Remains of five Turk generations discovered

Shazia Mehboob

A heritage site possibly linked to five generations of Turk periods has been discovered at Fort Feroza in Guli Bagh town, Mansehra, the PenPk has learned.
The site is situated about 23 kilometres from main Mansehra city and has great potential to promote heritage tourism. The Fort Feroza is situated between River Siran and Koh Tanglai.
The newly discovered site was constructed in late-Muslim Medieval period in sub-continent by first Turk ruler Babur Mirza. In 1480, he started ruling in the Pakhal state of that time.

This site is full of monuments and ruins of a long range of many hundreds years of a one family [Turks].
The heritage is spread over around 4 kilometre square area overall; however, this excavation is spread over a 15 meters area. This is the first time in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s history that the heritage site belongs to a Turk ruler discovered, excavated and preserved.
Dr Shakarullah Khan, head of the excavation team, said Guli Bagh [Rose Garden] was the capital of Turk rulers’ state, also known as the Medieval period Pakhli.
The state lasted from 1495 AD to 1713 AD and the area is currently in the occupation of Swatis.

Dr Shakarullah said it is the only heritage site in the entire area of the Late Madeval Muslim period and capital of a state in Madeval era known in history as Pakhli, Khan added.
This is a unique site of its nature and period to attract and promote religious and heritage tourism at a time at one place on a radius of 4 km.

The structure on the site is built in stone masonry of Simi dressed and typical Mughal bricks [Waziri bricks].
The excavation work resulted with the discovery of many movable and improvable evidences that belong to five different generations of Turks.
Among these pieces of evidence, the most important are coins, bones, terracotta cooking posts, stone inscriptions, stone seals, brick structures, and iron objects.
The archaeologist said these remains will undergo scientific analysis to establish chronology of the Guli Bagh individually and district Mansehra as whole. The growth of population and unplanned construction on the site and lack of education and promotion of heritage are some challenges, he said.

Turk rulers known to have ruled on Pakhal state: 

Source: Hazara University, Mansehra

The site is excavated by the Archaeology Department of Hazara University, Mansehra in coordination with HEC and Directorate of Archaeology and Museums Govt of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Peshawar.