Featured Pakistan: The Archaeological Marvel

[ghazi52]

Ruins of an 9th Century Learning Place called Sharda Temple & University which was once the top learning centre in Central Asia.
The Hindu Pundits and the scholars of Sanskrit used to pay their visit at the Sharda Peeth temple or Sharda University from the far and away places of the Indian Subcontinent.

Sharda AJK,,

 

[ghazi52]

KP seeks return of thousands of Gandhara artefacts in museums across country

December 23, 2019

There are more than 1,180 Gandhara art pieces in the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi, and some 1,600 articles ar the Exploration and Excavation Branch in Karachi. Further, The Lahore Fort Museum houses around 343 Gandhara art pieces, while the Taxila Museum has a collection of more than 4,610 Gandhara period artefacts and there are more than 160 in the Islamabad Museum. — AFP/File


ISLAMABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is pushing the federal government to return some 3,150 ancient Gandhara artefacts currently houses in museums in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Taxila.

“If the federal government obliges, Taxila Museum, the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi and the Lahore Fort Museum, will be left almost empty,” former Lahore Museum director general Salimul Haq told Dawn.

Gandhara art makes up some of the oldest and most significant collections in all major museums, he said, and was more important than artefacts from the Mughal and British periods.

“The statue of Fasting Siddharta alone is the most expensive ancient Gandhara article in Lahore Museum to give you one example,” Mr Haq added.

Dr Fazal Dad Kakar, the former director general of the Department of Archaeology and Museums in Islamabad, said that Gandhara art “unites the country”.

“The National Museum Karachi, Taxila Museum and Lahore Museum are home to some of the most significant Gandhara articles ever discovered,” he said.

If federal govt obliges, Taxila Museum, National Museum in Karachi and Lahore Fort Museum will be almost empty, former Lahore Museum official says

These museums have thousands of Gandhara articles in stores and on display. Between 1860 and 1902, all the excavated items were kept in regional offices of Department of Archaeology in Lahore and were also shifted to Calcutta. After Sir John Marshal took over the department small and large discoveries were kept in stores in Taxila.

Dr Kakar explained that after the 18th Amendment, the ownership of items and setups on the concurrent list, such as sites and monuments, were handed over to the respective provinces.

“However, all the museums, libraries and laboratories and such institutions listed in the federal list were retained by the federal government under constitutional law,” he said.

The Harappa Museum, Javed Manzil in Lahore and Sikh and Mughal galleries in the Lahore Fort are, among others, legally properties of the federal government. The National Museum in Karachi is also owned by the federal government.

There are more than 1,180 Gandhara art pieces in the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi, and some 1,600 articles ar the Exploration and Excavation Branch in Karachi.

The Lahore Fort Museum houses around 343 Gandhara art pieces, while the Taxila Museum has a collection of more than 4,610 Gandhara period artefacts and there are more than 160 in the Islamabad Museum.

According to a source in the National History and Literary Heritage Division, the KP government has its eyes on the Fasting Siddharta in the Lahore Museum.

“It is a prized possession. Although the statue of Fasting Siddharta in Peshawar Museum is a lot more beautiful, intricate and detailed, it is in three pieces. Recently the Korean embassy asked to borrow the Fasting Siddharta statue from the Lahore Museum for an exhibition in Korea,” theofficial said.

The last time the Lahore Museum loaned Fasting Siddharta was during Gen Ziaul Haq’s regime, for an exhibition in the United States, the official said, adding: “Punjab has always been hesitant to loan Fasting Siddharta for displays abroad. No other statue of Buddha comes close to its elegance and magnificence.”

Nonetheless, the KP Department for Sports, Youth Affairs, Tourism, Culture, Archaeology and Museums, in a letter to the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, said that it is making “tremendous efforts to implement the vision of the prime minister in promoting tourism and developing cultural and archaeological assets”.

In order to achieve its goals, KP has demanded that federal government hand over all the Gandhara antiquities of KP origin lying in museums of the different provinces as well as the federal government.

 

[Kambojaric]

Mound Dillu Roy: Maiden Archaeological Excavation To Begin In Jan 2020

An archaeological excavation at Mound Dillu Roy, a Buddhist-era site in Dera Ghazi Khan district, is expected to begin from mid-Jan 2020 for the first time ever under an ongoing Rs 17.323 million project

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Dec, 2019 ) :An archaeological excavation at Mound Dillu Roy, a Buddhist-era site in Dera Ghazi Khan district, is expected to begin from mid-Jan 2020 for the first time ever under an ongoing Rs 17.323 million project.

