The Department of Archeology and Museums, is the Government body responsible for protection and preservation of Pakistan’s heritage –the immovable sites and monuments and the movable antiquities and works of art. For more details on the department please click here.

Archeological sites in Pakistan date back to the Lower Paleolithic period. The oldest site found in Pakistan is located in the Soan Valley, and is in effect called the Soanian Culture. For more details please read this article which presents a fresh look in the Soanian culture.

During the bronze age cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro came into prominence. They form the most well-known cities of the Indus Valley Civilization. To read more about the archeological efforts in Harappa and surrounding areas, please visit the website of The Harappa Archaeological Research Project :

The Age of Gandhara: During the Classical age Gandhara was a trade crossroads and cultural meeting place between India, Central Asia, and the Middle East. It was ruled by the Mauryan dynasty of India, after the Alexander the Greats conquest, under whom it became a centre for the spread of Buddhism to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Gandhara was then successively ruled by Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Parthians, and Kushans.

Taxila, Swat and Charsaddah were the important cultural centres. From the 1st century BCE to the 6th–7th century CE, Gandhara was the home of a distinctive art style that was a mixture of Indian Buddhist and Greco-Roman influences. The zenith of Gandhara Art is the statue of the  “Fasting Buddha”.

Picture Source: National Finds for Cultural Heritage Pakistan
URL Link: http://www.heritage.gov.pk/html_pages/gandhara.html

To read more about Gandhara Art please click here.

To read more about the Gandhara Civilization please click here.

In 2012, about 224 artifacts dating as far back as the fifth century have been discovered from a 25-foot high mound in Sangalwala Tibia village, 12km from Kamalia in Toba Tek Singh district. For further details please click here.

For more information on the Archeological site in Nimogram please click here.