More About Nagar Valley:
Nagar Valley, once a princely state, is now one of the ten districts located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. This valley is positioned along the famous Karakoram Highway, which leads north from the city of Gilgit. The valley boasts many towering mountain peaks, including Rakaposhi (7788m), Diran Peak (7265m), Golden Peak, and Rush Peak.
The Nagar Valley is administratively split into two tehsils: Nagar-I and Nagar-II. All the villages situated in upper Nagar, such as Shayar, Askurdas, Sumayar, Nagarkhas, Hoper Valley, and Hispar, fall under Nagar-I, which together form Sas Valley. The villages located in lower Nagar, including Chalt Paeen, Chalt Bala, Sonikot, Akbarabad, Rabat, Bar, Buddalas, Chaprote, Sikandarabad, Jafarabad, Nilt, Thol, Ghulmet, Pisan, Minapin, Miachar, Dadhimal, Phakker, and Hakuchar, are part of Nagar-II.
Both tehsils are often referred to by their size: Nagar-I is known as ‘Chota Nagar’ (چھوٹا نگر) in Urdu, meaning Small Nagar, while Nagar-II is frequently called ‘Bara Nagar’ (بڑا نگر), meaning Big Nagar. The languages predominantly spoken in the valley are Burushaski and Shina. Notably, Burushaski is spoken with a distinct accent and potentially a different dialect in Nagar-I, recognized locally as Khajuna.
In this valley lies Rush Lake, which is the highest alpine lake in Pakistan and ranks as the 27th highest in the world.
The topography of the Nagar Valley features hills and mountains, giving it a predominantly mountainous character. The road connecting Hunza to Nagar-I is mostly unpaved. The roads in and around this region are constantly subject to landslides, particularly during the summer months. Certain sections of the Sas Valley road are also in critical condition. The entire area is enveloped by the Karakoram mountain range, which includes Rakaposhi, Diran, and Golden peaks. Approximately 90% of the Nagar Valley is situated above 3,000 meters above sea level, with around 30% exceeding 5,000 meters.
Nagar operated as an independent principality for over 1,200 years. The British took control of Nagar during the Anglo-Brushohe war, which is locally referred to as Jangir-e-Lae. This conflict occurred between the inhabitants of Nagar state and British Raj forces at Nilt from December 1 to December 23, 1891.
