Chilas

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Chilas (Urdu: چلاس) is a small town located in the Northern Areas, Pakistan. It is connected to the Silk Road by the Karakoram Highway which links it to Islamabad in the south via Dassu, Mansehra, Abbottabad and Haripur. In the north, Chilas is connected to the Chinese cities of Kashgar and Tashkurgan via ,Gilgit and Sost.

[edit] Ancient petroglyphs

Ancient petroglyphs near Chilas

Main article: Northern Areas, Pakistan#Rock art and petroglyphs

There are more than 20,000 pieces of rock art and petroglyphs all along the Karakoram Highway in Northern Areas of Pakistan that are concentrated at ten major sites between Hunza and Shatial. The carvings were left by various invaders, traders and pilgrims who passed along the trade route, as well as by locals. The earliest date back to between 5000 and 1000 BC, showing single animals, triangular men and hunting sccenes in which the animals are larger than the hunters. These carvings were pecked into the rock with stone tools and are covered with a thick patina that proves their age.

The archaeologist Karl Jettmar has pieced together the history of the area from various inscriptions and recorded his findings in Rockcarvings and Inscriptions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan and the later released Between Gandhara and the Silk Roads - Rock carvings Along the Karakoram Highway.

Chilas comes under FANA( Federally Administered Northern Areas). The weather is hot and humid in the summer and dry and cold in the winter. It can be reached through Karakurram highway and also from Kaghan valley passing through Babusar Pass. The mighty river Indus passes through the Chilas valley. It is not recommended for European Foreigners to travel alone in Chilas

[edit] References

Jettmar, Karl et al. (1985): Zwischen Gandhara und den Seidenstrassen: Felsbilder am Karakorum Highway: Entdeckungen deutsch-pakistanischer Expeditionen 1979-1984. 1985. Mainz am Rhein, Philipp von Zabern.
Jettmar. Karl (1980): Bolor & Dardistan. Karl Jettmar. Islamabad, National Institute of Folk Heritage.
Leitner, G. W. (1893): Dardistan in 1866, 1886 and 1893: Being An Account of the History, Religions, Customs, Legends, Fables and Songs of Gilgit, Chilas, Kandia (Gabrial) Yasin, Chitral, Hunza, Nagyr and other parts of the Hindukush, as also a supplement to the second edition of The Hunza and Nagyr Handbook. And An Epitome of Part III of the author’s “The Languages and Races of Dardistan.” First Reprint 1978. Manjusri Publishing House, New Delhi.
Rod MacNeil: The Fight at Chilas (1893). Soldiers of the Queen (journal of the Victorian Military Society). March 1999.