Staff Reporter
Peshawar
Khyber Pakthunkhwa government has embarked on promotion of heritage and archeology tourism by constructing roads, establishing signboards and arranging tours of the students leading to ancient sites of Ghandara Civilization to explore Pakistan’s hidden tourism treasures. Latifur Rehman, Spokesperson of Tourism and Archeology Department told APP that under a multifaceted plan, Ghandara welcoming signboards were being installed at entry and exit points of Swat Expressway to facilitate foreign and domestic tourists, Buddhists, archeologists and heritage lovers.
“Majority of Buddhists religious sites are located on Swat Expressway and Government of KP has taken principal decision to install signboards for information and education of tourists and visitors proving highly productive”, he told APP on Monday. These signboards, he said, was extremely helpful for tourists and archeology lovers to reach historical heritage sites including the world famous Bhuddists Ruins of Takht Bahi (Throne of Origins), Neigbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol and Jamal Ghari in Mardan of the Ghandara Civilization.
He said a six members high-level foreign delegation including diplomats from Canada, Belgium and Denmark have visited Takht Bahi, Sahr-i-Bahlol and Jamal Ghari on December 4 last and were highly impressed from these ancient heritage sites, its primitive architecture and preservation made by KP Government. Director Archeology, Dr Abdul Samad briefed the foreign delegation about historical and archaeological importance of Takht Bhai Monastery established (Ist CE) and Neighbouring City Remains at Sari-e- Bahlol. The delegation was informed that Buddhists ruins of Takht Bahi and Neigbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol besides Jamal Ghari in Mardan had been included in UNESCO world heritage sites list in 1980 and were attracting foreign tourists including Sikhs, Buddhists, Monks and archeologists from across the world especially from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Japan and others countries to explore around 2,000 heritage sites and 30,000 relics of the Gandhara Civilization.
The ruins monastic complexes are spectacularly positioned on various hilltops ranging from 36.6 meters to 152.4 meters height with a covered area of about 33 hectares. The delegation was told that Takht Bhai monastery was in continuous use till 7th century (CE) composed of an assemblage of buildings constructed of stone on Gandhara patterns in diaper style using local dressed and semi-dressed stone blocks set in a lime and mud mortar. The Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol located in a five kilometers distance from Takht Bhai’s monastery, was a small ancient fortified town of Kushan period that was constructed on an elongated mound of nine meters height on 9.7 hectares surrounded by portions of a defensive wall in diaper-style characteristic dates back to first two or three centuries (BC).
The boundaries of Sahr-i-Bahlol are well defined with a part of fortification walls still intact. The delegation was informed that both these historical sites had been declared as Protected Monuments under an Ancient Preservation Act (1904) of the colonial era and Antiquity Act (1975) of the Government of Pakistan. The KP Government has declared the entire mountain area of 445 hectares at Sahri e Bhalol as Archaeological Reserve.
