North-West Frontier Province: Gandhara, museums and historic sites

North-West Frontier Province offers several different perspectives for a trip focused on Gandhara art, archaeology and museum collections. In Peshawar, the founding history of the Peshawar Museum and the historic Gor Khatri complex offer different approaches; at the Swat Museum, Gandhara art is displayed alongside regional handicrafts. Takht-i-Bahi adds Buddhist remains and a virtual tour to the picture. When looking for a holiday rental, you can first consider which of these cultural highlights you want your trip to focus on.

Peshawar: collection history and the old city

The Peshawar Museum was established in November 1907 to house Gandhara sculptures from important Gandhara sites. These included Shah-Ji-Ki-Dheri in Peshawar, Sahri Bahlol and Takht-i-Bahi in Mardan District; Jamal Garhi and other Gandhara sites excavated by British researchers were added later. The museum’s history therefore extends beyond a single archaeological site. Peshawar is the provincial capital.

Gor Khatri offers a different perspective on Peshawar: the fortified historic and archaeological complex is situated at one of the highest points within the old city. Together, the museum and Gor Khatri show not the same thing, but two different sides of cultural discovery: the history of a collection and its findspots, and a historic complex within the old city.

Swat and Takht-i-Bahi: two approaches to history

The Swat Museum offers a distinct focus. It displays a large historical collection of locally excavated Gandhara sculptures, arranged and labelled to illustrate the life of the Buddha. The ethnographic section features local embroidery, carved woodwork and antique jewellery from Swat. Buddhist sculptures and objects of regional craftsmanship can thus be seen in different parts of the collection. The museum opened to the public in 2014.

A virtual tour of the Buddhist remains is available at Takht-i-Bahi; JavaScript is required to view its content. The digital tour offers another perspective on the site. The ruins of Sahr-i-Bahlol, a small fortified town dating from the same period as Takht-i-Bahi, are located near Takht-i-Bahi. The comparison brings two different archaeological subjects into focus: Buddhist remains and the ruins of a fortified town.

Choose a holiday rental based on your travel focus

When choosing a holiday rental, it helps to consider which places you want to focus on. Peshawar combines the museum’s founding history with Gor Khatri; the Swat Museum offers a different thematic focus with its labelled sculpture collection and ethnographic exhibits.

Cultural sites in the wider destination of Pakistan

The wider destination of Pakistan offers a broader perspective on historic sites. Taxila, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, is an extensive series of archaeological sites comprising a Mesolithic cave, the remains of four early settlements, Buddhist monasteries, a mosque and a madrasa. Rohtas Fort was built in the 16th century at a strategic location in the north of Pakistan’s Punjab province. Its main fortifications comprise massive walls measuring more than four kilometres in circumference, 68 bastions and 12 monumental gates.

Lahore also offers a distinctive architectural perspective within the wider destination of Pakistan: the Lahore Fort and the Shalimar Gardens are two royal complexes in Lahore, seven kilometres apart and outstanding examples of 16th- and 17th-century Mughal artistry.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Islamabad, Sindh, Punjab, Islamabad Capital Territory, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Return to the main travel overview: Pakistan.