PESHAWAR, April 27: Archaeologists and tourists from eight Asian countries said that the well-preserved Gandhara monuments and sites in the NWFP had opened up new vistas of culture of Pakistan to the world.
“This is the first time that I have come to see sites of Gandhara civilisation which connects us (China) with Pakistan. I was also surprised to know that Hiuen Tsang, a celebrated Chinese pilgrim, visited this place back in the seventh century A.D.”, said Cindy Cui, a reporter of a Chinese tourism magazine.
Some 40 tourists and archaeologists from various South and Southeast Asian countries visited Peshawar Museum here on Thursday in connection with Gandhara Week celebrations organised by the tourism ministry.
During the week, tourists and archaeologists from Sri Lanka, Nepal, China, Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia have been visiting places related to the Gandhara civilisation in the NWFP.
“The Gandhara Week (April 24-30) is helping to promote Pakistan as a tourist friendly country. The whole event is aimed at showing the rich culture and history of this region to the world,” said Dr Ihsan Ali, the director of archaeology and museums.
Dr Ali told visitors about various archaeological sites and museums where items dating back to the Gandhara civilisations are displayed.
“Our perception was different when we first embarked on the visit. We thought we would face problems in Pakistan but we started to know this country better during this visit,” said Sarad Pradhan, a visitor from Nepal.
Sangeeta Thapa, an art curator and writer from Nepal, said that the visit was very enlightening and Pakistan had vast tourism potential as it was rich with sites of Gandhara civilisation.
“Nepal has lost much of antiques and historic statues between 1952 and 1980 due to government neglect. We are impressed at the way Pakistan is preserving its history and archaeological sites,” she said. “We have to learn a lot from Pakistan.”
Prof J.B. Disanayaka of Colombo University said that the visit opened up a cultural vista of Pakistan that was never glimpsed before. “We never knew Pakistan had so much of Gandhara culture here. In Sri Lanka, we only have paintings but here we have seen the life of Buddha in sculpture form. The image of Buddha came into being here,” Prof. Disanayaka said.
“Gandhara Week is a good idea because it offers knowledge and history to people from different parts of the world,” the professor said.
“The archeological sites and relics are very well preserved here and it is a good place for pilgrims and tourists who love history.”
The tourists visited Takhtbai site in Mardan district and the Balahisar area in Charsadda, the first capital of Gandahara period. They also visited many sites of Gandhara civilisation in Swat.
The tourists will be taken on a Khyber Safari steam journey and a dinner will be hosted in their honour in Peshawar at the end of Gandahara Week.
PESHAWAR, April 27: Archaeologists and tourists from eight Asian countries said that the well-preserved Gandhara monuments and sites in the NWFP had opened up new vistas of culture of Pakistan to the world.