The first component of the project i.e. construction of 6,400-foot long boundary wall to keep the site guarded against private persons' interventions was almost 90 per cent complete while the second component i.e. the archaeological exploration would be carried out by the department's only archaeologist Muhammad Hassan, who is the In-charge of Harappa museum, In-charge Archaeology Department Multan Malik Ghulam Muhammad told APP on Thursday.

"We can expect important discoveries of antiquities from the second century AD to 16th century AD," said archaeologist Hassan while talking to APP. He said that normally an excavation programme is completed in 45 days to two months but the duration can vary depending on the site. "We do it in a scientific way," said the archaeologist, who has many research papers and books on archaeology to his credit.

The process of excavation had to begin much earlier, but could not be started due to Hassan's unavailability due to an accident. "We will dig deeper to the last layer of soil to see which period and centuries old culture it points to," Hassan added.

The site is located exactly on the border line of Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan districts. Major part of around 480-kanal site falls in district Dera Ghazi Khan and only three-kanal in tahsil Jampur of district Rajanpur.

A sum of Rs 10 million was utilised in fiscal year 2017-18 for construction of boundary wall; however, later the contractor went into litigation to challenge tax levies, leaving the wall incomplete. However, In-charge Multan archaeology said they were in talks with the contractor to complete the remaining almost 10 per cent work.

He said that remaining Rs 7 million would be utilised in 2019-20 to complete the project in all respects.

Ghulam Muhammad said the site was notified as protected in Feb 1964. A study carried out on the site and the ancient objects recovered so far revealed it was occupied by the Buddhists in the Scytho-Parthian period dating back to the 1st century BC to 2nd century AC.

It lies 2.5 miles north-west of tahsil Jampur and consists of two mounds, roughly 100-150 feet apart. The larger one measuring 1460x800x15 feet marks the site of the city and the smaller one about 380 feet North-South, 950-foot East-West has been identified as the remains of a fort.

Both the mounds have been dug by the local farmers and have thus exposed the plan of houses and streets. The mud brick walls have escaped complete destruction. Some of the walls with traces of mud plaster stand as high as 12 feet. At certain places, complete plan of rooms is traceable which varies from 5x5 feet to 15-10 feet. The study of the deep trenches dug by farmers has revealed two building period of the city.

The surface finds from Dillu Roy included a wide range of pottery, painted stamped, incised and sherds with applique decoration.

A few pottery mould with flower and leaf motifs have also been recovered. Other finds included sling balls, dabbers, oil lamps, spoon handles, terracotta wheels and animal figurines.

The specimens of bottle-necked sprinkles with curved flange and conical knob at the top are quite similar in all respects to the types recovered from the Scytho-Parthian levels of Banbhore, Taxila and Pitalkora (India) and they may be dated to 1st century BC to 2nd century AC.

The moulding representation of acanthus foliage, lotus petals and sunflowers carved in the most naturalistic style and burnt bricks decorated with flower and geometrical designs are all the characteristic representation of Buddhist culture.

Moreover, a terracotta object having circular umbrellas seems to represent a miniature Stupa.

A fragment of a plaque of red sand depicting a lady with high head dress and wearing ear-rings and a sculpture in white lime stone appears to be of a `Buddhisattva' wearing `Dhoti' and holding a `kamandali' (small bucket).

All these articles found from Mound Dillu Roy surface have been kept at the store of Harappa museum. However, Hassan said, more important finds from Gupta period, Kushan period, Ghauri period, Ghaznavid and other periods were expected once the team of 8-10 professionals equipped with relevant tools and gadgets embark on their first official excavation of mound Dillu Roy from mid Jan 2020.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/mound-dillu-roy-maiden-archaeological-excava-785592.html

 

[ghazi52]

Marvel & mystery
Zarrar Khuhro

IN a rare piece of good news, last week we learnt that France will be returning some 445 relics of the Indus Valley civilisation that were smuggled out of Pakistan over the years and were meant to end up in museums, galleries and private collectors in the West.

