Featured Pakistan: The Archaeological Marvel
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ghazi52
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Gurdwara Chowa Sahib (Urdu: گردوارہ چوآ صاحب; literally: "Gurudwara of the exalted spring") is an abandoned gurudwara located at the northern edge of the Rohtas Fort, near Jhelum, Pakistan. Situated near the fort's Talaqi gate, the gurdwara commemorates the site where Guru Nanak is popularly believed to have created a water-spring during one of his journeys known as udasi.
The first commemorative structure was built by Charat Singh, who installed a sarovar pool, and area for recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib. The current building dates from 1834, and was commissioned by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Sikhs believe that Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardana were traveling in the region during the fourth of Guru Nanak's journeys - known as udasis. The two were traveling during the summer, and had arrived at the site following a 40-day stay at the nearby Tilla Jogian temples. Bhai Mardana expressed his thirst while lamenting that water was scarce in the region during that time of year. Guru Nanak is said to have then struck the earth with his cane and moved a stone,thereby revealing a natural spring.
Sikh lore states that Sher Shah Suri attempted to shift the spring up the hill to use a source of water for the newly constructed Rohtas Fort. The king's engineers attempted the feat three times, failing each time.
The gurdwara in 2007, prior to restoration works.
The temple stands at the base of a hill upon which the Rohtas Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is situated. Despite its proximity to the historic site, the temple is stands disused and neglected, with no local Sikh community to fund its upkeep.
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Kambojaric
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Korean pilgrims, researchers visit Peshawar Museum
PESHAWAR: South Korea and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were again bonded by Monks invited to visit historic sites and expected to spread a good word back home about the province having rich Gandhara cultural heritage as a tourist-friendly place for Buddhist pilgrims and tourists alike.
In 4th Century AD, a monk hailing from Chota Lahor village of Swabi district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Maralanda [Maranatha], had gone to Korea via China and spread Buddhism. Another Korean monk, Hyecho, also said to have travelled to Gandhara through ancient route and made connection with this region – having remains of Buddhist sites and monuments till today.
The KP tourism, culture, sports and archaeology department and South Korean Embassy in Pakistan jointly organised for the first time an official heritage tour for an expedition team of Korean Buddhist pilgrims and researchers, who were warmly received at Peshawar Museum on Monday.
Comprising four monks, several researchers and professors from the renowned Buddhist’s Dongguk Buddh and several businessmen from South Korea, the delegation will carry out a four-day tour to Gandhara historical sites in the province and Taxila.
Envoy promises to promote bilateral cultural ties
The initiative to invite Korean Buddhists, especially monks, is part of the tourism department to promote heritage tourism in the province, which has over 6,000 archaeological sites, including monasteries, holy sites and a collection of statues of Buddha.
Korean ambassador Kwak Sung-Kyu, who accompanied the delegation, said the embassy would work for the promotion of cultural ties between two countries.
He said Pakistan would be an attraction for Korean Buddhist pilgrimage and tourists due to rich heritage of Gandhara civilisation.
Tourism minister Atif Khan said ties between Pakistan and South Korea would be strengthened if heritage tourism was promoted and people-to-people contacts increased between the two countries.
He said many Buddhist holy sites, monasteries and archaeological ruins were located in Pakistan, particularly in KP, and the government was spending Rs600 million to maintain these sites and was striving for more funds to look after and improve more such archaeological sites scattered all over the province.
Director (archaeology and museums) Dr. Abdul Samad said earlier, the government had sent 42 artefacts from Peshawar Museum for an exhibition in South Korea and that actually created awareness among Koreans about the old ties between the two places and aroused interest in them to visit and see for themselves the archaeological sites.
He said that would revive historic links – around 1600 years old - between Korea and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“The arrival of delegation including monks was the outcome of that exhibition and now we were expecting more tourists interested in heritage, history and archaeology,” he said.
“Many Pakistanis and many Koreans do not know that a monk from Swabi went to Korea and spread Buddhism there. For past 20 years in post9/11 era tourists had stopped coming and many people lost touch with such interesting facts but we are trying to revive cultural and historic links to promote and boost heritage tourism,” he said.
