Shimshal

Shimshal (شمشال), previously known as Shingshal, is a village located in the Gojal tehsil of the Hunza District in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. It lies at an altitude of 3,113 m above sea level and is the highest settlement in the district. It is the largest valley in Gilgit-Baltistan. It encompasses nearly the entire district of Hunza. Situated within the valley is the Shimshal River, a tributary that feeds into the Hunza River. Shimshal itself is a border village, serving as a linkage point between Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region and China.

The total area of Shimshal is estimated at approximately 3,800 km2 and there are around two thousand inhabitants with a total of 250 households.

Settlements
Shimshal comprises four major hamlets: Farmanabad, Aminabad, Center Shimshal, and Khizarabad. Shimshal obtains hydroelectricity from the Odver stream, particularly during the warmer months of the year which typically span from June to October. The absence of electricity for seven months poses a significant challenge for the local community in Shimshal. During this prolonged period, residents have had to resort to various alternatives such as kerosene oil, firewood, solar panels, and compressed natural gas in cylinders to meet their energy needs However, a small hydro electricity power station of 0.200MW is under construction at Kuk area of Shimshal that is scheduled to be complete in 2017.

The village was inaccessible by motor roads until October 2003, when a new road from the Karakoram Highway at Passu was constructed. It's 56 km to reach the Shimshal Valley from Passu. Self-help or Nomus (in local Wakhi language) is the major driver for infrastructure development in Shimshal.

Shimshalis use numerous seasonal mountain grasslands, located several days walk from the village, to sustain herds of yaks, goats, and sheep. The area was founded by Mamo Singh and his wife named Khudija.

The people of Shimshal are Wakhi and they speak the Wakhi language. They belong to the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam. The community follows Aga Khan, a spiritual leader.

Shimshal has produced several well-known mountaineers for Pakistan. Among those, Samina Baig is the first woman climber from Pakistan to scale Mt. Everest and all highest peaks in seven continents around the globe. Rajab Shah has the honor of scaling all five highest peaks in Pakistan. Both Rajab Shah and Mehrban Shah have received a Presidential Award for Pride of Performance in the field of mountaineering. Some people call Shimshal The Valley of Mountaineers in Pakistan.

Shimshal is the largest village of the Hunza valley. Its extensive pasture lands include Shimshal Pamir, Gujerav, Yazghail and Loopghar.

The Lok Versa Museum of Shimshal has antiques, artifacts, musical instruments, and daily life items made from wood, showcasing the history of its local community.

Two books by Pam Henson about Shimshal, "Shimshal" and "Women of Shimshal," have been published by the Shimshal Trust. Henson is a teacher from New Zealand and wrote these books based on her experiences teaching and living in Shimshal.

The Shimshal River comes from this area and then transforms the shape of Hunza River, which joins the Indus River below the capital city Gilgit. Shimshal River is formed from three sources: Khurdopin Glacier, Shimshal Pass and Zardgorban. The Shimshal River flows into the Khunjrab River and then the Passu River before ending in Attabad Lake.

History


The village of Shimshal was founded in 1450 by Mamu Singh, the brother of "Chu Singh". Both were Burushaski peakers and they belonged to the "Brong Family". Mamu Singh was fond of hunting and other mountain sports. One day, in search of ibex, he went to Gojal. During his hunting trip, he fell in love with a beautiful girl who he then married. They started to live in the area of Boiber. Once, he climbed up to the summit of Karun Kuh which provided him a chance to view the entire region and to see the grazing ground of Lup Goz, which they traveled to with a flock of sheep and goats.

Later, he climbed on the high ground running east, and saw the vast area of "Shimshal Valley" (Shingshal). He noticed that there were signs of existence of a water channel. He came to the conclusion that this flat barren land had been cultivated some time in the past. Thus, Mamu Singh decided to cultivate the abandoned land. He repaired the broken water channel and got water running through it for irrigation. After cultivations in the new settlement Mamu Singh decided to relocate from Astan to Shimshal along with his wife and herds.. They had a son who went on to produce further descendants, populating the area.