The network came to light in 2006, when French authorities intercepted a parcel containing terracotta pots claimed to be about 100 years old. On examination, they turned out to be thousands of years older — burial objects likely stolen from Balochistan. The investigation led to a gallery which yielded even older stolen artifacts as old as 6,000 years — belonging to the Mehrgarh civilisation which was a precursor, or perhaps a part of, the larger Indus Valley civilisation.

The other piece of good news is that this gives me the opportunity to write about the fascinating Indus Valley civilisation itself. Now, when we usually think of this wonder of the ancient world we think of Moenjodaro and Harappa, and perhaps Mehrgarh. But — and research is constrained here — in actuality the entire civilisation encompassed an area roughly the size of (and perhaps a little larger) than modern-day Pakistan.

The civilisation offers tantalising clues.

Take the archaeological site at Kalibangan in the Indian state of Rajasthan where we find evidence of the world’s first furrowed field. Or Rakhigarha in Haryana which displays the same incredible urban planning — wide roads and an organised sewage system — that is a hallmark of this lost civilisation. Then there is Dholavira in Gujarat which boasts reservoirs that give us a tantalising glimpse into how advanced their water-management system was. Along with this a step-well has been discovered which is said to be three times the size of the Great Bath at Moenjodaro.

Perhaps the most fascinating of these sites is the one at Lothal in the Indian state of Gujarat. In an echo of Moenjodaro, ‘Lothal’ also means ‘hill of the dead’ and is the site of the first known dock in the entire world, which connected Lothal to the Arabian Sea via the Sabarmati river. And this is when it gets really fascinating; as wide as the spread of the Indus Valley Civilisation was, its trade routes went even further, reaching all the way to ancient Mesopotamia in the West, who knew these proto-Dravidians as the ‘Meluhhans’ (the word is likely derived from the Dravidian words ‘mel-akam’ meaning ‘highland country’.

Archaeologist Jane McIntosh writes: “ships from Meluhha docked in Mesopotamian ports; some Meluhhans settled in Sumer; and there is a seal belonging to a Mesopotamian whose job it was to act as an interpreter of the Meluhhan language. On the other hand, there is nothing to suggest that people from Mesopotamia reached the Indus, so it is clear that the Harappans conducted the trade between the two civilisations.”

One major export from the IVC to the West was sesame oil, which was known as ‘ilu’ in Sumerian and ‘ellu’ in Akkadian, and it is likely that this was derived from the Dravidian word for the same, which was ‘el’ or ‘ellu’, another tantalising clue to how interconnected the ancient world was.

Harappa (near modern-day Sahiwal) also provides clues as to the extent of the trade network, as beads seashells and stones have been recovered from the site, which were not available locally. But perhaps the most incredible find is of a trading outpost located at Shortugai, near the Oxus river near the northern border of modern Afghanistan! From here lapis lazuli was mined and exported to the Indus Valley, and even shipped as far afield as Sumeria. Flourishing trade requires a uniform system of weights and measurements, and indeed a standardised system for such also existed, as did a ruler with measurements marked out in units that resemble modern inches.

We already know of the brilliance of this civilisation’s urban planning, with wide roads, organised housing and a sewage system that was only replicated in Europe in the 18th century. Indeed, were residents of Harappa to take a look at the sewage flooding so many Pakistani towns and villages there is little doubt they would have been appalled.

But what is also notable is that, unlike other ancient civilisations we find little evidence of an organised military, and have yet to discover the great palaces and military murals that were a hallmark of Assyria and Babylon. What is truly unfortunate is that to this day, their script remains undeciphered, and it is unlikely that a Rosetta stone will be stumbled upon, unlocking this great mystery.

Another mystery is that we don’t know exactly how this civilisation perished. There is evidence of invasion, but it is unlikely that this was the leading cause. Indeed, in a grim warning from the past, it seems that climate change may have been the culprit, causing drought and mass migration that led to a collapse of order and, ultimately, civilisation itself. Indeed, here are signs for those who observe.

The writer is a journalist.

