Pakistan’s countless
archaeological treasures await a time when scientists feel safe enough to resume
digging. In the remote Parwak village of Chitral District, excavators from the
Directorate of Archaeology and Museums Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have unearthed clay
graves and artifacts dating to the 17th century BC.
Since the objects belonged to Aryan civilization, they would definitely enhance
our knowledge of the prehistoric epoch, The late archaeologist Hasan Dani named
the civilisation of that time the Gandhara grave culture. Pakistan is the only
country in the world where one can find two ancient civilizations. The country
possesses more than 2,500 sites of the pre-historic Indus Valley Civilization
and Gandhara Civilization, mostly in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. Sites dating
back to the Stone Age exist in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. but security concerns have
slowed excavations.
Archaeologists from France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Japan, England and China have
all taken the lead in excavating Pakistani sites. However, with so much turmoil
in Pakistan, no major excavation has been done so far. Sites lie waiting for
archaeological discovery. In Peshawar, they bear motifs from Moghul, Sikh and
even British conquerors. Decorative woodwork of different eras enables
scientists to trace the provincial capital’s varied cultural history.
Within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Gomal Valley has the richest array of prehistoric
sites, followed by the Bannu District, as for the Buddhist period, there are
countless potential sites in Swat, Dir, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Haripur and
Mansehra. Buddhist sites present a considerable security problem. Many of those
in the northern region lie in areas contested by the Pakistani Taliban and
security forces. They also arouse the special ire of Islamist extremists.
Lack of peace threatens everything destroying Buddhist ruins are not Islam, but
some elements may do so to pressure the government and threaten the common
people. Islamists blew up seventh-century Buddhist rock carvings in Swat. Their
campaign of destruction has smashed ancient sites in the Gandhara region
extending from Swat to Bajaur. Pakistan is rich in cultural heritage, Mughal
architecture, if preserved properly, can become a hub of local and foreign
tourists. Terrorism and the war against it have taken their toll on the Taxila
Valley, too. Growing religious hatred is imperiling our cultural legacy that
goes back 2.2m years to the Paleolithic Age.