Gandhara is the name of an ancient kingdom in today’s Pakistan and Afghanistan. It gained greater public awareness when the largest Buddhist statues in the world were blown up by the Taliban in the Bamiyan Valley in 2001. The exhibition “Gandhara – Pakistan’s Buddhist Legacy” is running at the Martin Gropius Building in Berlin until 10 August. It brings to life the remarkable cultural heritage of this region, a melting pot of cultures. Some 300 unique objects, including masterfully executed stone sculptures, delicately worked reliefs, precious coins and splendid gold jewellery, transport visitors to Gandhara’s height of artistic activity from the first to fifth century A.D. It is also worth seeing the computer reconstructions of the monastic complex Takht-i Bahi, developed in cooperation with RWTH Aachen University.
