The discovery of a 1700-year-old in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has rekindled international interest in Pakistan’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.
According to Abdul Samad, director of archaeology and museums department, the 14-meter-high statue discovered during excavation in hilly Bhamala stupa is the world’s oldest sleeping Buddha.
Imran Khan, the head of ruling PTI party in the province, attended the unveiling ceremony, pledging to preserve the site that is likely to become a huge attraction for tourists.
On the social media, Buddhists and international tourists greeted the news of discovery with excitement, urging preservation of the site and relics of the ancient history.
The region is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
“We have discovered more than 500 Buddha-related objects during excavations, in addition to the 48-feet long ‘sleeping Buddha’,” Samad said, according to Pakistani Dawn newspaper.
“This is one of the few sites in the world to have the cruciform Stupa, which was reserved for Buddha himself,” he told the newspaper. 
While Pakistan is heir to some of the rarest Indus and Buddhist civilization sites, tourism in the country has only recently begun to come back as terrorist attacks and spillover of the Afghan war kept foreign visitors away.
But now with an improving situation, the country can look forward to marketing its heritage.
Photos: Courtesy Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Facebook Page
