Chilas
4547614
207143786
2008-04-21T16:26:40Z
Pahari Sahib
3187670
[[Category:Diamer District]]
[[Image:KKH.png|thumb|200px|right|Overview map of the [[Karakoram Highway]]]]
'''Chilas''' ([[Urdu]]: چلاس) is a small town located in the [[Northern Areas of Pakistan|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, Pakistan|Haripur]]. In the north, Chilas is connected to the [[China|Chinese]] cities of [[Kashgar]] and [[Tashkurgan]] via ,[[Gilgit]] and [[Sost]].
==Ancient petroglyphs==
[[Image:Petroglyphs near Chilas - Pakistan05 007.jpg|thumb|200px|Ancient [[petroglyphs]] near [[Chilas]]]]
{{main|Northern Areas, Pakistan#Rock art and petroglyphs}}
There are more than 20,000 pieces of rock art and [[petroglyph]]s 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 [[Before Christ|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
==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.
== See also ==
*[[Karakoram Highway]]
*[[Northern Areas]]
*[[Chilas Airport]]
* [http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/325508820rzeSSa Mountains on Webshots.com]
{{Pakistan-geo-stub}}
{{coor title dm|35|26|N|74|05|E|region:PK_type:city_source:enwiki-GNS}}
[[Category:Cities and towns in Northern Areas, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Diamer District]]