Twitter: @zarrarkhuhro

 

[ghazi52]

 

[W.11]

who knew these proto-Dravidians as the ‘Meluhhans’ (the word is likely derived from the Dravidian words ‘mel-akam’ meaning ‘highland country’.

this is completely unnecessary, melluha can also be translated as malwa/ maluha has been used during historic periods as well, another name for the region and not dravidian melakam etc. dravidian theory is just a theory not a fact.

regards

 

[Kambojaric]

Excavation Of 'rich' Mound Dillu Roy Site Begins To Uncover Historical Secrets

An archaeologist of Punjab Archaeology Department has embarked on maiden excavation of Mound Dillu Roy in Dera Ghazi Khan to uncover the treasure of historical secrets the Buddhist era site is believed to be hiding underground

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Feb, 2020 ) :An archaeologist of Punjab Archaeology Department has embarked on maiden excavation of Mound Dillu Roy in Dera Ghazi Khan to uncover the treasure of historical secrets the Buddhist era site is believed to be hiding underground.

The exercise is being undertaken for the first time ever in decades under an on-going Rs 17.323 million project with its first phase, meant to protect the site by a 6400 feet long boundary wall, stands almost complete.

"Despite having been plundered time and again and dug illegally, Mound Dillu Roy was still a rich site," says Incharge Harappa museum, Muhammad Hassan, the only excavation expert of the department to undertake Dillu Roy assignment that would take almost 45-60 days to complete.

"We found structures at the depth of only six inches," Hassan told APP last Monday. "These structures look like hailing from Gupta and Mughal period, however, further excavation and cleaning of remains would unveil exact detail." Leading around 50-men team comprising officials, draughtsmen, photographer, supervisors and equipped with small tools to delicately excavate the site, the archaeologist is in Jampur tahsil of district Dera Ghazi Khan since Jan 31 and has completed the process of contouring the site with a map plan indicating how to proceed forward.

The surface finds including antiquities, artefacts, clay pottery, coins etc suggest Mound Dillu Roy to be a Ist century B.C. to 2nd century A.C site.

Famous travelogue writer and intellectual Dr. Abbas Birmani described Mound Dillu Roy, traditionally called Dillu Roy theatre, as a 'speaking city asleep' (Bolta Hua Khwabeeda Sheher), in his book 'Tilismati Wadiyan' (Magical valleys).

It was named after a prince Dillu Roy who had once ruled this area.

The mound is spread over 434 Kanal area, majority of it lying in DG Khan and only three Kanal in Jampur tahsil. It lies 2.5 miles north west of Jampur city on Jampur-Dajal road and consists of two mounds, roughly 100-150 feet apart. The larger one measuring 1460x800x15 feet marks the site of the city and the smaller one about 380 feet North-South, 950 feet East-West has been identified as the remains of a fort.



The only visible mud-brick structure on the surface is a British era watch tower, Hassan said.

Both the mounds had been dug by the local farmers and thus exposed the plan of houses and streets. The mud brick walls have escaped complete destruction and some of the walls with traces of mud plaster stand as high as 12 feet. At certain places, complete plan of rooms is traceable which varies from 5x5 feet to 15-10 feet. The study of the deep trenches dug by farmers has revealed two building period of the city.

The archaeologist thinks the remains of ancient civilizations like Cytho Parthian period could be found at the bottom as they move forward with their vertical excavation technique.

Hassan said, in addition to antiquities, the excavation process may lead them to remains of Cytho Parthian, Gupta, Kushan, Hindu Shahi, Tughlaq, Mughal and British periods.

However, he added: "Complete excavation would suggest whether we find remains of all or some of these civilizations." He said that excavation was a time-consuming, and delicate job done in scientific manner and at times archaeologists achieve only two-three inch excavation in a full day.

He said that contrary to metal or other objects, clay pottery remains intact underground for centuries, even millenniums. And pottery pattern denotes what period these belong to and the remains of structures indicate pattern of streets, roads, homes, rooms, overall town planning and lifestyle of the people of that era. Stratigraphy tells us what people habitated at what layer of the site.

He explained that pottery from 8000-1000 years old Indus Valley civilization had same pattern, soil, motifs, structure whether found from Mohinjo Daro, Harappa or Mehergarh. Historically precious artefacts, coins, and other things collected from Mound Dillu Roy surface were now kept at Harappa museum.

