Ishkoman
Encyclopedia
The Ishkoman valley lies in the north of Pakistan
, bordering Afghanistan
and the Pamir corridor.
of Ghizer District. It is located at a range of altitudes, from 7000 to 12000 ft (2,133.6 to 3,657.6 m). The valley consists of 20 villages, with a total population of 30,000 inhabitants. Three major languages are spoken here: Wakhi
, Khowar
and Shina
.
s. Since 1947, it has remained a disputed territory outside the mainstream of politics. However, later the local people got rid of the outside influences. Since then, the Ishkoman valley mostly remained in touch with Pakistan. It remained usually unnoticed and backward. But nature has been very generous in providing the Ishkoman valley with the wealth of beauty. Many people here, despite being deprived of the modern necessities of life, are not ready even to move from Ishkoman. The valley is compassed by the snow-capped peaks and Rocky Mountains. Crystal streams flow here, greatly contributing to the Indus River. There are orchards in Ishkoman. Also, it offers a heritage of cultures of the world. The valley is famous in assuaging the quench of trekking and hiking. A lot of tourists yearly move to Ishkoman valley, as it is a place of great tranquility.
Ishkoman valley is situated at a distance of almost 140 kilometre from the Gilgit city, requiring 4 hours of travel. Ishkoman is a settlement that used to be governed by Yasini Mehtars and Rajas. It was separated from Yasin during 1889, before it was ruled by the Puniali Rajas for several years. Later on, it was again added to Yasin dynasty.
In 1888, the Mehtar
of Chitral
annexed the valley, and it remained under the rule of the Katoor Dynasty
until 1895. After this, British Gilgit Agency made it as a province and sustained Mir Ali Mar Shah as governor. Mir Ali Mardan Shah was a former ruler in Afghan Wakhan corridor, who later migrated into Chitral and made kinship with the royal family. The ruling family of Chitral granted him Ishkoman valley as gift to her son-in-law. Mir Ali Mardan Shah ruled this valley till 1924. He died in Chilpi village, while he was going to a meeting at Gilgit.
After death, Mr. Mir Baz Khan was assigned a governor of this valley. He was a retired Subidar in the British Army. He gave his services for more than 10 years, from 1924 to 1934. He had been transferred to Yasin valley as governor. Mr. Hussain Ali Khan was sent to this valley as new governor for Ishkoman. He ruled for four years, from 1934 to 1938. Sultan Murad Khan (Khuswaqt) came here as new governor. He ruled on this valley from 1938 to 1951, while Pakistan came into being as new Muslim state in south Asia. This new Muslim state accommodates many areas as its new territories.
The people of Gilgit Baltistan fought against the Dogra Raj and got rid of them. Since then, Ishkoman has also been part of this war. So that after freedom from British rulers, the surrounding areas of Gilgit Baltistan enjoyed freedom, but Ishkoman still has an unfortunate story. The FCR (Frontier crime rules) continued in this area, and Mr. Sultan Ghazi Khan was assigned as raja
of this area until 1972. Mr. Zullfiqar Ali butto hang up this system and dismissed FCR from this region. After this, the people gained freedom in Gilgit-Baltistan as others live in. Chator Khand is its capital, and Ishkoman has good opportunities of tourism. Its has rich natural pastures in different valleys and have best passes to other region. The main villages of this valley are:
Ishkoman Proper
mountains, in the northwest region of Gilgit in the Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. Ishkoman is connected to the Yasin Valley
and Chipursan (in Gojal Hunza) valley by a high mountain pass.
The ownership of Ishkoman has changed hands several times over the years. It has been under the rule of the Mehtar
of Chitral
, the Maharaja of Kashmir
, or the Raja of Punyal at different times in the past. Although sparsely populated, Ishkoman was important because it leads to a high mountain pass, to Yarkhun in Chitral, and then to Broghol
Pass, the Wakhan Corridor
of Afghanistan
, and into Tajikistan
. During British rule
, the government was concerned that Ishkoman could have formed an invasion route from Czarist Russia
into India.
. The Wakhi language
, Burushaski language and the Shina language
are also spoken. Burushaski language
is spoken in Barjungle. Most of the people living in Barjungle have migrated from various villages of Hunza Valley. While Khowar is spoken in the southern villages of Ishkoman, the Wakhi language, which is also spoken in Gojal Hunza, is spoken in northern Ishkoman.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, bordering Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and the Pamir corridor.
