The defacing of the world’s largest epigraphical records or rock engravings present in different parts of the northern Pakistan have raised eyebrows of the historians as well as archaeologists who, in a bid to call the attention of international community, would hold an international conference.
Some 50,000 rock carvings and 5,000-6,000 inscriptions of a dozen scripts dating back to the Stone Age are found in Gilgit-Baltistan, however, they are at higher risk of fading away or getting damaged due to ignorance or vandalism.
It is only after the efforts of the national and international archaeologists that an ‘International Conference on Rock Art of Northern Pakistan’ would be held soon at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
The conference would be organised by the University of Heidelberg in collaboration with the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) in which archaeologists and historians from across the world would participate and highlight dangers being faced by rock art.
Talking to ‘The News,’ Taxila Institute of Ancient Civilisations (TIAC) Director Dr. Ashraf Khan said that they were very concerned over defacing of stone art in different parts of Pakistan. “These rock inscriptions belong to three eras, including Pre-History, Buddhist and Post-Buddhist periods,” he said.
He said that the ‘International Conference on Rock Art of Northern Pakistan’ would hopefully be a significant step towards the preservation of rock art. “The archaeologists would ponder on ways in which this ancient art could be preserved in a more affective manner,” he added.
He highlighted the issue of financial constraints and said that they were lacking funds to preserve this ancient art. “We hope that the conference would be able to grasp the attention of archaeologists around the world and they would take immediate measures for its preservation,” he added.
It has been learnt that Professor Harald Hauptman, an expert from Heidelberg University on petroglyphs or rock art during his visit to Pakistan last year, had called for the establishment of a museum devoted to the preservation of the tens of thousands of rock carvings and inscriptions in Gilgit-Baltistan, however, nothing significant has been done in this regard.
In fact, for the past two decades, Professor Hauptman has been involved in a joint effort by Pakistan and Germany to systematically document the invaluable rock art sites by getting them photographed and recorded. This documentation is being supplemented by making replicas of some of the carvings.
According to information, there are some 150 places in the world where such primordial arts exist in concentrations of more than 10,000 carvings. Those discovered in Gilgit-Baltistan, comprising some 50,000 rock carvings and 5,000-6,000 inscriptions of a dozen scripts dating back to the Stone Age are among the world’s largest epigraphical records.
The first great discovery of the 19th century in the history of archaeology finds of Pakistan an inscribed seal picked up by Alexandra Cunningham from Harappa in 1873. But the recent landmark discovery is neck-Griddle by a shepherdess. Thousands of rock carving documented in the upper Indus Valley.
Rock carving can also be found in even other parts of Pakistan geographically speaking the upper Indus of high mountains. This area of Pakistan is a region of impressive mountains consisting Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindukush. The river runs first between Haramosh and Karakoram and near Haramosh Indus River, changes its directions to the south. It is crossed by a number of routes, which since at least the 3rd century BC have served as trading link between China, Central Asia and the Indo-Pak subcontinent.
This mysterious world never have attracted the attention of the orient lists until the discovery of 30,000 carving engraved on the surface of cliffs, rocks and huge boulders found in various localities. This important region, which played a backbone role in the commercial and cultural exchange between Central Asia and the Indian world was badly ignored.
Author: Saadia Khalid | Source: The News [January 03, 2011]