (Part 3)

Locale of the Fort 

Ondra Fort is situated on a plateau like place on top of Gulmit. Surrounded with fascinating views of the whole area (from Shishkat to Passu, even the Qorun Peak in Shimshal)

Locale of the Fort is like oval shaped; divided into two main parts. The rough sketch below will help us to understand the structure of the Fort. 

A rough sketch of Ondra Fort Gulmit     Credit: Writer 

According to my key respondents the entrance part (southern side) which is a bit lower from northern side was located for the locals and army of Mir Qutlugh, the remnants of the old houses are self-witness. The northern part of the Fort is a bit high, according to my key informants on the corner on the western side, there was 3 story tower built from wood mass to help the army to monitor the entire area.  

Fortification Wall 

Mud and stones were mostly used to construct the boundary wall, the central wall, and as well as the houses. Average sizes of defense walls are 12feet, to make the defense wall stronger the locals have used double layer stones and on top of fortification walls there is 2feet high one line mud block wall. There are few loopholes in defense walls, which are undoubtedly for guns and other ancient weapons.  

Fortification Wall of Ondra Fort         Photo Credit: Writer

Storage Boxes 

There are remnants of rectangle shaped boxes made from mud blocks and mud plaster.  These boxes are considered to be used for storage, wheat grains, barley, dry fruits and vegetables especially when there is insecurity and flood in the area. Normal sizes of those boxes are 6x6 feet, and depth of those boxes is 3 to 4feet.

Storage Boxes Ondra Fort              Photo credit: Writer 

Housing Pattern at Ondra Fort 

A brief introduction will help us to understand the basic structure and ancient style of housing pattern in Gulmit Gojal.

“The houses were basically simple box structures as a single with flat roof made of wood, stone and mud mortar. Now a day there is some improvement people added 2, 3 or 4 bedrooms and separate kitchen bathrooms and toilets”. (G.Rasool-1995)

In the customary houses the Nikard is used for sitting which is central part of a house. In winter season there is always fire in Bukhari (made of iron) which is located in the middle of Dildung, this fire is used for cooking and also for heating the house. 

“The khun, (which generally measures anywhere from 19’ x 21’-21’ x 24’) serves a variety of activities, which range from cooking to sleeping. In order to accommodate a diverse range of activities has been broken down into different floor levels with each having a specific name and function.

A rough sketch of Traditionl Wakhi House, A Khun. Credit: Writer 

The center itself is classified into the yorch (the internal vestibule) which acts as a secondary vestibule generally all shoes are parked in this space before going up to any other portion. The nikard (the portion reserved for eating) is used for dining while the dildoong is used presently for food preparation, and traditionally (and still very infrequently) for grain storage. The past rajx, the kula raj and the nussoon raj are the platforms reserved for sleeping at night and sitting during the daytime. The past rajx is reserved for guests’ sleeping if there are any and, while at marriage ceremonies the space is reserved for musicians. The kula rajx is reserved for the children or extended family. The highest floor level the nussoon rajx is reserved for elders, the owner, and his wife". (Eric Dudly). 

If we compare the housing patterns with the quarters at Ondra Fort it is quite different. Housing walls are mud plastered but not neatly like traditional houses of Wakhi people. The conditions and structures of the houses are generally rough and simple in structure.  Mostly these houses have divide into three or four parts. First part includes on Nikard (the central area) the second and third parts included on Razx (the sleeping area) and the fourth part include on Chekish (area for food items and equipments). After the regime of Mir Jamal Khan the locals have taken away doors, wood pillars, and other valuable goods. 

Crumbled House at Ondra Fort                Photo Credit: Writer 

Desiccated lake at bottom of  the Fort 

Mud was one of the most essential materials to construct defense wall, houses and storage boxes. For that reason the locals shifted mud from the nearest jungle, which later turned a small but important water reservoir and during their stay at the Fort the inhabitants used water of the lake for drinking purposes.    

Desiccated Lake near Ondra Fort           Photo Credit: Writer