Political status
Administratively, Ishkoman valley constitutes a TehsilTehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
of Ghizer District. It is located at a range of altitudes, from 7000 to 12000 ft (2,133.6 to 3,657.6 m). The valley consists of 20 villages, with a total population of 30,000 inhabitants. Three major languages are spoken here: Wakhi
Wakhi 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:...
, Khowar
Khowar language
For the ethnic group, see under Chitrali people.Khowar , also known as Chitrali, is a Dardic language spoken by 400,000 people in Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan , and in parts of Upper Swat...
and Shina
Shina language
Shina is a Dardic language spoken by a plurality of people in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan and Dras in Ladakh of Indian-Administered Kashmir. The valleys in which it is spoken include Astore, Chilas, Dareil, Tangeer, Gilgit, Ghizer, and a few parts of Baltistan and Kohistan. It is also spoken in...
.
History
Until 1972, the area was ruled by the RajaRaja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
s. Since 1947, it has remained a disputed territory outside the mainstream of politics. However, later the local people got rid of the outside influences. Since then, the Ishkoman valley mostly remained in touch with Pakistan. It remained usually unnoticed and backward. But nature has been very generous in providing the Ishkoman valley with the wealth of beauty. Many people here, despite being deprived of the modern necessities of life, are not ready even to move from Ishkoman. The valley is compassed by the snow-capped peaks and Rocky Mountains. Crystal streams flow here, greatly contributing to the Indus River. There are orchards in Ishkoman. Also, it offers a heritage of cultures of the world. The valley is famous in assuaging the quench of trekking and hiking. A lot of tourists yearly move to Ishkoman valley, as it is a place of great tranquility.
Ishkoman valley is situated at a distance of almost 140 kilometre from the Gilgit city, requiring 4 hours of travel. Ishkoman is a settlement that used to be governed by Yasini Mehtars and Rajas. It was separated from Yasin during 1889, before it was ruled by the Puniali Rajas for several years. Later on, it was again added to Yasin dynasty.
In 1888, the Mehtar
Mehtar
Mehtar is a Persian word meaning "Mighty" and was used in several ancient area of Pakistan to denote the local ruler. It is the title of the ruler of the former State of Chitral....
of Chitral
Chitral
Chitral or Chetrar , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River , in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
annexed the valley, and it remained under the rule of the Katoor Dynasty
Katoor Dynasty
The Katoor Dynasty and its collateral branches ruled the ancient Kingdom of Chitral and its neighbours in the Eastern Hindukush Region for over four hundred years. At the height of their power under Mehtar Aman-ul-Mulk the territory controlled by the Mehtar of Chitral extended from Asmar in the...
until 1895. After this, British Gilgit Agency made it as a province and sustained Mir Ali Mar Shah as governor. Mir Ali Mardan Shah was a former ruler in Afghan Wakhan corridor, who later migrated into Chitral and made kinship with the royal family. The ruling family of Chitral granted him Ishkoman valley as gift to her son-in-law. Mir Ali Mardan Shah ruled this valley till 1924. He died in Chilpi village, while he was going to a meeting at Gilgit.
After death, Mr. Mir Baz Khan was assigned a governor of this valley. He was a retired Subidar in the British Army. He gave his services for more than 10 years, from 1924 to 1934. He had been transferred to Yasin valley as governor. Mr. Hussain Ali Khan was sent to this valley as new governor for Ishkoman. He ruled for four years, from 1934 to 1938. Sultan Murad Khan (Khuswaqt) came here as new governor. He ruled on this valley from 1938 to 1951, while Pakistan came into being as new Muslim state in south Asia. This new Muslim state accommodates many areas as its new territories.
