Faiza Tehseen

Tourist footfall can be increased in the northern parts of Pakistan by promoting centuries-old rock art along the Karakoram Highway. “Its proper curation can bring fortunes to the state wallets. Promotion of rock art will help uplift the tourism sector and build a soft image of the country across the world,” stressed Aftabur Rehman Rana, Managing Director of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC). Talking to WealthPK, he said that the promotion of this age-old art and inscription would attract tourists to different regions of Pakistan. “Promoting access of tourists to these areas will create a source of sustainable livelihood for the people depending solely upon tourism. The tourist flow in these areas will also spur socioeconomic activities. The vast presentation of these carvings and inscriptions is fascinating for the visitors.” Rehman said rock art can be found at many places along the Karakorum Highway, covering about 100 kilometres right from Shatial in Upper Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to Hunza district of Gilgit-Baltistan. “This art also exists on both the right and left banks of the Indus River and its tributaries. More than 50,000 rock carvings and 5,000 inscriptions are part of this route, including images of Buddha stupas, hunting trips, animals, etc.”

The PTDC managing director pointed out that the inscriptions there consisted of different languages like Chinese, Tibetan, Brahmi, ancient Hebrew, Sogdian and Proto-Sharada. “These inscriptions portray the socioeconomic activities belonging to the periods in which they were crafted. Even some of the inscriptions mention the pictures of rulers, their names and dates of their dynasties.” He said the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, UNESCO Pakistan, and Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan (STFP) in collaboration with the governments of KP and GB were working to raise awareness about the rock art heritage. Meanwhile, talking to WealthPK concerning the inscriptions and other imagery along the Karakoram Highway, deputy director of archaeology (north), Lahore, Muhammad Iqbal Khan Manj said that the rock art along the artery was not only related to Buddhist images, but travellers also put up graffiti on rocks. “There are many myths about the exact history of these images.

According to some historians, they date back to the 2nd century AD, while others say the images belong to the early 1st century AD.” “It was a famous trade route called the ‘Silk Route’ connecting China with Central Asia and other regions. It was a well-paved way and most of the trade activities were carried out through camel caravans then. This route was also used by warriors, invaders, hunters, travellers, wayfarers, pilgrims and monks. The earliest carvings display signs of using stone tools, while the later imagery shows the use of metal tools. It is an indication of development and technology advancement. In short, it is the story of human evolution through the ages,” narrated Muhammad Iqbal. He said Pakistan should focus on preserving this ancient asset for future generations. “The proper promotion of this open-air art gallery will not only generate revenues but also help enhance tourism-related activities in the region.”

Credit: INP-WealthPk