The expedition will be followed by a Korean Joge Order Buddhist delegation’s visit in November.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1501892/korean-pilgrims-researchers-visit-peshawar-museum
PESHAWAR: South Korea and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were again bonded by Monks invited to visit historic sites and expected to spread a good word back home about the province having rich Gandhara cultural heritage as a tourist-friendly place for Buddhist pilgrims and tourists alike.
In 4th Century AD, a monk hailing from Chota Lahor village of Swabi district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Maralanda [Maranatha], had gone to Korea via China and spread Buddhism. Another Korean monk, Hyecho, also said to have travelled to Gandhara through ancient route and made connection with this region – having remains of Buddhist sites and monuments till today.
The KP tourism, culture, sports and archaeology department and South Korean Embassy in Pakistan jointly organised for the first time an official heritage tour for an expedition team of Korean Buddhist pilgrims and researchers, who were warmly received at Peshawar Museum on Monday.
Comprising four monks, several researchers and professors from the renowned Buddhist’s Dongguk Buddh and several businessmen from South Korea, the delegation will carry out a four-day tour to Gandhara historical sites in the province and Taxila.
Envoy promises to promote bilateral cultural ties
The initiative to invite Korean Buddhists, especially monks, is part of the tourism department to promote heritage tourism in the province, which has over 6,000 archaeological sites, including monasteries, holy sites and a collection of statues of Buddha.
Korean ambassador Kwak Sung-Kyu, who accompanied the delegation, said the embassy would work for the promotion of cultural ties between two countries.
He said Pakistan would be an attraction for Korean Buddhist pilgrimage and tourists due to rich heritage of Gandhara civilisation.
Tourism minister Atif Khan said ties between Pakistan and South Korea would be strengthened if heritage tourism was promoted and people-to-people contacts increased between the two countries.
He said many Buddhist holy sites, monasteries and archaeological ruins were located in Pakistan, particularly in KP, and the government was spending Rs600 million to maintain these sites and was striving for more funds to look after and improve more such archaeological sites scattered all over the province.
Director (archaeology and museums) Dr. Abdul Samad said earlier, the government had sent 42 artefacts from Peshawar Museum for an exhibition in South Korea and that actually created awareness among Koreans about the old ties between the two places and aroused interest in them to visit and see for themselves the archaeological sites.
He said that would revive historic links – around 1600 years old - between Korea and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“The arrival of delegation including monks was the outcome of that exhibition and now we were expecting more tourists interested in heritage, history and archaeology,” he said.
“Many Pakistanis and many Koreans do not know that a monk from Swabi went to Korea and spread Buddhism there. For past 20 years in post9/11 era tourists had stopped coming and many people lost touch with such interesting facts but we are trying to revive cultural and historic links to promote and boost heritage tourism,” he said.
The expedition will be followed by a Korean Joge Order Buddhist delegation’s visit in November.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1501892/korean-pilgrims-researchers-visit-peshawar-museum
Kambojaric
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Islamabad Museum adds 400 new artefacts to collection
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Museum has added 400 new artefacts, including one of two red stone statues of Buddha, Mehergarh pottery and seals from Mohenjo-daro that continue to baffle archaeologists even today.
A chessboard, dice, weights, cosmetics, utensils and many other items have been obtained from the National Museum in Karachi and the Taxila Museum and are now part of the permanent collection at the Islamabad Museum.
The red stone sculpture of Buddhistava, excavated from a site in Badalpur, Taxila, is as rare as the metal sculptures of Buddha found in Pakistan.
“The 2nd to 3rd century red stone sculpture does not have Gandhara features, and was possibly brought here from India,” the museum’s director Dr Abdul Ghafoor Lone said.
Displayed in warm lighting in niches in the wall, every artefact has a unique quick response (QR) code that contains information about it, courtesy of Unesco.
Some of the oldest items of display date back to 4,000 BC, such as a rare dish from Mehergarh, Balochistan, jewellery from Harappa, Punjab, from 2,600 – 1,800 BC and seals and stamps from Harappa from 3,000 BC.
