# Golaghmuli Valley

Golaghmuli Valley (Urdu: وادی پھنڈر) or Koh-i-Ghizer (Urdu: کوہ غذر) or Valley of Martyrs (Urdu: وادی شہداء) or Shandur Valley (Urdu: وادی شندور) is a high mountainous valley located in the Gupis–Yasin District of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

## Geography

Golaghmuli Valley is located to the east of Chitral and to the north of Swat.. It is separated from Chitral and Swat by high mountain passes. To access Golaghmuli Valley, one would typically take the Gilgit-Chitral road west from Gilgit and continue in a northwesterly direction, passing through Gupis. After Gupis, the journey continues northwestward to reach the Yasin Valley, and from there, travelers can proceed along the straight road that leads to Golaghmuli Valley.

## History

Golaghmuli Valley is a big part of Tehsil Phander, which is a new Tehsil within the Ghizer District (now part of Gupis–Yasin District). It was previously a part of Tehsil Gupis. During the government of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a decision was made to establish Golaghmuli as a new Tehsil. However, under the government of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) or PML (N), Golaghmuli was granted the full administrative powers of a Tehsil.
Phander, which encompasses Golaghmuli Valley, was originally under the rule of the Governor of Gupis, Raja Hussain Ali Khan Maqpoon. The Rajas of Gupis were known for their valor and had a history of fighting against the Sikhs and the Dogras. However, over time, this house lost its power and ownership of Koh-i-Ghizer during the era of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR).
Golaghmuli Valley holds significant strategic importance due to its geographical location and the various mountain passes it offers. One such pass leads to Laspur Valley in Chitral via Shandur Top and continues on to Mastuj. Another gateway. Another path is the Dadaili Pass in Handarap Nallah, which leads to Swat District.

## Villages

Golaghmuli Valley and Phander Valley are located in the west of District Gupis–Yasin. It includes the villages of Rawat, Shamaran, Chashi, Phander, Golaghmuli, Golaghtori, Terich, Handarap, Handarap Nallah including Lake, Herkush, Teru, Karim Abad, Hilthi, Barset and a wide area of Khukush Nallah.
Administratively, Tehsil Phander is a new tehsil and is under the jurisdiction of GB-LA 30. The Phander Village is the headquarter of the Tehsil Phander. However, Golaghmuli (originally called Gherz) is also a populated village within this tehsil.

## Language

The people of Golaghmuli Valley speak the Khowar language, which is the native language. However, some people can also speak Shina, Urdu, and English.

## Religion

Islam is the only religion followed over here. People belong to Isma'ili and Sunni sects. 65% of total population belong to Ismaili Islam and the rest belong to Sunni Islam.

## Climate

The climate of Golaghmuli Valley is considered to be a local steppe climate. During the year, there is a rainfall which takes place during January to the end of March. This climate is considered to be BSK according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. The average annual temperature in Golaghmuli Valley is 19.6 °C. About 429 mm of precipitation falls annually.
Climate data for Tehsil Phander :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.3 (46.9) | 9.5 (49.1) | 14.9 (58.8) | 21.0 (69.8) | 25.6 (78.1) | 31.8 (89.2) | 32.8 (91.0) | 32.0 (89.6) | 28.7 (83.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 17.4 (63.3) | 10.9 (51.6) | 32.8 (91.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.1 (39.4) | 5.0 (41.0) | 9.8 (49.6) | 15.3 (59.5) | 19.4 (66.9) | 24.9 (76.8) | 26.1 (79.0) | 25.4 (77.7) | 21.9 (71.4) | 17.0 (62.6) | 11.5 (52.7) | 6.5 (43.7) | 26.1 (79.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.0 (32.0) | 0.6 (33.1) | 4.8 (40.6) | 9.7 (49.5) | 13.3 (55.9) | 18.0 (64.4) | 19.5 (67.1) | 18.8 (65.8) | 15.2 (59.4) | 10.3 (50.5) | 5.6 (42.1) | 2.1 (35.8) | 11.4 (52.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 69 (2.7) | 99 (3.9) | 146 (5.7) | 139 (5.5) | 69 (2.7) | 22 (0.9) | 52 (2.0) | 56 (2.2) | 40 (1.6) | 31 (1.2) | 26 (1.0) | 51 (2.0) | 800 (31.4) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org ||||||||||||||

## Tribes

There is a number of ethnicity living in Golaghmuli Valley. There is a number of tribes living here as under;
* Zundre or Rono
* Kakakhel (tribe)
* Chorotay
* Masafay
* Shukhaye
* Shumuray
* Rabakhanay
* Shamshiray
* Mukhay
* Khonay
* Zhikhonay
* Baloshay
* Doulatshay
* Masholay
* Dubey
* Muthiye

## Passes

Golaghmuli Valley is in a highly mountainous place. It is situated along with the border of Swat and Chitral. The Shandur Pass connects Golaghmuli Valley with Chitral, while the Dadarili (Dadaili) Pass connects Golaghmuli Valley to Swat. Another pass to Swat District is nearby Khukush Langar (Baha) Lake, which is called Naghlacho Dahar. There is another pass, which is "Chumarkhan Ann", which connects Barset to Mestuj Chapali. Along with Chumarkhan Ann, Ghotbar Ann is situated, which connect Barset with Harchin. All these passes are easy for the tourists and hikers to shorten their journey.

## Lakes

Golaghmuli Valley has a number of lakes including;
* Khukush Langar (Baha) Lake
* Shandur Lake
* Handarap Lake
* Phander Lake
* Golaghtori Lake 1
* Golaghtori Lake 2
* Shahi Mall Lake
* Barich Lake