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Khaplu City: The best
example of a Relationship with Nature
Teaching architecture
teaches us sustainability as a concept, a principle, and a design strategy.
Sustainability
literally means the ability to maintain balance. This balance can be in nature
and man-made architecture, in culture and economy, or in environmental and
economic matters. From these three references, we see many examples in the Far
East and the West, but in the case of Pakistan, there are very few such examples
in the cities.
Khaplu, located in the
Ganchha division of Gilgit-Baltistan, was settled by Syed Ali Hamdani at the
foot of the Karakoram range in the late 14th century. Syed Ali Hamdani was a
follower of the Nurbakhshi sect. This is the last stop for trekkers heading to
Mashreq, K6, and K7 via Hoshe Valley. What surprised Khaplu was the
nature-friendly architecture here. Most of the buildings were built using
locally available resources and construction techniques and seemed to blend in
with the environment.
Unlike any other tourist
destination in the Northern Territory, there is no desire to subdue nature, cut
down vast forests and control wild flora and fauna. Khaplu was an oasis in the
cold desert of Gilgit-Baltistan where natural places, river flows, and local
forests are valued.
In this city of 200,000
people, no crime has been committed for more than half a century. The crime
rate here is zero. To me, this is an example of sustainability because nature
is happy and its citizens are satisfied, thus maintaining a balance between the
structure of the city and its social impact. The hospitality of the locals
reflects this 'balance.' Even strangers would talk to us and invite us to their
homes and offer us fruit. Can we imagine this in Karachi?
It was informed during
Khaplu's visit that different landscapes and different colors can be seen here
in different seasons. The white trees here turn yellow in the autumn and the
area is covered with a white sheet in the winter, while the pink color is seen
here at the beginning of the spring season. Thus we see another example of
harmony. The local houses here are also a reflection of the natural colors and
are usually painted in bright colors.
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Architecture and Nature
Stone, mud bricks, tin
sheets, wood, and lime plaster are commonly used for residential construction.
Often all of these things are put together in a very crude way. Nothing is done
to hide this rough condition and rough surface. There is no shame in revealing
the correct style of construction. In fact, locals are proud to point out the
irregularities in the construction of houses as they represent the organic and
natural elements found in nature.
The overall structure
of the city also shows a lack of sophistication. There are no wide roads for
vehicles, but the quiet streets are built keeping in mind the changes in land
structure and altitude. The buildings here are also in harmony with the natural
water resources of the area. There is no sewerage system and citywide sewerage
depends on natural gravity.
One might think that
this quiet city is safe from the effects of globalization due to its distance
from the provincial capital Skardu or difficult routes but this impression is
shattered when you know that the literacy rate here is 90%. ۔ We went to a government boys' secondary
school to participate in a speech contest. The profound knowledge and
confidence shown by the students there showed how much they were connected to
the world and how much they knew about it.
The school building was
built around a large courtyard, with many trees. There were various school
buildings around which were constructed keeping in view the natural structure
of the land. All of those buildings were built of locally available stones, had
only one floor, and had a slope to one side of their roofs due to snowfall in
the area. Due to the materials used in the school building, it had a natural
beauty and was easy to repair.
Garden of paradise
As a tourist
destination, Khaplu is famous for its forts and the 800-year-old Chaqchan
Mosque. These two constructions are an expression of the desire to harmonize
with nature rather than to subjugate it.
The materials used in
these two constructions make them part of the natural environment of the area
instead of isolating them from the environment. Even the rehabilitation project
of Khaplu Fort started in 2005 under the Aga Khan Cultural Service, took care
to use only natural materials in the restoration work.
Historical memoirs of
British tourists call it the 'Fortress of the Local Mountains', while Khaplu is
described as the 'Garden of Paradise' and 'The Most Beautiful Oasis in the
Region'. The Shewak River that flows through here adds to its beauty. Most of
the houses built along the river have now been converted into rest houses and
hotels, just like the rest house in which we stayed.
Khaplu's fort
Khaplu's fort was built
on perfectly flat land in the 19th century, and there was another fort near
it which was built on a hill. Made of stone and wood, the fort is rectangular
in shape. In front of the fort, there is a three-storey balcony made of wood.
There are various types of carvings that are believed to have Tibetan, Persian, and Kashmiri traditions.
Carved wooden pillars,
covered porches, and wooden latticework also add to the decoration of the fort.
These things indicate that the local laborers took part in the construction of
this fort and at the same time it is a manifestation of the relationship
between the local elite and the working class. This hand-made decoration and
the doors and windows have been restored. The lower ceilings of the rooms
convey a sense of humility in a way.
At present, the fort is
inhabited by the descendants of the Yabgu family. He explains that the site for
the fort was chosen on the basis of where the rock falling from the mountain
stops. This technique of selecting land for construction reminded me of the
feng shui method of selecting land. In this way also the natural environment
was taken into consideration while constructing the different rooms of the
building. Upon further research, I learned that the Yabgu rulers actually
belonged to Chinese Turkestan, now known as the Xinjiang State. Maybe that's
why they have so much respect for nature.
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Chaqchan Mosque
The construction of the Chaqchan
Mosque is attributed to Syed Ali Hamdani. He was the first to preach Islam in
the area. They came to Khaplu in the late 14th century. The main hall of the
mosque can be reached by climbing the stairs, for the decoration of which
carvings have been made on wood. It is said to be the oldest surviving building
in the whole of Gilgit-Baltistan. There is also an Astana here and the
restoration work of this mosque has been done by Aga Khan Trust for Culture,
Pakistan.
This attitude and
tolerance of the locals were also seen on the streets of Khaplu where the locals
greeted us with smiles and talked to us. This balance of status leads to social
stability which brings out various aspects of 'sustainability' as well as general equality in the society.
We also visited the
Sports Ground near Khaplu's Fort, which is also known as the Polo Ground but
hosts a number of other sports. The driver said that with the change of
weather, the games also change here. Here sometimes polo, sometimes football
and sometimes cricket is played and sometimes skiing is done. Many players and
spectators live here and as the landscape of the area changes with the seasons,
the landscape of the field also changes, and thus another connection with nature
comes before us.
There is also a garden inside the fort and the living rooms are in the main four-storey building. There are also buildings such as stores, kitchens, and stables. The layout of the main garden is similar to that of Mughal Chahar Bagh and water has been used extensively in the form of ponds and fountains in small gardens.
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