ISLAMABAD :A scientific research report on the latest archaeological excavations and conservation at Amluk Dara, a buddhist site at Swat Valley has been published by Directorate of Archaeology & Museums (DOAM), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday.
The report aimed to highlight the rich heritage and new discoveries through scientific publication. Amluk-Dara stupa is part of Gandhara civilization located in Swat valley. The stupa is believed to have been built in the third century. The latest discoveries are the outcome of an ongoing excavation in the region. A unique part of a previously-discovered site of Amluk-Dara has been uncovered jointly by Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, said a press release issued here.
The stupa is an ancient relic two kilometres from the main road which travels from Barikot to Buner and stands with ancient majesty and can be seen from the surrounding mountains.
Directorate of Archaeology & Museums, KP has also started scientific excavations of Baho Buddhist site at Swabi. The site was visited and partially excavated by the British officers of Guide Mess in 1900. About a century later, the Directorate has started the proper systematic excavation of the site in June 2021 which is still continuing.
The excavation results so far in the discovery of the main stupa, votive stupas and chapels. The main stupa measures 22 sq meters which is unique in size in the Gandhara region. The antiquities recovered from these structures consisting of stone and stucco sculptures, coins, inscription, beads and pot sherds. From the numismatic and epigraphic evidence, the site can be dated to 4th – 5th Century A.D.
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