Mirchi ki Dheri

History

The Bala Hisar mound at Charsadda was identified as Pushkalavati in 1863, and Mortimer Wheeler called it potentially one of the most important ancient sites in Asia. Sir John Marshall dug it in 1902 and Wheeler in 1958; Wheeler argued the city was founded in the Achaemenid period and occupied more or less continuously until the White Huns arrived in the fifth century CE. Pushkalavati became the Achaemenid capital of Gandhara in the later sixth century BCE, and Alexander's army passed this way. Mounds across the modern town conceal that city; Mirchi ki Dheri, some 150 by 200 metres, is one of them, protected in 1964 and now largely built over.

Historical Significance

Part of the Pushkalavati landscape — the Gandharan capital that preceded Peshawar, and one of the few securely Achaemenid urban sites in Pakistan.

Architecture

A mound of about 150 by 200 metres in Charsadda proper, some 3 km west of Rajar Chowk. It was brought under protection in 1964. Today it is disturbed and largely covered by the houses of local residents.

Why Visit

Treat this as a record of what lies under Charsadda. The accessible archaeology is at the Bala Hisar, not here.

Interesting Facts

• Charsadda is ancient Pushkalavati, Achaemenid capital of Gandhara
• Its Bala Hisar was excavated by Marshall in 1902 and Wheeler in 1958
• Wheeler thought it potentially one of the most important ancient sites in Asia
• The mound was protected in 1964 and is now built over