Khyber Pakhtunkwha: Peeping through annals of history.

PESHAWAR -- As a gateway to the Indo-Pakistan Subcontinent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa carried a unique geographical location, archaeological heritage and primitive history that witnessed the oldest civilizations including Gandhara and onslaught of invaders that marched to India through historic Khyber Pass.

'Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is known for its rich history in the Subcontinent where followers of almost all religions came and stayed for accomplishment of their political, trade and business objectives. As result of which different religions including Buddhism, Hindusim, Sikhism and Christianity gained roots for many years in the region of present-day Pakhtunkhwa before Islam,' said Bakhtzada Khan, Research Officer, Department of Archeology and Museums while talking to reporter.

'The discovery of human remains in Soan Valley in Pakistani Punjab as evidence of the stones and bones' tools dating from around (2 million to 90,000 years before present) of the Early Paleolithic period signified that people were living here.'

He said, 'Sangaro cave's excavations, Mian Khan, Mardan conducted by the renowned archeologist Ahmad Hasan Dhani and Farid Khan in 1963 had revealed the presence of people's remains in the Middle Paleolithic period (9,000 to 27,000 years before present) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.'

He said these people were living in stones-made caves, who fulfilled their foods mostly from hunting of birds and animals. The discoveries of primitive rocks, bones and hunting tools dating back of Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age (10,000 to 8,600 years before present) during excavations at Khanpur in Haripur district and Sangaro Cave signified presence of humans' life in Swat and Dir where every stone speaks about their lifestyle, culture, livelihood and civilizations, he informed.

He said it was found that people started making clay and stones made pots, crockery and others related utensils for kitchen during the Neolithic period or commonly known as new stone-age dating back some 8,000 years before as evident from excavations of historic Mehar Gharh in Balochistan of the Indus Civilization, Rehman Dheri DI Khan and Sheri Khan Tarkai Swabi.

The evidence had magnified that people were living in the stone and mud houses in those primordial eras. He said the graves of Aryans invaders were also discovered at Aligram Swat, Sangota Chitral and Timergara Dir Lower dating back of the Dark Ages period of around 2,000 BC.

He said semi-nomadic Aryans entered KP from the...