A number of coins dating from the first century were found on Friday during the excavation and preservation work on the 2,000-year-old Buddhist ruins in the historic Takht-e-Bahi site in the west of Pakistan.
Addressing a news briefing on Friday, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Archaeology and Museums Research Officer Nawazuddin said the department has so far completed 20-25% of work on Zone-B of the site, Express Tribune reported.
Nawaz added that perseveration and excavation work is being carried out in association with Humanitarian Assistance and Facilitating Organization (HAFO) at Takht-e-Bahi, an ancient Buddhist site which was included in UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1980.
He said the project had commenced on July 1, 2017, and is expected to conclude by the end of this calendar year.
Nawaz added that the project has different components such as conservation, excavation and awareness-raising among the public. It will also train archaeology students in modern archaeological techniques.
He noted that the coins discovered from the area were from the period of Parthian king Gondophares in the first century AD.
The official added that Buddhist civilization was at one point centered in areas around Takht-e-Bahi, comprising the Gandhara civilization from where it spread to other parts of the world. He also said Takht-e-Bahi was a doorway to an ancient world and is very important for research purposes.
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