The people of Gilgit Baltistan fought against the Dogra Raj and got rid of them. Since then, Ishkoman has also been part of this war. So that after freedom from British rulers, the surrounding areas of Gilgit Baltistan enjoyed freedom, but Ishkoman still has an unfortunate story. The FCR (Frontier crime rules) continued in this area, and Mr. Sultan Ghazi Khan was assigned as raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
of this area until 1972. Mr. Zullfiqar Ali butto hang up this system and dismissed FCR from this region. After this, the people gained freedom in Gilgit-Baltistan as others live in. Chator Khand is its capital, and Ishkoman has good opportunities of tourism. Its has rich natural pastures in different valleys and have best passes to other region. The main villages of this valley are:
-
- Chator khand(Capital Of Ishkoman)
- Dain
- Pakora
- Barjangle
- Immit
Ishkoman Proper
-
- Moninabad
- Dawoodabad
- Faiz Abad
- Jalalabad
- Kot
- Gotalti
- Koramber
- Dalti
Geography
Ishkoman is a high mountain valley in the Hindukush and KarakorumKarakorum
Karakorum was the capital of the Mongol Empire in the 13th century, and of the Northern Yuan in the 14-15th century. Its ruins lie in the northwestern corner of the Övörkhangai Province of Mongolia, near today's town of Kharkhorin, and adjacent to the Erdene Zuu monastery...
mountains, in the northwest region of Gilgit in the Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan. Ishkoman is connected to the Yasin Valley
Yasin Valley
The Yasin Valley, Tehsil Yasin or Babaye-i-Yasen or Worshigum is a high mountain valley in the Hindu Kush mountains, in the northwest region of Gilgit in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Yasin is separated from the Ishkoman Valley by a high mountain pass...
and Chipursan (in Gojal Hunza) valley by a high mountain pass.
The ownership of Ishkoman has changed hands several times over the years. It has been under the rule of the Mehtar
Mehtar
Mehtar is a Persian word meaning "Mighty" and was used in several ancient area of Pakistan to denote the local ruler. It is the title of the ruler of the former State of Chitral....
of Chitral
Chitral
Chitral or Chetrar , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River , in Pakistan. The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
, the Maharaja of Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, or the Raja of Punyal at different times in the past. Although sparsely populated, Ishkoman was important because it leads to a high mountain pass, to Yarkhun in Chitral, and then to Broghol
Broghol
Broghol, also spelled Broghil, Boroghil and several other ways, is a high mountain pass that crosses the Hindu Kush and connects the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan with Chitral in Pakistan....
Pass, the Wakhan Corridor
Wakhan Corridor
Wakhan Corridor is commonly used as a synonym for Wakhan, an area of far north-eastern Afghanistan which forms a land link or "corridor" between Afghanistan and China. The Corridor is a long and slender panhandle or salient, roughly long and between wide. It separates Tajikistan in the north...
of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, and into Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
. During British rule
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, the government was concerned that Ishkoman could have formed an invasion route from Czarist Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
into India.
Language
The primary language of Ishkoman area is the Khowar languageKhowar language
For the ethnic group, see under Chitrali people.Khowar , also known as Chitrali, is a Dardic language spoken by 400,000 people in Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan , and in parts of Upper Swat...
. The Wakhi language
Wakhi 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:...
, Burushaski language and the Shina language
Shina language
Shina is a Dardic language spoken by a plurality of people in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan and Dras in Ladakh of Indian-Administered Kashmir. The valleys in which it is spoken include Astore, Chilas, Dareil, Tangeer, Gilgit, Ghizer, and a few parts of Baltistan and Kohistan. It is also spoken in...
are also spoken. Burushaski language
Burushaski language
The Burushaski or Burushko language , is a language isolate . It is spoken by some 87,000 Burusho people in the Hunza, Nagar, Yasin, and Ishkoman valleys, and some parts of the Gilgit valley, in Gilgit–Baltistan in Pakistan and by about 300 Burusho people in Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, India...
is spoken in Barjungle. Most of the people living in Barjungle have migrated from various villages of Hunza Valley. While Khowar is spoken in the southern villages of Ishkoman, the Wakhi language, which is also spoken in Gojal Hunza, is spoken in northern Ishkoman.
Demographics
With the arrival of Tajik's from neighbouring Tajikistan, a sizeable number of the population speaks Tajik as well. They have migrated mostly due to better economic conditions in Pakistan and have set up numerous shops and colonies in Ishkoman.Villages
The major villages in Ishkoman include Chatorkhand, Pakora, Barjungle, Immit, Iskoman, Gunjabad, Bilhanz and Borth.- Chator khand( Capital Of Ishkoman Region)
- Dain
- Ameenabad
- Rahimabad
- Pakora
- Sholja
- Asumbar
- Shonas
- Baarjangal
- Gishgish
- Imit
- Proper Ishkoman
- Bilhuns
- Borit