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 Ganish!
The oldest and first
settlement on
ancient Silk rout in
Hunza.You may see
different old watch
towers,old
traditional
mosques,religious
centers.
Ganish village is
located on flat land
near the Hunza River
and the Hunza hill
at an altitude of
7,500 ft. Though it
has several new
Khuns (clusters),
Bitan Khun, Suni
Khun, Buldus, Ganish
Shukonoshal,
Chaboikushal and
Tsill Ganish, Ganish
Khun is the oldest.
The original layout
of Ganish Khun is
mostly intact, even
after damage caused
by a flood in 1960
and the construction
of the KKH through
it in the 1970's.
Garnish’s existing
historic fabric is a
typical central
Hunza Khun layout,
which comprises of
39 houses dating
back to the 15th
century. This fabric
contains a number of
buildings (Imam-bargah,
Himaltar and
Shikaris Sawab-Ha,
mosques, schools,
guest house etc) and
open spaces that are
outstanding in their
spatial layout,
architecture and
decoration. Ancient
chinar’s, mulberry
and willow trees
testify to the age
of the settlement.
The village’s
surroundings consist
of thousand of
year’s old
meticulously
constructed terrace
houses, lush green
agricultural
terraces, orchards
and meadows. The
orchards and meadows
terrace down to the
Hunza River and
create a most
beautiful form of
landscapes.
The award of
distinction for the
year 2002 has been
given to Ganish, a
small settlement in
central Hunza in the
Northern Areas, for
preserving four
historical mosques.
In all, 142 entries
from 37 Asia-Pacific
countries competed
for the Award,
bringing to world
attention the
 high
quality of
conservation work
being done around
the region.
Richard Engelhardt,
the Unesco regional
adviser on culture
for Asia-Pacific,
presented the award
to the community at
a ceremony at Ganish,
some 110 kilometres
off Gilgit, on
Saturday last.
The ceremony was
attended by Unesco
country director
Ingeborg Breines,
federal secretary
for culture Ismail
Niazi,
representatives of
AKCSP and the
Karakoram Area
Development
Organization (KADO),
besides all the
community members as
well as many people
from the surrounding
villages of Altit
and Karimabad,
The award,
established in 2000,
is given in
recognition of the
efforts and
contributions of
individuals and
organizations that
have successfully
restored and
conserved structures
and buildings of
heritage value in
the Asia-Pacific
region.
The programme aims
at promoting
conservation of the
region's
architectural
heritage, which is
threatened by
unchecked
development,
neglect, or
inappropriate reuse.
The living historic
village, popularly
known as Ganish Khun,
is about one
thousand years old,
with a small
community working
towards improving
its quality of life.
With the spread of
Islam, the Yarikutz,
the Rupikutz, the
Kuyokutz and the
Mamorokutz - the
then leading
families of the area
- constructed four
mosques and watch
towers dating back
to the 16th and 17th
centuries. These
unique structures,
which were decaying
owing to the ravages
of time and lack of
financial and
technical resources,
have been restored
to some of their old
glory with the
assistance from
Norway and Spain,
through the Aga Khan
Cultural Services
Programme (AKCSP).
Encouraged by this
support, the local
community began to
pave their streets,
restore the old
unstable houses,
improve the
sanitation system,
and is now in the
process of building
a water filtration
plant.
Ganish Khun is now
seen as a model
village, inspiring
other settlements of
the area to follow
suit, thus
substantiating
Unesco's belief that
recognizing
successful
preservation efforts
helps spur
additional projects
within the same
community,
advocating the
culture of
preservation and
conservation through
the use of
appropriate
conservation
techniques and
approaches.
In awarding the
prize to the Ganish
project, the panel
of judges cited:
"The restoration of
four 300-year old
wooden mosques in
Pakistan's Hunza
Valley has
successfully
revitalized the
village "chataq",
the
 traditional
public heart of the Ganish historic
settlement.
Initiated and
undertaken by the
villagers, with
professional
guidance, the
project has rebuilt
community spirit in
a rural village
which has undergone
major socio-economic
change and natural
disasters over the
years.
"The restrained
conservation
approach has
stabilized the
buildings which were
in danger of
collapse, while
retaining the rich
historic patina and
showcasing the
intricate detailing
of the structures.
Modern materials
were selectively
incorporated
alongside the use of
traditional
materials and
techniques. The
preservation of the
surrounding
buildings and
infrastructural
improvements was
sensitively
executed,
consequently
strengthening the
traditional town
fabric while
upgrading the
quality of life of
the residents. The
project presents an
outstanding example
of a community-led
initiative
strategically
facilitated by
outside support".
This is the second
time that Hunza has
been honoured with
the Unesco award.
Earlier, the 700
years old historic
Baltit Fort, which
was preserved and
renovated by the
AKCSP, was the first
project which bagged
the Unesco Cultural
Heritage Award in
1999. |
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