Shahbaz Garhi


Shahbaz Garhi, or Shahbazgarhi, is a village and historic site located in Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is at an altitude of 293 metres.
It is about 12 km from Mardan city. It has mountains, green trees, open fields and a small river in the centre of the village.
In olden times all these facilities made it attractive for the armies and travelers to set up their tents here, stay for a few days and make their further strategy. The historic Stones of Ashoka, and other sites like Mekha Sanda are worth visiting.

Location

Shahbaz Garhi is situated on the junction of three ancient routes;
  1. Kabul to Pushkalavati
  2. Swat through Buner
  3. Taxila through Hund on the bank of Indus River.
Situated on the modern Mardan-Swabi Road, the town was once a thriving Buddhist city surrounded by monasteries and stupas.

Ancient rock edicts

Ashokan inscriptions

The town is the location of ancient Indian rock-inscriptions that are cut into two large rock boulders and written in the Kharosthi script. They retain immense historical importance, as they appear to be the first examples of writing in the subcontinent. They were constructed during the 3rd Century BC, during the reign of Ashoka, the famous Mauryan emperor, inscribed in the Kharoshthi script.
The rock edicts were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 30 January 2004 in the Cultural category.
The translation of the text is written on a board nearby the rocks. The site is a famous tourist spot for people who are interested in history.