- Type
- Ruin
- Location
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
- Coordinates
- 34.2306°, 72.4488°
History
On a ridge above a valley in what is now Buner District, a large Buddhist centre of the Gandhara region grew up in the first centuries AD, under the Kushan Empire. Monasteries, shrines and houses were built around the main stupa, and the whole complex was enclosed by a massive wall of stone blocks that gave it the character of a fortress. It probably remained in use until the 5th or 6th century and was then abandoned. British scholars described the ruins around the turn of the 20th century, and from 1983 to 1992 a Kyoto University mission carried out systematic excavations.
What to see
A steep path climbs to the summit from the valley. Spread over several terraces are the foundations of the main stupa and smaller votive stupas, monks' cells, courtyards and sections of the defensive walls, built in the typical Gandharan masonry of large blocks with small stones packed between them. The ridge looks out over the Buner valley and surrounding mountains; sculptures found here are now in museums.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q7293050
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