Astore Valley (el. 2,600 m (8,500 ft)) is now located in
Astore District in the autonomous Pakistani regions of
Gilgit-Baltistan,previously in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley, adjoining the eastern side of mountain
Nanga Parbat, is about 120 km (75 mi) long, having area of 5,092 km
2 (1,966 sq mi).
The entrance of the valley is located about 60 km southeast of Gilgit
with four side-valleys. The valley has more than 100 villages with a
total population of 71,666 (Census 1998)including
Loas,
Louze, Chilm, Bubin, Gorikot,
Parisheng Eid Ghah, Fina, Bulen, Chongra, Tari Shing,
Rattu,
Kamri,and Minimerg. Rama lake and pastures are the most famous tourist
attraction in the region. The majority of people practice subsistence
agriculture and livestock is the main source of livelihood complemented
by seasonal work in down districts of the country. Due to its diverse
landscape and climatic conditions the valley provides excellent habitat
for a variety of commercially important medicinal plants.
History
According to the
Imperial Gazetteer of India, around 1600:
| “ |
Ghāzī Mukhpun,
a Persian adventurer, is said to have married a princess of the Skārdu
reigning family. The four sons born of this union became Rās
of Skārdu, Astor, Rondu, and Kharmang respectively, and from them are
descended the families of the present chiefs of those places. The
independence of Astor ceased at the Dogra conquest. |
” |
Climate
Astore valley has a moderate climate during summer. In winter it can
snow up to 6 in (150 mm) in the main valleys and up to 2 to 3 ft (0.61
to 0.91 m) in the mountains. In Mirmalik valley it snows up to 6 ft
(1.8 m) in February.
Languages
The main language spoken in the valley is
Shina.
Urdu,
which is the national language of Pakistan, is the second most
frequently spoken language. Shina has many sub-dialects especially
significant in Bunji, Dashkin, Doyan, Praishing, Gorikot, across the
Burzil and Rattu regions. Shina is mild phonetically and uses the Arabic
script. Poetry is not recorded, rather it is transmitted via folk songs
and part of stories narrated by folk singers and artisans.
Astore,
a corridor to Dardistan, has a rich linguistic background due to its
centuries old connections with the rest of the Indian subcontinent.
People living in this region were frequent visitors to India for trade
and education and had access to the maharajas' royal courts. British
officers visiting and surveying led to an admixture of foreign words in
the local language.
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