Buddhist Rock Carving in Manglawar

The Buddhist rock carvings of Manglawar Valley in Swat, Pakistan, 9 km northeast of Mingora, include multiple reliefs and sculptures along a sacred landscape of monasteries that once welcomed pilgrims. The most prominent is the Shakhorai (Jahanabad) Buddha, a colossal seated figure measuring 700 x 500 cm carved into a rock face, believed to date to the 7th-8th century CE in the Gandhara style. In 2007 the Taliban attempted to destroy the relief with explosives, damaging the upper head. The Italian Archaeological Mission subsequently restored the face using laser surveys, old photographs, and recovered original fragments, completing the work in October 2016.