Like the Ishkoman Valley, the Yasin Valley is to the north west of the Ghizar District. It lies to the east of Ishkoman at an altitude of
2100 meters to 2800 meters. In its lower part the valley is wide flat and well
watered, making it completely fertile, with irrigated fields on the either side
of the Yasin River.
The people here
speak the original language of Brushaski which is also spoken in Hunza and
Nagar valleys. It has played a leading role in the history of the region
continually fought over by the rulers of both Chitral and Gigit, the history of
the ruler of Yasin reads like catalogue of patricide, fratricide and
avunculicide.
Until the twentieth
century, Yasin was an important Kingdom controlling the shortest and easiest
Route between the Oxus and Indus Valleys. In the early centuries AD, it was the
capital of the Little Bolor, which ruled Gilgit, the early in the eighth the
century, the Tibetans, who controlled Great Bolor (Baltistan) tried to gain
access through Yasin to the Oxus Valley in order to join forces with Arab and
attack China. With Chinese help, Yasin kept the Tibetans at bay until 742, when
the Tibetans persuaded the king of Yasin to marry a Tibetan princess and align
himself with Tibet.
The Chinese retailed
by attacking in747. With 10,000 troops they crossed the Pamir and defeated an
equal force of Tibetans on the Wakhan side of the Broghil pass, then chased
them across the Broghil and Darkot passes. The Chinese than took Yasin and cut
the birch-rope bridge across the Gigit River at Gupis which was as source of
access, it took one year to rebuild. Thus blocking the advance of Tibetans
reinforcement coming from Gilgit, as the Gigit River cannot be forded in the
summer and there is no route along its north bank. Chinese rule proved to be
short lived, however, as a defeat in 751 near Tashkent at the hands of Arab
lost them control of Central Asia. The Chinese returned in 1749. In the
eighteenth century the king of Mastuj controlled Yasin and at times Gilgit as
well. The Ghizar Valley west of Yasin smooth as the Shandur Pass is making easy
for Mastuj to communicate with Yasin.
Yasin has playe
pivotal role in the history of Gillgit Baltistan. It came to the attention of
vitorian Britain following the murder of British explorer Goerge Hayward in
Darkot village in 1870 ( will describe in the next pages about this). Russian advanced through Darkot and Broghil
pass in order to capture Gilgit but they were stopped at Darkot pass. The
British took an interest in the valley and opened its agency at Gilgit in 1877,
Britsh and Russian continued to jostle for control. Russian spies stood at the
top of the Darkot Pass at 1890, peering down into Yasin, but retreated unseen.
Five years later the Pamir Boundary Commission crossed the Darkot Pass with 600
ponies to survey the frontier. The Russian threat subsided, and in twentieth
century Yasin became another small kingdom ruled by raja. It was absorbed by
Pakistan in 1972.
Geographically, Yasin Valley of Gilgit Baltistan is the
meeting point to the Central Asian countries in the Hindukush range of great
mountains Gilgit baltisistan, to the North east its borders connect with
Ishkomman Valley which has long border along the Korumbar and Wakhan Corridor
and Chilinji Pass to Chupusan upper Gojal,to the South its border connects with
the Yarkun Vally of Chitaral district of NWFP now KPK to continue to
Afghanistanse. Because of this geographical importance ancient invaders and conquerors
used these passes to proceed to the Sub-Continent.
It was considered one
of the remotest regions in Gilgit Baltistan but the modern technology and
sacrifice of martyr (shaheed) Lalik Jan Nishan-e- Haider made it accessible in
a short time by improving the road to Yasin, once it took eight hours from
Gigit to reach there, but now it takes only four hours. The valley is very
beautiful with spectacular views of the snowcapped mountains of Hindu Kush and passing
through the beautiful villages of Punial and Gupis on the Shandur road leads to
Chitral. The people of Yasin are unique in their hospitality as compare to any
other part of Gilgit Baltistan. There is unique beauty for the travelers to
enjoy their holidays. It has camping spots simple reasonable hotels to stay and
easy and challenging trekking routes for trekkers and mountains for climbers
(most of them are unclimbed yet). You can go on a day short trek or a month
long trek from the valley crossing passes from a part to another part of the
district. The detailed itineraries and descriptions of the trekking routes will
be shared in the next posts. Some of them have been described already in the
previous posts.
I hope you will find this article interesting and comment on
it. Positive feedback is always welcome.
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