Old British Cemetery
گورا ‍قبرستان
Details
Established18 July 1870[1]
Location
Gilgit, Gilgit–Baltistan
CountryPakistan
Coordinates35°55′19″N 74°18′18″E / 35.922°N 74.305°E / 35.922; 74.305
TypeChristian
No. of graves18

The Old British Cemetery (Shina: گورا ‍قبرستان) is a graveyard in Gilgit, Gilgit–Baltistan. It was first established in July 1870 in the British Raj's Gilgit Agency, where it came to be known as "Hayward's Garden" in memory of late British explorer George W. Hayward, who was the first person to be laid to rest there.[2] Before this, it was known as the Jawahir Singh Bagh (Hindi: जवाहिर सिंह बाग़) during the Dogra Raj.[3][4][5]

Location

The graveyard is compounded on one side that is towards the main road, and fenced with barbed wire. It is located near Shahi Pologround, found along Khazana Road in the direction of Barmas. The cemetery is also a foreign tourist attraction.[3]

History

In July 1870, during his journey to explore the Pamir Mountains, famous British explorer Lt. George W. Hayward was allegedly murdered by a local tribesman near the Darkot Pass in Ghizer (then part of a princely state). The following morning, he was discovered dead under the shade of a tree. On 18 July 1870, his dead body was brought to Gilgit and buried in an orchard. With time, the orchard received more burials and subsequently became a regulated place of burial for British nationals. The location of the cemetery underwent various name changes throughout history, such as Hayward Garden, Christian Cemetery and Jawahir Singh Bagh.[6][3] The cemetery was renovated in 2002 by the Pakistani government with full sponsorship from the United Kingdom.[7]

Buried

The cemetery contains 18 graves and among the buried are explorer Lt. George Hayward, political agents Maj. Arthur Francis and Lt. Henry Gordon Bell as well as various tourists and travellers who died during their stay in the region before the agency's dissolution.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mir, Shabbir (2017-09-06). "Gilgit's British cemetery: a local monument to the Great Game". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  2. ↑ Mir, Shabbir (2017-09-06). "Gilgit's British cemetery: a local monument to the Great Game". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Mir, Shabbir (6 September 2017). "Gilgit's British cemetery: a local monument to the Great Game". DAWN.COM.
  4. ↑ "Gilgit's Gora Qabristan or white graveyard – Pakistan Saga". pakistansaga.com.
  5. ↑ Hopkirk, Peter (2001). The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia. Oxford University Press. p. 346. ISBN 978-0192802323.
  6. ↑ "Water seepage damages British Political Agent's grave in Gilgit". Pamir Times. 15 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Mir, Shabbir (2017-09-06). "Gilgit's British cemetery: a local monument to the Great Game". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
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