“The script from this period has still not been translated and we do not know what they mean. However, the impressions of deities, bulls and patterns on the seals suggest that they were official purposes and belonged to government departments,” Dr Lone said.
Another artefact on display is a handmade bowl from the 4th millennium BC, which was before the wheel was invented to make pottery.
Besides artefacts from the Gandhara Grave Culture and the Mughal period that have been added to the collection, one of the most attractive pieces on show are two large metal door knockers. Weighing 20 kilograms each, Dr Lone said, the door knockers belong to the Hindu period.
“The Islamic script engraved all around is evidence of how Muslim invaders attempted to incorporate the aesthetics from Hindu cultures into their designs. The door knockers, which were found in Al-Mansura, Sindh, date back to the 8th century AD,” he said.
Housed in the Sir Syed Memorial building near the State Bank, the Department of Archaeology is in the process of expanding the museum’s display area.
“Negotiations are underway and if it works out, we will have a similar large space across the hall to showcase more items of antiquity,” Dr Lone said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1504287/islamabad-museum-adds-400-new-artefacts-to-collection
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Museum has added 400 new artefacts, including one of two red stone statues of Buddha, Mehergarh pottery and seals from Mohenjo-daro that continue to baffle archaeologists even today.
A chessboard, dice, weights, cosmetics, utensils and many other items have been obtained from the National Museum in Karachi and the Taxila Museum and are now part of the permanent collection at the Islamabad Museum.
The red stone sculpture of Buddhistava, excavated from a site in Badalpur, Taxila, is as rare as the metal sculptures of Buddha found in Pakistan.
“The 2nd to 3rd century red stone sculpture does not have Gandhara features, and was possibly brought here from India,” the museum’s director Dr Abdul Ghafoor Lone said.
Displayed in warm lighting in niches in the wall, every artefact has a unique quick response (QR) code that contains information about it, courtesy of Unesco.
Some of the oldest items of display date back to 4,000 BC, such as a rare dish from Mehergarh, Balochistan, jewellery from Harappa, Punjab, from 2,600 – 1,800 BC and seals and stamps from Harappa from 3,000 BC.
“The script from this period has still not been translated and we do not know what they mean. However, the impressions of deities, bulls and patterns on the seals suggest that they were official purposes and belonged to government departments,” Dr Lone said.
Another artefact on display is a handmade bowl from the 4th millennium BC, which was before the wheel was invented to make pottery.
Besides artefacts from the Gandhara Grave Culture and the Mughal period that have been added to the collection, one of the most attractive pieces on show are two large metal door knockers. Weighing 20 kilograms each, Dr Lone said, the door knockers belong to the Hindu period.
“The Islamic script engraved all around is evidence of how Muslim invaders attempted to incorporate the aesthetics from Hindu cultures into their designs. The door knockers, which were found in Al-Mansura, Sindh, date back to the 8th century AD,” he said.
Housed in the Sir Syed Memorial building near the State Bank, the Department of Archaeology is in the process of expanding the museum’s display area.
“Negotiations are underway and if it works out, we will have a similar large space across the hall to showcase more items of antiquity,” Dr Lone said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1504287/islamabad-museum-adds-400-new-artefacts-to-collection
Kambojaric
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Ancient city of Bhanbhore: A South Asia gateway for Arab conquerors
This image shows the southern gate of Bhanbhore Fort which was used by Muhammad bin Qasim to enter the citadel in 711 CE. Photograph taken on Sept 25, 2019 (AN Photo by SA Babar)
BHANBORE, Sindh: Bhanbhore, an ancient city located about 65 kilometers east of Karachi, is said to have witnessed several political upheavals since its emergence in the first century BCE. Yet, the place was immortalized by an Arab general who changed the course of history by invading this town.
Long before the mighty Indus river meandered away from the settlement, forcing the residents of Bhanbhore to abandon their dwellings, Muhammad bin Qasim, an Umayyad warrior, defeated Sindh’s Brahmin ruler, Raja Dahar, in 711 CE and conquered large swathes of land. Today, Pakistan’s second busiest harbor, Port Qasim, is named after the Arab general.
