Shimshal

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Shimshal is a small village located in Gojal, in the Pakistan-administered Northern Areas.

The village had been cut off from the Tehsil Headquarter Gulmit for centuries. Only in October 2003, for the first time, did a jeep go there, after the new road from the Karakoram Highway was constructed. The famous Shimshal River comes from this area and then transforms the shape of Hunza River, which mixes with the Indus River below the capital city Gilgit.

Shimshalis use numerous seasonal mountain grasslands, located several days walk from the village, to sustain herds of yaks, goats, and sheep. Most of these grasslands are located within what has been declared as the Khunjerab National Park, in an area called Shimshal Pamir and its surroundings.

The people of Shimshal are Wakhi and they speak the Wakhi language. They belong to the Ismaili sect of Islam.