Duration: 1984 to 2012

In the high-mountain region of northern Pakistan, where the Hindu Kush, the western Himalayas, and the Karakoram meet, along the Upper Indus and some of its tributaries or mountain passes, lies a collection of rock paintings that is unique in its diversity and ranks among the largest in the world. They are concentrated in the Indus Gorge over a stretch of about 100 km from Indus-Kohistan to the Raikot Bridge around the central town of Chilas, but can also be found along the river’s course as far as Baltistan and Ladakh. The more than 50,000 rock drawings and over 5,000 inscriptions span a period from the Epipaleolithic and Neolithic eras in the 6th and 5th millennia BCE to the Islamization of the mountain region in the 14th century. In their diversity, the rock art reflects the influences of various ethnic groups and their cultural and religious beliefs, such as those of the Scythians or the Scythians in the 1st millennium BCE, and constitute a unique collection of sources on the turbulent history of this region, which connects Central Asia with the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent.

A large portion of the engravings dates from the Buddhist period, which, after Buddhism was introduced as a new faith in the 1st century, reached its peak between the 5th and 8th centuries. The historical background of this era is illuminated by rock inscriptions, which were composed in Kharosthi during the earlier phase and in Brahmi from the 4th century onward, supplemented by Sogdian, Bactrian, Parthian, Chinese, and Tibetan inscriptions. In addition, the project aims to include archaeological sites such as settlements, fortifications, and necropolises, as well as ancient trade routes. The goal of the project is to produce as complete an edition and analysis as possible—or at least a representative one—of the individual rock-art sites in catalog volumes. A second series of publications is dedicated to selected topics in history, cultural history, epigraphy, ethnology, and zoology. The project serves as an example of international collaboration with scholars from England, France, Pakistan, and the United States.

Published Volumes
Digital Resources

Database (external)

Chair of the Commission:

Prof. Dr. Eike Wolgast

Director of the Research Center:

Prof. Dr. Harald Hauptmann

Staff:
  • Dr. Ditte Bandini
  • Martin Bemmann, M.A.
  • Elisabeth Ochsenfeld