Bunji

Bunji occupies a sharp meeting of routes at the confluence of the Astore River and the Indus. It lies in the Astore valley, about 50 kilometres from Gilgit. To the east and south rise mountain walls, while the valley floor offers the narrow accessible land around the two rivers. This setting made Bunji a natural point for travellers moving between the Astore Valley, the Indus corridor and the passes toward Gilgit.

Its clear air and mountain-defined fields also reflect the cool, arid climate of an inner Himalayan valley. The settlement was formerly called Bawanji. The Astore Valley came under control of Skardu during the rule of Ali Sher Khan Anchan, and Bunji later became an economic centre for barter between Yaghistan and the Dogras.