GRC
Gandhara Resource Center
Online Certificate Course on “Old Persian Cuneiform Script through Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions”
Workshop / Lecture Series on Old Persian Language with Cuneiform Script Cuneiform is one of the oldest writing systems in the world, it was said to have evolved mainly in Sumerian / Mesopotamian region. The usage of this script goes back to at least 2800 BCE – 2500 BCE. The famous ancient literature “Epic of […]
Gandhara Festival – Roots or Routes (Activity Stream)
Day Two Second day of the Gandhara Festival began with school trips to the Dharmarajika archaeological site where storytelling sessions were held. Japanese Counselor and head of Culture and Public Information Section, Mr. Ryuji Iwasaki also visited the site and was briefed by C2D team. A Korean delegation also visited the site and was briefed [...]
Pakistan is a heaven for Buddhist tourism. Its land and people charm with traces of history, generous hospitality and brotherly warmth
In conversation with Reverend Dr. Neung Hur a Buddhist Monk on Religious Pilgrimage to Pakistan Many people don’t know that Pakistan as a land of Gandhara is like Mecca – the holy place of Islam – for the Buddhist community. Swat is also the birthplace of Padmasambhava who is universally celebrated as the Second Buddha, […]
Reclaiming Pakistan’s Central Asian Heritage
Little do we realize that Pakistan’s historical cultural geography makes it as much a part of South Asia as it is of Central Asia. Historically linked by trade, politics and religion, Pakistan and Central Asia share a historic legacy, which is based on thousands of years of known interaction between the Central Asian and South […]
Defeating Terrorism to Promoting Tourism: Pakistan’s Promise for Cultural Diplomacy
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts,” wrote famous American writer Mark Twain in his 1869 travel book, The Innocents Abroad. Pakistan was a prominent tourist destination in the days of overland journey connecting Pakistan with its Asian neighbors in the 1960-70s. The “hippie […]
Branding Taxila as a Gateway to Religious Tourism
Today, the town of Taxila is a sprawling urban center with bustling bazars and multi-story plazas. It is a nationally known industrial hub of heavy machines and ordnance factories, as well as a center of small cottage and household industries of stoneware and pottery. The unplanned and unchecked urbanization and industrialization of Taxila Valley, fanning […]
The Road Less Traveled: The Buddhist Religious Tourism of Pakistan
Pakistan is comparatively a young country, yet it is a land of ancient civilizations, comparable in antiquity to the Egyptian and Sumerian. Despite being an Islamic republic, Pakistan respects the historic legacy of pre-Islamic civilizations. Buddhism is one of those world religions that have spawned an ancient civilization, whose footprints are spread all over Pakistan. […]
Gandhara Heritage Retreat (2 Day Trip)
Center for Culture and Development in collaboration with Arte-Culture offers 2 day Gandhara Heritage Retreat to enjoy the experience of serene and peaceful swat valley. Meditation, art activity and visits at following sites will be made as part of retreat: Takht-e-Bahi Barikot Shingerdar Stupa Rock Carvings at various locations Swat Museum and Archaeological sites of […]
Connecting the Two Capitals: From Taxila to Islamabad
When Pakistani government chose to shift capital from the bustling port city of Karachi to the north of Rawalpindi, where the Potohar plateau rises to Margalla Hills, little did they realize that they are establishing a direct territorial link to the capital of an ancient civilization, Takshasila, i.e., the hill capital of the Kingdom of […]