Object description

Barikot is a town located in the middle course of Swat River in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It is about 20 km away from Mingora and from Butkara. It is the entrance town to middle Swat valley with a population of 25,000 approximately. Barikot is the ancient Bazira of Alexander the Great, with Chalcolithic remains since c. 1700 BC, and an Early Historic period town since c. 500 BC. The Italian Archaeological Mission , founded by Giuseppe Tucci has been excavating ruins of the ancient town of Bazira under Barikot since 1984.