CHAP. III.] VISIT TO MIR'S CASTLE 41
a striking view opened on the Sumair glacier with a hoary ice peak behind it.
The visit which I paid to the Mir in the late afternoon, gave me an opportunity to inspect more closely the time-honoured castle of the Hunza rulers (see p. 29) . The high, massive walls of the foundation upon which the inhabited quarters are raised, are said to have been the work of Balti workmen who
HUNZA COOLIES, BEFORE START FROM ALIABAD.
came in the train of a Balti princess, and from whom the place has derived its name, Baltit. From the roof of the castle where I found the Mir with his numerous retainers, a superb view extends over the main pertion of the Hunza valley. A newly built pavilion-like structure where I was subsequently entertained to tea and cake, occupies the same elevated position and offers the same delightful prospect.
IIIF Color HighRes
