Taxila

Taxila (Punjabi: ٹيکسلا, romanized: Ṭeksilā; Urdu: تکشیلا, romanized: Takshilacode: urd promoted to code: ur ; Classical Chinese: ta-ch'a-shi-lo, romanized: Tac̣haśila), historically known as Takshashila, is a city and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab, Pakistan. Founded around c. 1000 BC, it is one of the oldest cities in South Asia, and had a population of over 136,900 in 2023. Taxila is located within the Taxila Tehsil, on the Pothohar Plateau of northern Punjab, and lies approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the Haripur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Established during the Vedic period, Old Taxila was for a time the capital city of kingdom of Gandhāra. Situated on the eastern shore of the Indus River—the pivotal junction of the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia—it was possibly founded around 1000 BCE. Takshashila and Pushkalavati remained prominent cities in Gandhāra during the Mahajanapadas of Bharat. The city is believed to have become part of the Achaemenid Empire during 550 – 326 BCE. In 326 BCE, it was claimed by Alexander, after overthrowing the Achaemenids. Alexander gained control of the city without a battle since it immediately surrendered to his Macedonian Empire until Mauryans led by Chandragupta Maurya reclaimed it within a decade and Takshashila became their capital which they ruled for over a century (~317 – ~200 BCE). This was followed successively by the Indo-Greeks (~200 BCE – ~55 BCE), the Indo-Scythians (~80 BCE – ~30 CE), and the Kushan Empire (~30 CE – ~375 CE) and later the Guptas (~240 CE – ~580 CE). Owing to its strategic location, Taxila has changed hands many times over the centuries, with many polities vying for its control. When the great ancient trade routes connecting these regions ceased to be important, the city sank into insignificance in the 5th century by the invading Hunas and was fully destroyed by the Umayyads in 712 CE, which laid the spread of Islam in Indian Subcontinent. In mid-19th century British Raj, ancient Taxila's ruins were rediscovered by British archaeologist Alexander Cunningham and extensively excavated by Sir John Marshall. In 1980, UNESCO designated Taxila as a World Heritage Site. The area was part of the ancient Gandhara region. Taxila (ancient city), located in the town of Taxila, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

By some accounts, the University of ancient Taxila is considered to be one of the earliest universities or education centres in South Asia. Other scholars argue that it was not a university in the modern sense, noting that teachers may not have belonged to formal colleges and that purpose-built lecture halls and residential quarters may not have existed. In a 2010 report, the Global Heritage Fund identified Taxila as one of 12 worldwide sites that were "on the verge" of irreparable loss and damage, citing insufficient management, development pressure, looting, and armed conflict as primary threats. However, significant preservation efforts have since been carried out by the Pakistani government, which has resulted in the site's recategorization as "well-preserved" by different international publications. Because of the extensive preservation efforts and upkeep, Taxila is one of Punjab's popular tourist spots, attracting up to one million tourists every year.