HUNZA: A landmark historical work documenting the early history of the former State of Hunza has been published in English, making one of the region’s most important historical texts accessible to a wider international audience.
Titled “The History of the Ancient Era of Hunza State – Part 1,” the book is based on the original work of renowned historian Haji Qudratullah Beg. The English translation has been completed by Lt. Col. Saadullah Beg and edited by noted researcher Dr. John Mock. The publication was coordinated and proposed by Ejazullah Baig and funded by the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan. It has been published by Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore, under the editorial supervision of Dr. Luca M. Olivieri, Editor-in-Chief of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan.
The work traces its origins to research initially compiled by Faraj Muhammad Reza Beg between 1920 and 1922. Building on this foundation, Haji Qudratullah Beg spent years revising, expanding, and organizing the material, completing the manuscript in December 1962. The book was first published in Persian in 1980 by S.T. Printers, Rawalpindi.
An Urdu translation, prepared by the translator with additional material, has also been published and is available through Hamayon Traders in Aliabad, Hunza, and North News Agency in Gilgit.
The newly released English edition is expected to benefit researchers, students, historians, and members of the Hunza and Gilgit-Baltistan diaspora, many of whom have had limited access to the original Persian text. By making the work available in English, the publication opens an important window into the political, cultural, and social history of the former Hunza State for a much broader readership.
The publication represents a significant contribution to the preservation and dissemination of Gilgit-Baltistan’s historical heritage and is expected to serve as a valuable reference for future scholarship on the region.
The English edition, published in June 2026, is available through Sang-e-Meel Publications.
Book details:
- Title: The History of the Ancient Era of Hunza State – Part 1
- Original Author: Haji Qudratullah Beg
- Translator: Lt. Col. Saadullah Beg
- Editor: Dr. John Mock
- Editorial Supervision: Dr. Luca M. Olivieri
- Coordinator: Ejazullah Baig
- Publisher: Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore
- Publication Date: June 2026
- ISBN-10: 969-353768-8
