Heritage record
Ashoka Rock Edicts (Mardan)
Khyber PakhtunkhwaRock ArtProtected
The ancient inscriptions are cut into two large rock boulders and written in the Kharoshthi script. They retain immense historical importance, as they appear to be the first examples of writing in South Asia. They were inscribed during the 3rd Century BCE (272-231 BC), during the reign of Ashoka, the famous Mauryan emperor. The rock edicts were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 30 January 2004 in the Cultural category.
Photographs: Department of Archaeology & Museums national inventory record, displayed from the official source (doam.gov.pk). Not PWHI photography.
- Record ID
- 4621
- Province / territory
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- District
- Mardan
- Typology
- Archaeological Site
- Subtype
- Rock Art
- Period
- Historic
- Legal status
- Protected by The Antiquity Act 1975 (As amended in 1992) (instrument: Protected by The Antiquity Act 1975 (As amended in 1992))
- Coordinates
- 34.22419, 72.16525 — source-provided, not field-verified
- Verification status
- source_record; automatically_standardized; verification_required
- Sources
- Ali, Taj. (2001). Archaeological Survey of District Mardan in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Ancient Pakistan Vol.XIV.
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