Tag Archives: Shimshal

An Ismaili (and the Flag) on Top of Mt. Everest….and Forthcoming @Simergphotos, Rare and Historical Photos from Australian and Other Private Collections

3 May 2014

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ISMAILI MOUNTAINEERS

Samina Baig's cultural elegance captured in this exquisite cultural dress from Hunza. Photo: Samina Baig's Facebook page.

Samina Baig’s cultural elegance captured in this exquisite cultural dress from Hunza. Photo: Samina Baig’s Facebook page.

PLEASE CLICK: Simerg’s Exclusive Interview with Mirza Ali and his Sister Samina Baig Who Became the First Ismaili and Pakistani Woman to Reach the Summit of Mt. Everest

Samina Baig at 21 became the first Ismaili woman to reach the summit of Mt. Everest as part of her goal to scale the world’s SEVEN SUMMITS. In an exclusive interview with Simerg, when asked about placing the Ismaili flag on top Everest and if she left it there, she said:

“….And when it comes to being the first Pakistani woman and the first Ismaili woman to put the nation’s flag and the Ismaili Imamat red and green flag on top of the world, one cannot adequately express the feeling. It is indeed a BLESSING of a life time! We did bring the flag back, and with all love and respect, sent it to Sarcar Mawlana Hazar Imam.”

Please Continue Reading This World Exclusive Interview for the broader perspectives it offers about the challenges of climbing some of the world’s highest mountains!

Share and forward this LINK to your friends and family around the world. Please also leave your comments on the article’s feedback form.

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STARTING WEEK OF MAY 5:  EXTRAORDINARY, RARE AND HISTORICAL PHOTOS FROM PRIVATE COLLECTIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Photo: Collection of the family of the late Mrs. Jean Kirk, Headmistress, Aga Khan Primary School, Nairobi. Copyright: Allison Wallace, Australia.

Photo: Collection of the family of the late Mrs. Jean Kirk, Headmistress, Aga Khan Primary School, Nairobi. Copyright: Allison Wallace, Australia.

 

Special Series — Ismaili Oral Testimonies from the Mountains of Northern Pakistan: (I) A Mountaineer’s Adventures

2 February 2014

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“…In the Diamir Face, Nanga Parbat is one of the most difficult and technical mountain to climb. Where there is 100 metres of negative incline climbing, and in that wall there are stairs in four places and one has to hang on those places….You cannot rest freely on the climbing route of Nanga Parbat, if you walk for eight hours then you have to stay on the rope for eight hours for having rest. It is not like G-2 and Broad Peak where you can rest, you can sit and then continue your climbing. But in Nanga Parbat you have to stay bent on the rope continuously for eight hours with no possibility of sitting down…”

PLEASE CLICK: Mountain Voices —  Ismaili Testimonies of Life in the Remote Mountains of Pakistan: (I) A Mountaineer’s Adventure

The road to school is full of potential dangers for Shimshal children. Photo: Pam Henson. Copyright.

The road to school is full of potential dangers for Shimshal children. Photo: Pam Henson. Copyright.

Remarkable Tales of Ismaili Women of Shimshal: Hussn Bibi and Her Journey to New Zealand

18 November 2012

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“When I was 15 there were 21 people living in the house and my friend Hasiet and I had to do all the weekly washing for the whole family, even in winter. It took all day and I got frost bite in my feet several times. My toes would turn black. We’d go down to the river and make a fire to heat the water. We used to burn our socks, trying to warm our toes by the fire” — Hussn Bibi

Tales of Ismaili Women of Shimshal: Hussn Bibi and Her Journey to New Zealand to Study English

Please click for Ismaili Women of Shimshal

“….The university recommended the Campbell Institute. When I went to see the Campbell directors they were intrigued by the notion of this woman [Hussn], this mountain farmer from Pakistan, coming to their school which mostly enrolled Korean and Chinese youths. The fees seemed astronomical to me, but my mother’s estate provided collateral, the Campbell Institute awarded a generous scholarship to Hussn, and Lynette, my companion on the first trip to Shimshal, sent one thousand pounds….” — Pam Henson, author of Women of Shimshal

Ismaili Women of Shimshal: Celebrations After a Difficult Trip and Other Fascinating Stories by Pam Henson

12 October 2012

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‘‘When I was 15 there were 21 people living in the house and my friend Hasiet and I had to do all the weekly washing for the whole  family, even in winter. It took all day and I got frost bite in my feet  several times. My toes would turn black. We’d go down to the river  and make a fire to heat the water. We used to burn our socks, trying  to warm our toes by the fire. It was hard to find enough money to  buy new ones with all those people in the house.’’ — Hussn Bibi

Tales of Ismaili Women of Shimshal: Eid Festivities, Celebrations after a Dangerous Trip, and Stories of a Health Worker and a Wood-Cutter

Please click for Ismaili Women of Shimshal, Part 2.

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Previous installment:
Remarkable Tales of Ismaili Women from Shimshal, a Remote Village in the Karakoram

Tales of Ismaili Women of Shimshal – a Remote Village in Pakistan by Pam Henson

5 October 2012

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“I don’t read or write but I am very interested in animal husbandry and I have always worked hard on the farm. It was my dream for my children to be educated so I worked hard and provided for their education…” — Guljon Bibi

Remarkable Tales of Ismaili Women from Shimshal, a Remote Village in the Karakoram

Please click for Women of Shimshal

This is a fascinating collection of autobiographical tales told by women from the Ismaili village of Shimshal, in the remote Karakoram mountains. On the eastern border of Pakistan, the women of Shimshal live peaceful lives of extreme hardship and good-humoured tolerance.

Historic Farmon Khona by Shujaat Ali

27 August 2012

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Farmon Khona

“Some years back, the local Ismaili community of Shimshal constructed a small but only one of its kind building known as Farmon Khona…Today, we are witnessing the construction of new buildings…with state-of-the-art equipment and features. As a result, we are gradually forgetting the historical background and significance of such an extraordinary building.”

Pleas click for “Farmon Khona.”