Ancient site · Temple
Takht-i-Bahi
A Buddhist monastery on a ridge near Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, in the heart of ancient Gandhara. Founded in the 1st century CE and used until the 7th, it has courts of stupas, monks' cells, assembly halls and a meditation area, all of local stone, and was once full of Gandharan sculpture mixing Greek and Indian styles.
Its hilltop setting saved it from later destruction, and UNESCO calls it exceptionally well preserved.
- Dates
- 1st–7th century CE
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 34.29° N, 71.95° E
How we know
An inscription naming the Indo-Parthian king Gondophares was found at the site; the monastery is excavated.
Nearby sites
- Taxila c. 1000 BCE–5th century CE
- Burzahom c. 3000–1000 BCE
- Ai-Khanoum c. 290–145 BCE
- Shortugai c. 2000–1700 BCE
- Harappa c. 3300–1300 BCE; city at its height c. 2600–1900 BCE
- Kalibangan c. 3500–1750 BCE