1,000 prehistoric sites documented in Hazara

MANSEHRA: The Hazara University’s Archeology Department has documented around 1,000 prehistoric Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Mughal and Turk sites in the Hazara division.

“Mansehra and the rest of Hazara is one of the prehistoric destinations in the country. We have documented over 1,000 prehistoric sites,” Archeology Department Chairman Prof Dr Shakirullah told an award distribution ceremony.

The Saibaan Development Organisation had organised the ceremony in the honour of Archeology Department chairman, professors and other staff members on Saturday.

Saibaan Development Organisation Chief Executive Officer Sahibzada Jawad Alfaizi, Professor Amir Sohail and Additional Deputy Commissioner Qamar Zia also spoke on the occasion.

Prof Shakirullah said that half of the documented sites in the division were of the Buddhist civilisation.

“We have excavated prehistoric sites in Haripur, Taxila and Abbottabad. We are now going to dig such sites in Battagram, Torghar and Kohistan districts,” he said.

He said that his department was currently excavating the Fort Feroza built by the Turkish rulers in Gulibagh. “The artifacts discovered from there revealed that the Fort Feroza was destroyed and rebuilt five times,” Prof Shakirullah said.

Speaking on the occasion, Sahibzada Jawad Alfaizi said that history and artifacts revealed about living standards of the previous civilisations.

Alfaizi also gave away the awards to Dr Shakirullah and his team to laud the excavations and documentation of the prehistoric sites in the region.