This image shows the industrial unit where clothes were dyed. “This existence of industrial area, which still needs to be fully excavated, proves that Bhanbhore was an important industrial city in south Asia,” Saleem Palejo, a caretaker of the ancient fort, told Arab News on Sept 25, 2019. (AN Photo by SA Babar)
“The south gate of Bhanbhore Fort from which Muhammad bin Qasim entered the citadel was later called the ‘gateway of Islam’ in South Asia,” Qazi Asif, a researcher, told Arab News.
The first excavation survey of Bhanbhore was carried out by Sindh’s Department of Archaeology and Museums in 1965. More recently, the government launched another round of exploration in 2012 in collaboration with Italian and French missions in Pakistan.
The report detailing the latest findings is yet to be made public. However, a description of the site at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s website says: “The site has a sequence from the first century BC to the thirteenth century AD. Whilst its earlier phases are waterlogged, the site’s surface remains to represent the best-preserved early Islamic urban form in South Asia and the region’s best-preserved medieval port.”
Original brick tiles used in Bhanbhore’s Jamia Masjid. Photograph taken on Sept 25, 2019 (AN Photo by SA Babar)
There was no trace of a mehrab – a semicircular niche in a mosque wall indicating the direction of Kabah – but an inscription on a structure, dating to 727 CE, claims that it is the best-preserved example of an early mosque in the region, others having been rebuilt.
“The presence of the industrial sector and the port’s wealth of imported ceramic and metal goods, in combination with its strategic siting at the mouth of the Indus, reinforces the pivotal role of Bhanbhore linking the international Indian Ocean traders with the resources of the interior,” it adds.
Although a French archaeologist, Monique Kervran, says her findings of Bhanbhore confirm that Debal – ruled by Raja Dahar – and Bhanbhore are names of the same place, Dr. Asma Ibrahim, a Pakistani archaeologist, says her research unearthed an underwater city nearby that was most likely Debal.
An old well in Bhanbhore Fort. Photograph taken on Sept 25, 2019 (AN Photo by SA Babar)
“The excavation work is still to be carried at the [underwater] city some 12 kilometers from Bhanbhore in the sea where a panel of Kufic inscription – along with one big and one small mosque – has been found,” she told Arab News.
The outline of the underwater city, she added, could be observed between 6 am and 8 pm on the 20th and 21st of a lunar month.
Ibrahim, whose research is yet to be published, informed that the excavated material of glass from Bhanbhore confirmed that it was imported from the Middle Eastern since there was no kiln in this region in olden days.
“It was one of the major industrial and trade centers of the world,” she said, adding: “While the archaeological sites in Bhanbhore await more excavation, there are strong imprints of Arab Muslims.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1562861/pakistan
This image shows the southern gate of Bhanbhore Fort which was used by Muhammad bin Qasim to enter the citadel in 711 CE. Photograph taken on Sept 25, 2019 (AN Photo by SA Babar)
BHANBORE, Sindh: Bhanbhore, an ancient city located about 65 kilometers east of Karachi, is said to have witnessed several political upheavals since its emergence in the first century BCE. Yet, the place was immortalized by an Arab general who changed the course of history by invading this town.
Long before the mighty Indus river meandered away from the settlement, forcing the residents of Bhanbhore to abandon their dwellings, Muhammad bin Qasim, an Umayyad warrior, defeated Sindh’s Brahmin ruler, Raja Dahar, in 711 CE and conquered large swathes of land. Today, Pakistan’s second busiest harbor, Port Qasim, is named after the Arab general.
This image shows the industrial unit where clothes were dyed. “This existence of industrial area, which still needs to be fully excavated, proves that Bhanbhore was an important industrial city in south Asia,” Saleem Palejo, a caretaker of the ancient fort, told Arab News on Sept 25, 2019. (AN Photo by SA Babar)
“The south gate of Bhanbhore Fort from which Muhammad bin Qasim entered the citadel was later called the ‘gateway of Islam’ in South Asia,” Qazi Asif, a researcher, told Arab News.
