Ancient Pakistan

Preliminary Report of Thamuniak Broze (Chitral) Excavation 2023

Abdul Hameed, Abdul Samad — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Recent archaeological excavation carried out at Thamunia Broze, a village located 20 km to the south of Chitral Town has revealed important archaeological and biological remains. The Iron Age Cemetery of Thamuniak is located to the right side of Dir-Chitral Road and is positioned on the ridge of a mound overlooking Seenkulum, (a small village located to the left side of the road) and the Chitral River. This site was reported for the first time by Giorgio Stacul in 1968 (Stacul 1969). In 2022, a team of archaeologists led by the senior author visited the village and reconfirmed the existence of Iron Age cemetery.
In 2023, the first systematic excavation at the site was carried out by Hazara University Mansehra under the directions of the principal author. A preliminary report of the excavated site is presented here.

A Report on the Recent Cultural Objects from Akhorwāl Village and Zindān Dheri-Darra Ādam Khel, F.R. Kohāt Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Mir Muhammad Khan — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Darra Ādam Khel is situated between Peshawar and Kohāt, i.e. 40 km from Peshawar side and 25 km from Kohāt. Darra Ādam Khel Valley is the home of several Afrīdī tribes. On the north, it is bordered by Khyber (formerly Agency) and on the west by Orakzai (formerly Agency) districts. This paper explores the artifacts found at two archaeological sites, Akhorwāl and Zindān. These sites along with a Greek site Boulīdāna were first mentioned by M. A. Court in 1836. These sites are located in close perimeters. The site of Zindān dheri is occurred on a medium hill with a diameter of approximately one kilometre whereas, the site of Akhorwāl is partly occupied by modern settlements and partly levelled for agriculture fields and coal stocks. The artifacts reported from these sites include fragmentary Buddhist sculptures, pottery, coins, beads, iron, bronze, and copper objects. It is important to explore the archaeological and historical contexts of these artefacts in order to understand the political and cultural history of this region. The present study reveals the connection and association of these sites with those of the similar sites reported from Gandhāra region. The presence of the coins of Great Kushan kings like Wima Kadphaises and Kaniṣka indicates the historical significance of the site. Moreover, a condenser vessel with dual Kushan insignias and intricately crafted beads suggest a vibrant social and economic activities in Darra Ādam Khel area in ancient times. On the basis of these evidences, the present work highlights the cultural history and archaeological profile of this region.

Akṣobhyavyūha an Early Mahāyāna Sūtra in Kharoṣṭhī (Manuscript) from Gandhāra

Jan Gul — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Akṣobhyavyūha is a lengthy known Kharoṣṭhī manuscript consisted of approximately 638 lines written on both sides of the birch bark. The manuscript is currently owned by Muhammad Nasim Khan, former Professor and Chairman of the Department of Archaeology, University of Peshawar, who collected it from Mian Kalay, a village located in Dir District. In this collection of manuscripts, it is marked as Fragment no. 7. The manuscript is based on religious instructions given by Buddha to his favourite disciple Śariputra, who later on became Buddha Akṣobhya. Thus, the whole manuscript narrates the conversation occurred between the Buddha and Śariputra. The main objective of the present research is to highlight the palaeography of the Kharoṣṭhī script used in the manuscript under-discussion because this script is commonly found in Gandhāra and other parts of the sub-Continent. It is consisted of nineteen fragments of an early Mahāyāna sūtra and it deals with Akṣobhya, one of the five wisdom Buddhas. The palaeographic study of this manuscript is presented here with addition of the description of sentences which obviously provides a comprehensive knowledge about the letter variations found in Kharoṣṭhī script. Moreover, this manuscript also yields important information about Buddhism and its promulgation in Gandhāra and surrounding regions.

The Tomb of Mian Ismail Baba at Khost in District Harnai

Shakir Naseer, Inam Ullah — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The province of Balochistan (Pakistan) is vastly enriched with monumental tombs spanning diverse cultures, including Zoroastrian, Muslim, and Hindu, from the Early to Late Medieval periods. These tombs, varied in construction techniques and decorative styles that reflect the region's rich cultural heritage. Harnai District, like other parts of Balochistan, holds cultural treasures from prehistoric to historic periods, yet it remains largely undocumented, especially its monumental structures. The tomb of Mian Ismail Baba at Khost in Harnai is a notable example of this architectural continuity. Further, this research aims to document the tomb's building and emphasize its historical significance within the region. The tomb, nearly square in shape, features a veranda at its entrance and a striking hemispherical dome atop. It was likely constructed during the reign of Ahmed Shah Durrani, when he passed through the region on his way to India in the mid-eighteenth century CE.

Temple Desecration under Muslim Rule

Motia Bibi — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

An attempt has been made that temple desecration is not something that was introduced by the Muslim rulers. Temple desecration was full-fledged established tradition even before the arrival of Muslims in India. Muslims just followed the tradition. Then why there is a deliberate connectivity of the issue with only Muslims rulers? These sensitive concerns were highlighted and associated with the Muslim rulers in erroneous way just in order to create rifts between Hindus and Muslims, to divide them and rule, and also to justify the imperialistic ascendency of the British. This article is an attempt to break the deliberate historical silence upon the matter of temple blinding and maintenance by the Muslim rulers. Furthermore, I made an attempted to dislodge another erroneous notion that all the temples were destroyed by the theory of iconoclasm. There were more political reasons behind the temple desecration rather than religious.