Archeological sites in Pakistan

The land of Pakistan hold the secrets of the bygone era to its bosom. From the forts to the shrines, the land has witnessed ancient civilization treading on it, and disappearing forever into oblivion. Ever since the independence of Pakistan in 1947 a lot has been done to discover and preserve these uncanny civilizations buried with untold stories underneath the heavy silence of the decadence.

2: Butkara Stupa- NWFP

Butkara Stupa is one of the most important Buddhist shrines in Swat. It is located near the Swat Museum. The stupa dates back to second century B.C, was possibly built by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka to house some of the ashes of Buddha. In subsequent Centuries, it was enlarged five times by encasing the existing structure in a new shell. Italian excavators working in 1955 exposed the successive layers of the stupa, each layer illustrating a stage in the evolution of building techniques. The stupa was decorated with stone and plaster carvings of the life of the Buddha and the whole was gilded and painted and topped by a stack of stone umbrellas.

3: Rohtas Fort- Punjab

Rohtas Fort is 109 km from Rawalpindi. Built over ten years from 1540 by Sher Shah Suri, the fort is one of the most imposing historical monuments in Punjab. It is situated on the edge of the Kahan Gorge. A 5km perimeter wall, with massive battlements, bastions and gates encircles the fort.

4: Chaukundi Tombs- Sindh

17 miles from Karachi the Chaukandi tombs appears as clusters of unusual graves in the shape of stepped rectangles. Built between the 15th and 19th centuries by Balochis and Burpats the tombs are of various sizes and designs but fall into two basic types. The stone of these graves are exquisitely carved in relief with intricate motifs. The small rosette is a frequent motif that may have some forgotten connection with pre-islamic sun-worship, as may the sunflowers wheels and chrysanthemums, which also suggest the sun.

5: Dir- NWFP

Spread over 4000 sq. miles the discovery of remains of Dir civilization gives a new dimension to the study of Buddhist Civilization. It is discovered that dir remained the main battlefield for many intruders. Many old weapons were discovered during such an exploration. The inhabitants mainly adopted Agriculture as their main business. They enjoyed rich affluence and fruits of farming.

6: Harappa

Harappa was a major center of the Indus Valley Civilization. 35-km southwest of Sahiwal (about 250 km from Lahore) Harappa was the first of Indus Valley Civilization sites to be discovered.

7: Jamal Ghari- NWFP The extensive ruins of Jamal Ghari are situated on the western offshoot of Pajja hills at a distance of 20 km. There is a beautiful monastery and a main stupa which is round in shape and is surrounded by chapels closely packed together,  According to Sir John Marshall, a famous archeologist, the stupa of jamalghari is the oldest stupa in Gandhara.

8: Kot Diji- Sindh

Kot Diji is situated between Ranipur and Khairpur on the highway from Hyderabad, at the east bank of the Indus close to Rohri. The discovery of Kot Diji provides the evidence that there is a civilization before Harappa and Moenjodaro. Archaeologists say that the discovery of this pre-historic site has furnished information of high significance since it pushed back the pre-historics of Pakistan by at least another 300 years from about 2,500 B.C. to 2,800 B.C. Evidence of new cultural elements of pre-Harappan and pre-Moenjodaro time has been found at Kot Diji. Excavations have proved that the Indus Valley Civilizations borrowed or developed some of the basic cultural elements of the Kot Dijians.

9: Mehergarh- Bolachastan

Mehrgarh is a 9000 year old site of settlement. It is located at the foot of the Balochistan hills on the Katchi plain southeast of Quetta, situated strategically near the Bolan Pass. Neolithic Mehergarh consists of four mounds. Supported by the Pakistan Department of Archeology, French archeologists have been carrying out extensive excavations there for some years. These excavations, studies and research have led to pushing back these settlements to some 9000 years. Thus, the chronology of civilization in Pakistan, established through the study of Moenjodaro and Harappa, has been pushed back by over 4000 years. The habitation of the site has been divided into seven periods, the first being the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period that dates to circa 7000 B.C. or even earlier. The site was abandoned between 2000 and 2500 B.C.

10: Moenjodaro- Sindh

Moenjodaro (Mound of the Dead), discovered in 1922, is situated on the West Bank of the river Indus. It has one of the earliest and the most developed urban civilizations of ancient world. It forms a part of the Indus River civilization of Harappa and was discovered in 1921. Moenjo daro looks like a planned, organized and master architecture of urban settlement. Beneath the citadel, parallel streets, some 30 feet wide, stretched away and are crossed by other straight streets, which divide the town into a great oblong block, each 400 yards in length, and 200 to 300 yards in width.

11: Taxila

Taxila is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. For sometime, it has been the center of Buddhism, the world famous Gandhara sculpture and the center of learning and culture.

12: Takht-i-Bahi- NWFP

Takht-i-Bahi is the ruins of an ancient Buddhist monastery, situated on the top of a 152-meter high hill. It is located about 80 kms from Peshawar and 16 kms northwest of the city of Mardan. The monastry of Takht-i-Bahi was first mentioned by General Court, the French officer of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1836. Takht-i-Bahi is the most impressive and complete Buddhist monastery in Pakistan.

13: Uch Sharif-Punjab

In Bhawalpur District at the confluence of the Sutlej and the Chenab is the historic town of Uch sharif. Some historians believe that Uch was there even before the advent of Bikramajit when Jains and Buddhist ruled over the sub-continent.

14: Thatta- Sindh

Thatta is a town in Sind Province, ninety-eight kms east of Karachi. The Makli Hill near Thatta is the world largest graveyard spread over 15.5 sq. kms, having millions of graves. Here in eternal sleep lie kings, queens, Scholars, Philosophers and soldiers of a by-gone era-an era renowned for its culture and learning. </