The first excavation survey of Bhanbhore was carried out by Sindh’s Department of Archaeology and Museums in 1965. More recently, the government launched another round of exploration in 2012 in collaboration with Italian and French missions in Pakistan.
The report detailing the latest findings is yet to be made public. However, a description of the site at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s website says: “The site has a sequence from the first century BC to the thirteenth century AD. Whilst its earlier phases are waterlogged, the site’s surface remains to represent the best-preserved early Islamic urban form in South Asia and the region’s best-preserved medieval port.”
Original brick tiles used in Bhanbhore’s Jamia Masjid. Photograph taken on Sept 25, 2019 (AN Photo by SA Babar)
There was no trace of a mehrab – a semicircular niche in a mosque wall indicating the direction of Kabah – but an inscription on a structure, dating to 727 CE, claims that it is the best-preserved example of an early mosque in the region, others having been rebuilt.
“The presence of the industrial sector and the port’s wealth of imported ceramic and metal goods, in combination with its strategic siting at the mouth of the Indus, reinforces the pivotal role of Bhanbhore linking the international Indian Ocean traders with the resources of the interior,” it adds.
Although a French archaeologist, Monique Kervran, says her findings of Bhanbhore confirm that Debal – ruled by Raja Dahar – and Bhanbhore are names of the same place, Dr. Asma Ibrahim, a Pakistani archaeologist, says her research unearthed an underwater city nearby that was most likely Debal.
An old well in Bhanbhore Fort. Photograph taken on Sept 25, 2019 (AN Photo by SA Babar)
“The excavation work is still to be carried at the [underwater] city some 12 kilometers from Bhanbhore in the sea where a panel of Kufic inscription – along with one big and one small mosque – has been found,” she told Arab News.
The outline of the underwater city, she added, could be observed between 6 am and 8 pm on the 20th and 21st of a lunar month.
Ibrahim, whose research is yet to be published, informed that the excavated material of glass from Bhanbhore confirmed that it was imported from the Middle Eastern since there was no kiln in this region in olden days.
“It was one of the major industrial and trade centers of the world,” she said, adding: “While the archaeological sites in Bhanbhore await more excavation, there are strong imprints of Arab Muslims.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1562861/pakistan
Kambojaric
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WCLA to restore Rind’s tomb
LAHORE: Following the directions of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has planned rehabilitation and conservation of the tomb of Baloch leader Mir Chakar-e-Azam Rind and allied Sikh time period walled city.
Officials said Mir Chakar Khan Rind (Chakar-e-Azam) was a Baloch chieftain in the 15th century and considered a folk hero of Baloch people and the most important figure in the Baloch epic ‘Hani’ and ‘Sheh Mureed’. They said in the 15th century, Mir Chakar Khan Rind became the first ruler of Balochistan and established the first Kingdom of Balochistan. He was buried in Satgarah, Okara.
Usman Buzdar has taken the initiative to rehabilitate and conserve the tomb of Rind and allied Sikh time period walled city as a part of heritage conservation and promotion of heritage tourism. This project also indicates the vision for inter-provincial harmony.
In this regard, WCLA has been entrusted with the responsibility to preserve and conserve the tomb as per prescribed guidelines of conservation and to promote tourism. All formalities, including tendering procedure have been completed and physical work will start on 1st October and complete in 12 months.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/532697-wcla-to-restore-rind-s-tomb
The tomb today:
LAHORE: Following the directions of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has planned rehabilitation and conservation of the tomb of Baloch leader Mir Chakar-e-Azam Rind and allied Sikh time period walled city.
Officials said Mir Chakar Khan Rind (Chakar-e-Azam) was a Baloch chieftain in the 15th century and considered a folk hero of Baloch people and the most important figure in the Baloch epic ‘Hani’ and ‘Sheh Mureed’. They said in the 15th century, Mir Chakar Khan Rind became the first ruler of Balochistan and established the first Kingdom of Balochistan. He was buried in Satgarah, Okara.