The Pakistan Army came to Shimshal in the late 1960s and was posted in Pamir because of border disputes with China. Many Shimshalis worked as porters for the army. Today, many Shimshalis work as porters for trekking and mountaineering groups and expeditions.

Shimshal Pass


Shimshal Pass (4735 m) 36.43333°N, 75.6875°W rises above the village. It lies on the watershed between the Indus River and Tarim River basins, and leads to the valley of the Shimshal Braldu River, a tributary of the Shaksgam River on the border with China.

Francis Younghusband was probably the first Englishman to reach the pass (1889). At the time it was used by raiders from Hunza to attack caravans traveling between Leh and Yarkand.

The pass is not part of Khunjerab National Park, but the Shimshal community has set up an organization called SNT (Shimshal Nature Trust) which oversees the entire region and takes care of its own land. It is a community-based organization and is registered with the Government of Pakistan.

Annually, in the last week of July or the first week of August, there is a festival at Shimshal Pass where locals partake in a yak race, followed by singing and dancing. In Wakhi language it is called Woolyo. This yak race is the only one of its kind, and is a unique event organised at high mountain settlements of Pakistan.

Shimshal Nature Trust
Shimshal Nature Trust is a community-based development organization. In January 2008, The Science and Practice of Ecology & Society Award (SPES) was granted to Shimshal Nature Trust by the Resilience Alliance.

Nomus (self-help village development programme)
Nomus is a Wakhi word commonly known in Shimshal valley. It is a unique social philanthropic (showing concern for humanity) system of the local community. Details are available here Nomus and Oral testimonies from Shimshal. It is one of its kind model of participatory community development in Gilgit-Baltistan area of Pakistan.

Tourism
Shimshal Valley has its largest adventure area in Hunza and is a major attraction for tourists. Its well-known mountains include:
 * Distaghil Sar (7885 m)
 * Kunjut Sar (7790 m)
 * Trivor (7577 m)
 * Pumari Chhish (W) (7492 m)
 * Yukshin Gardan Sar (7530 m)
 * Momhil Sar (7343 m)
 * Malungutti Sar (7207 m)
 * Shimshal Whitehorn (6303 m)
 * Minglik Sar (6150 m)
 * Lupghar Sar (7200 m)
 * Dut Sar (6858 m)
 * Sonia Peak (6310 m)
 * Purian Sar (6293 m)
 * Yazghail Sar (6000 m)
 * Yawash Sar II (6176 m)

Gigantic glaciers include Malangudhi, Yazghail, Khurdopin (5800 m), Braldu, Odver, and Ver Zharav. The main passes include Chafchingoal, Khurdopin, Mai Dur, Braldu, and Boi Sam. Among these, the Khurdopin glacier pass remains a favorite destination for trekkers.

Solar electricity
There are almost 250 houses in Shimshal and almost every house uses solar panels to generate electricity. On 14 December 2016, Shimshal connected with the rest of the world through a cellular network of the Special Communications Organization known as SCOM. SCOM provides GSM services in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and its GSM service is connected with the solar power grid in Shimshal. Samina Baig, who is Brand Ambassador of SCOM, played a vital role in providing cellular service to the people of Shimshal.

Naubahar School in Shimshal produces 20KVs of electricity using solar panels. This is enough to meet the electricity needs of 18 classrooms and an IT lab.

Notable people

 * Samina Baig, hailing from Shimshal valley, is the first Pakistani woman to scale the world's highest mountain, Mt. Everest. She also has the honor of scaling all highest peaks in seven continents.
 * Mirza Ali Baig hailing from Shimshal is also a mountaineer. In addition, he is a photographer and social worker. He is the brother of Samina Baig, and trained her climbing on mountains and mountaineering.
 * Abdul Joshi, born in Shimshal, is the first Pakistani to summit Annapurna, the tenth highest peak in the world. He is also the eighth Pakistani to summit Mount Everest.