Chakdara

Chakdara is a historically significant town in Pakistan's Lower Dir District that has been an important center for approximately 3,500 years, with remains of the Gandhara grave culture, Buddhist sites, and Hindu Shahi forts. The key archaeological site of Damkot Hill yielded ancient dwellings with pottery and jewelry, and a Buddhist stupa and monastery from the 1st century AD, excavated by Ahmad Hasan Dani between 1962 and 1965. At Andaan Dheri, 7 km north of Chakdara Bridge, Dani recovered 534 Gandharan sculptures during 1966 excavations. The Chakdara Museum houses Buddhist sculptures and Hindu Shahi artifacts spanning the 1st to 7th centuries AD.