Usman Buzdar has taken the initiative to rehabilitate and conserve the tomb of Rind and allied Sikh time period walled city as a part of heritage conservation and promotion of heritage tourism. This project also indicates the vision for inter-provincial harmony.
In this regard, WCLA has been entrusted with the responsibility to preserve and conserve the tomb as per prescribed guidelines of conservation and to promote tourism. All formalities, including tendering procedure have been completed and physical work will start on 1st October and complete in 12 months.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/532697-wcla-to-restore-rind-s-tomb
The tomb today:
Buddhistforlife
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Pakistan was never a Buddhist nation. Same goes for Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the mainland of India. Afghanistan was a mixture of Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Nuristani people. Meanwhile Pakistan, Bangladesh and India was mixture of Hindus, Buddhists and Jains.
Malaysia, Maldives and Brunei were 'Buddhist majority countries' In true sense.
Dubious
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?
Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei were Hindu bhudhist...
Thailand and indo China were bhudhist in true sense
Now kindly stop derailing the thread with your misinformation
Buddhistforlife
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Misinformation? Kindly please share your own knowledge.
Dubious
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This thread is about Pakistan... stop trying to detail it
Kambojaric
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Foreigners visiting cultural sites, museums in Pakistan up by 121pc
A massive increase of 121 per cent has been observed in the number of foreigners visiting cultural sites and museums sites in Pakistan over the past five years.
The findings, part of the Cultural Heritage and Museum Visits in Pakistan report by Gallup Pakistan, prove the tourism industry’s potential as a saviour for the country’s struggling economy.
The year 2014 saw a total of 20,461 foreign visitors at cultural sites and museums, while the figure rose to 45,419 in 2018.
Citing records of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, the report shows that numbers from 2014 to 2017 fluctuated between 20,000 to 24,000 and rose by 91 per cent in the year 2018.
The highest increase – 250 per cent – in foreigners visiting museums was witnessed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The data shows that visits to cultural sites by local and foreign tourists increased by 317 per cent since 2014, with a collective 6.6 million visits recorded in 2018.
Punjab contributed a massive 95 per cent of the increase, followed by Sindh and K-P.
Visits to museums, on the other hand, rose by 50 per cent with 1.7 million visits recorded in 2014 and 2.7 million in 2018.
Pakistan Monument Museum in Islamabad, Khewra Mines Museum in Chakwal and Lok Virsa Heritage Museum continued to be the top three most popular museums of Pakistan from 2016-2018.
Taxila Museum and Lahore Museum were the fourth and fifth most popular.
In cultural sites, the Shahi Qila (Royal Fort) in Lahore was the most popular in Pakistan during 2016-2018 with the number of visits exponentially higher than all other cultural sites.
In 2018, Shahi Qila received five million visits, which were 1,160 per cent more than the visits at the second most popular site, Shalimar Gardens in Lahore.
For foreigners, Lahore Museum was the most popular museum in 2016 and 2017, but the Taxila Museum took the first spot in 2018.
From 2016-2018, Taxila, Rawalpindi remained the most popular cultural site for foreign tourists, whereas Shahi Qila remained the second most popular site.
The third most popular site for foreigners in 2016 was Mohenjodaro, Larkana, in 2017 it was Jehangir‟s Tomb, Lahore, and in 2018 it was Shalimar Gardens, Lahore.
The Gallup Pakistan report reinforces the belief that the country harbours the immense potential for tourism.
On the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, Pakistan is ranked 124 out of 136 countries, a figure that is very low considering the abundance of cultural resources.
However, the index also places Pakistan on 56th position for cultural resources and business travel, which indicates considerable potential for the development of the tourism sector.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/20...ltural-sites-museums-in-pakistan-up-by-121pc/
A massive increase of 121 per cent has been observed in the number of foreigners visiting cultural sites and museums sites in Pakistan over the past five years.
The findings, part of the Cultural Heritage and Museum Visits in Pakistan report by Gallup Pakistan, prove the tourism industry’s potential as a saviour for the country’s struggling economy.
