The Gandhara area is mentioned for the first time in the Rig-veda, the oldest sacred book of the Aryans who arrived at the valley of the River Indus around 1500 B.C., as well as in the Achaememan inscriptions of the sixth to fifth century B.C. In both sources this area is described as a wealthy Achaemenian satrapy, which, not only was paying a high tribute, but also was supplying the Iranian army with armed corps. The Chinese pilgrims, who unanimously place the Gandhara area to the west of the River Indus, call it Kien-to-lo. It is namely the district surrounded by the Lagman region and the city of Djata-labad to the west, the Souat and Bouner hills to the north, the River Indus to the east and Kalabag hills to the south. These same boundaries were enclosing many famous sites of ancient Pakistan, some of which are renowned due to the deeds of Alexander the Great, while others are celebrated thanks to the writings of the Chinese pilgrims.
The Gandhara Area
27 Aug 2012
by Archaeology Newsroom
- A
- A
- A