Places in Pakistan: Chitral Fort

Chitral Fort, Pakistan
Originally uploaded by Ameer Hamza

Date: 23rd Sep, 2011.

After photographing and roaming around Chitral's Shahi masjid and after talking with its chief Imam, follower of Deobandi sect of Islam, we both moved towards Chitral Fort.

This is Adeel, with my heavy Lowpro camera bag, moving across the stone and mortar walls of the Chitral Fort. The area is completely shaded by giant chestnut trees (more of them later). The day was hot and a welcome sunshine as well. But too hot a day may also be not good for photography. After walking around these walls we were not permitted to enter the fort because the family of the Mir of Chitral, former rulers of the Kingdom, were here from Federal Capital, Islamabad, for their summers.

Back trek to Mithramdan : Day 7 / Crossing Chilingi glacier

Chilingi glacier, Pakistan
Originally uploaded by Ameer Hamza

After packing up, final good-byes, and the usual phone-number swapping, diary writing and last shots made of the group - which did not come out as planned - we left for good. We were sighing heavily as if we had lost something dear. In this case, we'd lost a golden chance to see some of the most fascinating landscape of the world. And most of us weren't sure whether next year we would be able to return to it or not. The fast deteriorating condition of Pak-Afghan border, incursions of Taliban and imminent pull out of US Army from Afghanistan are all the likely factors which will come into play in this area's security. For now there was none.

After crossing a settlement of Gujjars we reached this beautiful landscape and instantly fell in love with it. It is not usual in this time of the year (September) that you get such a wondrous chance to shoot glacier landscapes. But I got and I shot it with 50mm lens.