The year 2014 saw a total of 20,461 foreign visitors at cultural sites and museums, while the figure rose to 45,419 in 2018.
Citing records of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, the report shows that numbers from 2014 to 2017 fluctuated between 20,000 to 24,000 and rose by 91 per cent in the year 2018.
The highest increase – 250 per cent – in foreigners visiting museums was witnessed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The data shows that visits to cultural sites by local and foreign tourists increased by 317 per cent since 2014, with a collective 6.6 million visits recorded in 2018.
Punjab contributed a massive 95 per cent of the increase, followed by Sindh and K-P.
Visits to museums, on the other hand, rose by 50 per cent with 1.7 million visits recorded in 2014 and 2.7 million in 2018.
Pakistan Monument Museum in Islamabad, Khewra Mines Museum in Chakwal and Lok Virsa Heritage Museum continued to be the top three most popular museums of Pakistan from 2016-2018.
Taxila Museum and Lahore Museum were the fourth and fifth most popular.
In cultural sites, the Shahi Qila (Royal Fort) in Lahore was the most popular in Pakistan during 2016-2018 with the number of visits exponentially higher than all other cultural sites.
In 2018, Shahi Qila received five million visits, which were 1,160 per cent more than the visits at the second most popular site, Shalimar Gardens in Lahore.
For foreigners, Lahore Museum was the most popular museum in 2016 and 2017, but the Taxila Museum took the first spot in 2018.
From 2016-2018, Taxila, Rawalpindi remained the most popular cultural site for foreign tourists, whereas Shahi Qila remained the second most popular site.
The third most popular site for foreigners in 2016 was Mohenjodaro, Larkana, in 2017 it was Jehangir‟s Tomb, Lahore, and in 2018 it was Shalimar Gardens, Lahore.
The Gallup Pakistan report reinforces the belief that the country harbours the immense potential for tourism.
On the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, Pakistan is ranked 124 out of 136 countries, a figure that is very low considering the abundance of cultural resources.
However, the index also places Pakistan on 56th position for cultural resources and business travel, which indicates considerable potential for the development of the tourism sector.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/20...ltural-sites-museums-in-pakistan-up-by-121pc/
denel
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Good posts and information on this thread. I have been using this for short listing areas of interests to visit. I was also interested in the harappa/mohenjadero plus buddha rock carving - i believe in Gilgit there is a big rock carving?
Kambojaric
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Theres the "sacred rock of hunza" carvings. They dont depict the Buddha as far as I know but do have carvings of Buddhist travellers in Sogdian, Kharoshti, Brahmi. This page has some decent info on them (https://www.hunzabytes.com.au/history/haldeikish-sacred-rocks-of-hunza/).
There is also this carved Buddha in Gilgit Baltistan which is the carving I believe you are talking about. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kargah_Buddha).
The most famous Buddha rock carving in Pakistan is the one found in Swat though. The Italian team of Dr Olivieri played a role in its restoration.
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denel
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!00% - that is one the one I saw in one of the books i was reading. I would plan for approx 6 weeks of travel through various places. My question is for visa - are there are restrictions of areas etc - i say this because I know that in India a colleague was given a restricted visa which made no sense in terms of where he could visit.Theres the "sacred rock of hunza" carvings. They dont depict the Buddha as far as I know but do have carvings of Buddhist travellers in Sogdian, Kharoshti, Brahmi. This page has some decent info on them (https://www.hunzabytes.com.au/history/haldeikish-sacred-rocks-of-hunza/).
There is also this carved Buddha in Gilgit Baltistan which is the carving I believe you are talking about. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kargah_Buddha).
The most famous Buddha rock carving in Pakistan is the one found in Swat though. The Italian team of Dr Olivieri played a role in its restoration.
My plan was to fly to Karachi - see it for a few days; then travel via train - not car or flight. I want to experience it first hand. Then stop at Multan or Bahalwpur (I hope I am saying this right). Spend 2-3 days there and then move up to Lahore etc. Then to traverse via Zahedan into Iran to journey to zinjan province where my great great grand parents are buried.
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