Dr. Abbas Birmani welcomed the Punjab government's investment on archaeological excavation and said: "Its like a dream come true." Pakistani landscape is a blend of scenic topography and historically important monuments depicting our heritage and we are proud of it, he added.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/excavation-of-rich-mound-dillu-roy-site-beg-829961.html

 

[ghazi52]

Indus Figures at the National Museum, Karachi

December 17th, 2019

On a visit earlier in 2019 to the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi, an iPhone camera was a welcome companion in trying to bring out something of the character of Indus figurines resident within the large glass vitrines. The first shown [Image 1] here is described by Mark Kenoyer as a "male figurine or deity with goatlike beard [wearing] a horned headdress that has broken. Almond-shaped eyes and a serene mouth are distinctive of a similar horned, beared deity" (Mohenjo-daro DK 7508, Ancient Cities, p. 224). The terracotta male figurine behind him, shown alone in [2], also bearded, displays real attitude, as if emerging from hand-finished terracotta.

The third image [3] is of a rare bronze sculpture from Mohenjo-daro, much less well-known than the dancing girl replica behind her [the original is in Delhi]. Dr. Kenoyer writes of this figurine "the hair is tied in a horizontal bun hanging low on the back of the neck and traces of long almond-shaped eyes are visible. Many bangles adorn the upper left arm and a few bangles are indicated above the right elbow. Because these bronze figurines are not copies of terracotta figurines, they may have been made for a specific ethnic community or perhaps used in special rituals that required bronze votive statues. But, unlike terracotta figurines that break and are discarded, bronze can be melted and recycled for other objects. The few bronze sculptures recovered reflect a high level of skill in modeling and lost-wax casting, a well-established [tradition] in the first cities that continues to the present throughout the subcontinent" (Ancient Cities, p. 135).

The final image [4] is of a terracotta female figurine, one of many such figurines found at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, and for whom Shereen Ratnagar, building on work by others including Alexandra Ardelanu-Jansen and Sharri Clark, argues in her recent book The Magic of the Image was probably a cultic object used by women in some sort of domestic rituals, meant not to represent a "mother goddess" as much as a specific person.

 

[ghazi52]

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Jundial Temple is situated in Taxila Pakistan belongs to the Indo Greek Period.

 

[ghazi52]

The Tomb of Mirza Isa Khan Turkhan (1644D/1054AH) at Makli Hills, Thatta, Sindh

Tomb Of Mirza Essa Khan Tarkhan (The Younger), Thatta

Area: 0.768 acre

On the north of Mirza Baqi Baig’s tomb is situated the mausoleum of Isa Khan II’s Governor of Thatta under the Mughal emperor Shah Jehan between 1627 and 1644 A.D. He was the cousin of Mirza Ghazi and grand-son of Isa Khan – I the independent ruler of the lower Sindh. He died in 1644 A.D at the ripe age of 90 and buried in this mausoleum said to have been erected by him during his life time.

The mausoleum is a magnificent two storeyed building erected in the centre of a square courtyard enclosed by high stone walls. The central chamber containing the graves is crowned with a dome while the four sides have spacious varandahs supported by stone pillars, exquisitely carved with filigree design sand topped by honey-combed capitals. The entire mausoleum and its apartments are constructed in yellow and stone and both the inner and outer surfaces are carved with delicate tracery.

In the centre of the western enclosure wall is the Mehrab decorated with floral and geometric designs. At the north-east corner of the courtyard stands small enclosure which contains three graves on a raised platform. These are the graves of Isa Khan’s other female relations. The Persian inscriptions carved on the cenotaphs of the two graves give the date 6th Zil Hajj 1082 A.H (May 1672 A.D) and 15th Rajab 1080 A.H (January 1670 A.D) respectively.

AD

 

[ghazi52]

