Peshawar: Historic City of the Frontier

by Ahmad Hasan Dani

The city of Peshawer has had a continuous story unfolding waves after waves of the migration of peoples who pushed down the western passes to make history in this valley. The purpose of this book is to retell that story, with a particular emphasis on the historical monuments and the people of Peshawer.

Genres: Pakistan

320 pages, Hardcover

Published April 30, 2002

About the author

Ahmad Hasan Dani was a Pakistani intellectual, archaeologist, historian, and linguist. He is considered an authority on Central Asian and South Asian archaeology and history. He introduced archaeology as a discipline in higher education in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Throughout his career, Dani held various academic positions and international fellowships, apart from conducting archaeological excavations and research. He is particularly known for archaeological work on pre-Indus Civilization and Gandhara sites in Northern Pakistan. He was also the recipient of various civil awards in Pakistan and abroad. He was able to speak 35 local and international languages and dialects.

Reviews

[Muhammad Ahmad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book proved a real chore to read. I regretted my decision to take it as a travel companion. Dani was a great scholar, but his writing skills were not quite at par with his encyclopaedic knowledge. Dani is meticulous in his collation of historical and archaeological data, and his etymological sleuthing is admirable. But the chronology of the narrative keeps jumping back and forth causing much confusion. With a good edit, this book could have been an indispensable resource. But in its current form, it is anything but a pleasurable read.

[Iqra Tasmiae]

In acknowledgments of "A God in Every Stone".