Naltar is an enchanting valley located some 30 kilometers north-east of Gilgit. About 2 hours drive from the capital city of Northern Areas, it is famous for its undulating alpine slopes, majestic snow-clad peaks, verdant meadows and serene lakes.
It is a paradise for trekkers and ski lovers. Naltar was a hill station for the British. Later Pakistan Air Force set up its winter survival school and the oldest skiing resort at a height of 10,000 feet (3084 meters) there. Pakistan Air Force arranges skiing championships there in winter.
Trekkers usually go trekking from Naltar to Pakora pass in the Ishkoman valley of Ghizer district.
There are two main villages in the valley, Naltar Bala and Naltar Pain, which are further subdivided into small settlements. The villages or settlements of Naltar Bala include Nagar, Gumat, Jagot, Khayot, Chhoti, Dalan, Chimarso, Bishagri and Bidlo while the Naltar Pain settlements comprise the villages of Waldan, now Mominabad, Galin now Jaffarabad, Kot, Harchin, Hodin and Humre. Sheen, Yaskhuns and Gujjars are the main tribes inhabiting in Naltar valley. However, a considerable population of the Gujars lives in Naltar Bala. They speak both Shina and Gujri languages. They subsist on both livestock and agriculture. Potato is the main crop of the valley.
Gujars are not the original settlers of the Naltar valley. They came to settle in the valley over a century ago in search of pastures for their livestock. Some of the families came from Oosho in Kalam, Alai in Thakot, Batagram, while most of them came from Kohistan. One of the notables of Naltar Bala, Mir Baz Khan Gujar, said that his grandfather migrated from his ancestral village Alai in Thakot and settled in Kohistan. Later on, his father moved from Kohistan in search of pastures and eventually settled in Naltar.
The Gujars brought the tradition of carved wooden coffins to Naltar from Kohistan and Swat. This tradition was also prevalent among certain other tribes of Gilgit, Astor, Chilas, Tangir, Darel and Hunza. There are still many grave railings in the valleys of Tangir and Darel. Unfortunately, the tradition of erecting wooden coffins is no more in vogue in Gilgit, Astore and Hunza. However, one finds some decorated and undecorated wooden coffins in Sher Qilla village of Punyal tehsil and Shakyot village of Gilgit. In Naltar valley, none of the tribes except the Gujars erect carved wooden coffins over the graves of their ancestors.
There are three villages in Naltar where one finds the graveyards with the wooden coffins. Locally, the wooden coffin is called Jhangla. The oldest graveyard of the Gujars is located in Dalan where there are many carved wooden coffins. These wooden grave railings are decorated with floral and geometric designs, designs that one can find on many wooden coffins located in different villages in the valleys of Kohistan, Darel, Tangir and Chilas. There are 23 wooden coffins in the graveyard of Dalan. All the graves belong to the Gujars. Most of the grave railings are crumbling. Nevertheless, some of the coffins are still in good condition. These coffins are decorated with variety of floral designs, mostly lotus and sunflower.
Apart from these grave railings, there is another graveyard at Gumat with many wooden coffins of the Gujars. This is the largest graveyard where one finds coffins made of several panels on the different faces and four slender or thick turrets (guldastas) consisting of double leg of a cot. The turrets at the four corners of the grave are also decorated with slits. On some of the graves, one finds the moulded designs. There are two types of graves, simple and decorated. The simple wooden coffins belong to ordinary Gujars whereas the decorated grave railings belong to notables and wealthy dignitaries of the tribe. The graves of the notables carry more intricate carvings and ornamentations.
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