Temple No. Ii Bhodesar, Tharparkar

Area : 0.2 Acres

Close to the foot of rocky hills there are the remains of three ancient Jain structures supposed to have been built in A.D 1375 and 1449. The largest of this group of temple which is referred as Temple II, stands on a platform about 3’ high and is 39’ wide on the front side which is on the north. It has the main entrance door in the centre and on either side of its two niches on exterior as well as interior. This door is ordinary (Kanjur) stone and has a jina in a small niche carved over lintal. There were some carved idols on its sides which have decayed and are unrecognisable now. The side niches are of red sand stone with carved DASA, side shafts and head piece and project out of the surface of the walls. Opposite to this door there is another door on the southern side which open in the back courtyard. This temple is a centrally planned structure with have in the centre and a square aisle around it after which there are two rows of 5 cells each on east and west sides. There are no cells on the north and south but only walls which are similar to each other and have as mentioned earlier a door in the centre and two niches of sides.
The nave is colonnaded with 4 columns on each side and roofed with a corbelled low dome of the shape of an inverted bowl supported on octagonal base of beams resting on eight columns. The floor space under it is square and below the level of the floor of the surrounding aisle and has three steps descending to it from all the four sides. However the huge stones which used to form the floor are now lying in a heap in a shallow pit in centre.
After the aisle there are 5 cell as on each side and opposite to them 5 no the west. In between the doors of these cell as there are pilaster or shafts corresponding to the pillars of the nave. On sides of both the central cell as which are comparatively smaller than side ones there are carved idols on pedestals typical of the Jaina temples.
On the outside there is a double cornice running on the east west and northsides except the central portion of the front wall and entire south wall which have been repaired in the past. The incomplete wall on the east measures 40.5’ where as the west wall measures 31.5’ which indicates that there was back enclosure on the south side probably with a central cell or inner temple for housing the main idol but has disappeared in course of time.
On the roof there is a central dome of the nave and around it 16 domes of the aisles and 10 more domes of the tow rows of the cells which makes in all 27 domes. From inside some of these small domes are corbelled in circular fashion and some in diagonal patterns From outside the entire roof including the domes have been plastered with white lime, in thick layers. Along the eastern side of this temple there was an enclosed portion attached as shown by the low compound wall of rubble stones.
All stone used in the temple in Kanjur stone and red sandstone which are not local. However, the stone used in the platform and the attached compound wall is local sand stone or granite of red tint .

 

[ghazi52]

Ancient Buddhist rock ,
Located near Blind lake Shiger, Baltistan

 

[Kambojaric]

Excavation Yields Recovery Of Statue From Dillu Roy Site

Ongoing excavation at the ancient mound Dillu Roy site in Kot Chutta Tehsil of district Dera Ghazi Khan near Jampur has led to discovery of a statue that could be around 1800-2000 years old, the lead archaeologist said on Thursday

RAJANPUR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Feb, 2020 ) :Ongoing excavation at the ancient mound Dillu Roy site in Kot Chutta Tehsil of district Dera Ghazi Khan near Jampur has led to discovery of a statue that could be around 1800-2000 years old, the lead archaeologist said on Thursday.

Deputy Director Archaeology Southern circle Punjab, Muhammad Hassan told APP, they found it from the floor level of a trench they had dug so far to a depth of one metre as part of excavation.

The sculpture was found during the visit of Director General Archaeology Punjab Muhammad Ilyas Gill to the site last Tuesday, Feb 18.

The mud clay statue was found in broken condition with its head, an arm,� and torso separated and it looked as if it was fixed in a wall or placed at a height and fell on the ground, Hassan said. It was a statue of a woman and looked like a religious statue. It has signs of a garland around her neck with some beads intact, a string of beads decorating her head around hair combed in traditional style.

"We are investigating to find what era it belonged to but according to initial assessment it could be 1800-2000 years old." The scientific archaeological excavation at mound Dillu Roy began around two weeks ago under a Rs 17.323 million project with its first phase of building a 6400 feet boundary wall to protect the site almost completed.

During the visit of DG archaeology Punjab, Hassan briefed him about the progress and finding of the artifacts which have been found during the excavation. He showed different areas of the site to the DG and discussed with him about the potential of the site which is under investigation.

A team of Archaeology department students and staff of University of the Punjab, Lahore, under the supervision of chairman Dr. Muhammad Hameed, also joined the excavation exercise for scientific training and mythodology of excavation by Muhammad Hassan. The team leader said that the site is very rich and has a very unique archaeological significance that belonged to scythe-parthian time period. The structure style is also very significant and spread all over the site. Most of structure was built with big suze sun dried bricks measuring 37x23x5cm.

Different types of artifacts like pottery, stone objects, terra cotta beads, human and animal figurines, rusted copper coins and specially sculpture made of clay was found during the process of excavation.

The said clay sculpture ( broken) of goddess may belong to scyethian period of history which may belong to more than 2000 years old. It was the most significant discovery made so far during excavation that will complete in around 60 days.

The Director General of Archaeology acknowledged and thanked the Archaeology Department, University of Panjab for their visit and participation in the excavation.

