Field guides / Khyber Pakhtunkhwa / Swat Valley / Bazira (Barikot), Swat
Field guide · Heritage
Swat
Swat District · Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Bazira (Barikot), Swat
Beneath the town of Barikot in Swat lies Bazira, the walled city Alexander the Great besieged in 327 BC, excavated by the Italian Archaeological Mission since 1984.
Barikot stands at the entrance to central Swat, about 20 km from Mingora, and beneath it lies ancient Bazira. People first settled here around 1700 BC; by 1200–800 BC there was a large village with a hilltop acropolis, and by the middle of the first millennium BC a fortified town. Greek and Latin writers record its siege by Alexander's army in the autumn of 327 BC. The Italian Archaeological Mission founded by Giuseppe Tucci has excavated here since 1984, finding Achaemenid-style 'tulip bowls', a Mauryan coin and layers through Indo-Greek and Kushan times. In 2021 the mission, with Ca' Foscari University and the provincial archaeology department, announced an apsidal Buddhist temple from the age of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, around 250 BC: the earliest apsidal temple yet found in Pakistan. Bazira grew into a major Kushan town before earthquakes in the 3rd century AD led to its abandonment.
Why go
- ✦Bazira, the walled town Alexander's army besieged in 327 BC
- ✦Layers from about 1700 BC through Indo-Greek and Kushan times
- ✦The earliest apsidal Buddhist temple yet found in Pakistan, from Ashoka's age
Visiting today
Bazira is one of the best-studied ancient towns in Gandhara. The Swat Museum at Saidu Sharif, a short drive up the valley, shows the Gandharan art of Swat and makes a good companion visit.
Planning tip
Best Time to Visit, April–May or late September to November, the mild seasons in Swat. The excavated town walls and acropolis are worked on in seasons by the Italian mission, so check before you go if you want to see the trenches.
Getting there, At Barikot on the main Mingora–Mardan road, about 20 km from Mingora; excavation areas may be closed while the mission is working.
What to Do
Nearby
Straight-line distance from Bazira (Barikot), Swat, within 5 km.
