What Is the Pre-Islamic Heritage of Pakistan?

While you might be quite familiar with current information about Pakistan - or even some facts that are not so far back in history - that does not mean that you know about the pre-Islamic heritage of the land.

The pre-Islamic period in Pakistan can be categorized into two periods which are known as the Indus Civilization and the Gandhara Civilization.

Indus Civilization

The Indus Civilization in Pakistan began about 8000 years before the birth of Christ.

They built their houses out of mud, thereby utilizing the elements which they had about them. They made quite a number of different items, which are all components of their cultural domain. Through their development of items such as tools and drinking glasses, they created objects that would have significance in their time and in the future.

They also created types of art made out of red clay, and they formed elaborate ornaments made out of agate, carnelian, and terracotta beads. These pieces of mastery established connections amongst Pakistan, Central Asia, and the Arabian world.

Furthermore, within Pakistan, people came together and formed the two massive cities of Harappa and Moenjodaro. In these places full of heritage and culture, many people interested in the fields of arts, crafts, and business came together to create dynamics which are part of the cultural structure of the nature.

Learning what types of food people ate is often considered part of the heritage and culture as well. In general, the land of ancient Pakistan was suitable to growing and cultivating wheat and maize.

Gandhara Civilization

Alexander the Great came over to this area from Macedonia around the year 326 B.C. This merger is such an important aspect to the heritage of Pakistan because it was through this journey that the culture of the Greeks came to this land. Within 100 years of the arrival of Alexander the Great, Buddhism became the official religion of the country and remained so for the next 1000 years, which is when Islam came into the forefront.

Centers were established in major towns such as Swat, Taxila, and Charsaddah. In these centers, people came together to great some of the great art of the time period.

Sculpture was a main component of this art. Even until today, Gandhara art remains prominent in museums throughout the world. One of the most famous pieces of artwork that has survived is known as the Fasting Buddha.

In addition to being major centers for art, people came to these particular places in order to trade products with one another and to learn from each other. Therefore, as you can see, cultural exchange was an important part of the experiences here.

Even though Buddhism remained the predominant religion of the area for quite awhile, Islam came into the picture around the 7th century A.D. Therefore, it took a few hundred years before the people of Pakistan began heavily converting to the Islamic religion. However, this religion is the one that has remained at the forefront of life in Pakistan to this day.

Pakistan has a specific heritage website found at the Cultural Heritage of Pakistan, that has been the source of our facts about this period and the two civilizations of the period.