The excavation team collectively has strong impression that the evidences of Pre-Kushan dynasties such as Scytho Parthians will surely appear after the digging goes further deep.

It is further added that there is also strong possibility to find archaeological evidences belonging to Greek period and their presence in south western part of the Punjab.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/excavation-yields-recovery-of-statue-from-dil-842290.html

 

[Kambojaric]

5,000-year-old artefacts discovered in Islamabad
Government urged to protect the site and develop Islamabad’s heritage tourism

Islamabad: Islamabad’s newly developed neighbourhood of I-11 has turned out to be the site of a 5,000-year-old human settlement.

Archaeologists believe the collection of potsherds proves that “the site has been under active use for human habitation for over 5,000 years”.

Islamabad-based anthropologist Dr Nadeem Omer Tarar told Gulf News that “the most important finding is the discovery of a number of potsherds of Hakra appliqué type that established the prehistoric nature of the settlement”. The exterior and shape of pottery is observed on Hakra and later Harappan sites, he says. However, study of other antiquities, especially the lithic material, is required for detailed assessment.

Potsherds (broken piece of pottery) is the most common and useful finds in archaeology, which helps identify specific time periods.

What was discovered?
The presence of a large number of potsherds, beads, bangles and semi-precious stones at the site point to the Buddhist period, archaeologists say. “The cultural profile of the mound is a telltale sign of possibly a stupa or a monastery buried here,” says Dr Nadeem Omer, executive director of Centre for Culture and Development (C2D), the organisation conducting reconnaissance survey of the site. The C2D is involved in surveys to identify the undocumented archaeological sites for preservation and promotion.

Team of experts involved in the findings
A sample of archaeological finds, through surface collection, was documented by a team of experts, including Dr Nadeem Omer, cultural historian Izzah Khan, senior archaeologist Ansar Ahmad who were assisted in the field by Imran Baloch, Amjad, Ikram and Raja Shabir. Sheeraz Hyder, a historian of Potohar, contributed to the cultural profile of the site.

The initial assessment of the potsherds was made by Ansar Ahmad and re-examined by archaeological historian Zubair Shafi Ghouri.

‘Remarkable discovery’
Talking to Gulf News, Mr Ghouri said, “there is no doubt that the artefacts are at least 4,000 to 5,000 years old” from Early Bronze Age (3000—2000BC). “Only further discovery of tools such as knives and blades and its assessment can help accurately determine the period.” He termed it a remarkable discovery for Pakistan’s capital city. “It has unearthed Islamabad’s historic connections proving that it is a city of both ancient and modern civilisation,” he added.

Government urged to protect site and develop heritage tourism
The team of experts working under the umbrella of C2D have urged the government to protect the archaeological site that has the potential to develop heritage tourism in Islamabad. Researchers hope the identified sites would form the basis for excavations and conservation by the federal department of Archaeology and Museums, under the Ministry of National History and Heritage. In recent months, the government has accelerated efforts to protect heritage sites as promoting cultural and religious tourism is close to the heart of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Gateway to Islamabad’s treasured past
A preliminary hypothesis based on the careful study of a limited sample of potsherd has led the C2D team to conclude that it is “the sixth site (named Sarien) of prehistoric nature in the Potohar” in addition to previously documented prehistoric sites Siaray Khola, Hathial, Jangh Bahtar, Khanda and Pind Nosheri.

The latest findings are not the only gateway to Islamabad’s treasured past. City’s oldest historical site, Ban Faqiran, at the top of the Margalla Hills and the ancient caves, relics and murals at Shah Allah Ditta are reminiscent of Buddhist as well as Mughal periods.

Pakistan’s archaeological wonders
The first of Harappan civilisation sites were excavated in Pakistan’s Punjab province in the 1820s. The Harappans of South Asia are also known as the Indus Valley Civilisation — considered among the world’s oldest along with Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Pakistan is home to many archaeological sites and centuries-old civilisations like Mehrgarh (6500 to 2500BC), Indus Valley (3,000 and 1,700BC) and the Gandhara (530BC to 1,021AD), making it a revered destination for the followers of three major religions, Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism.

Artefacts discovered from the site:
Potsherds

Beads

Bangles

Semi-precious stones

https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/5000-year-old-artefacts-discovered-in-islamabad-1.69923079

 

[Muhammad Burham]