Narenj Hill

Narenj Hill
Head of a king or bodhisattva, stucco, Tepe Narenj, 3rd-6th century CE.
Narenj Hill is located in Afghanistan
Narenj Hill
Shown within Afghanistan
Narenj Hill is located in Hindu-Kush
Narenj Hill
Narenj Hill (Hindu-Kush)
Narenj Hill is located in South Asia
Narenj Hill
Narenj Hill (South Asia)
Narenj Hill is located in West and Central Asia
Narenj Hill
Narenj Hill (West and Central Asia)
Coordinates34°29′31″N 69°10′55″E / 34.491958°N 69.181894°E / 34.491958; 69.181894
TypeMonastery

Narenj Hill, locally known as Tepe Narenj (meaning orange hill), is an archaeological site for the remains of a 5th or 6th century Buddhist monastery in the southeast of Kabul, Afghanistan.[1] The site is located on a hillside at the foot of Zamburak Shah Mountain, near the ancient Bala Hissar and Hashmat Khan Lake. It has been excavated under the direction of Zafar Paiman.[2]

History

Further information: Buddhism in Afghanistan

The Buddhist monk Xuanzang visited the monastery while returning from India in the 7th century. He documented the area's geography and culture in his work, Great Tang Records on the Western Regions.[3] The iconography of the archaeological artifacts recovered demonstrates the practice of Tantric Buddhism in the area. It is believed that Muslim armies destroyed the monastery in the ninth century and was forgotten until post-conflict excavations following the Soviet–Afghan War.

The site

Foundations for the site were discovered by a joint study, conducted by both the Afghanistan's Archaeological Research Institute and Japan's National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.

The site lies along a hill to the southwest of Bala Hissar and is 250 meters long.[4] It is to the west of Hashmat Khan Lake and was discovered beneath a modern police station. The monastery consists of five small stupas for meditation and five chapels. The Afghan Institute of Archaeology has been excavating at the site for one month each summer since 2005.[5] The site was listed in 2008 among the top 100 sites at risk.

Coins from the Kushans to the Hindu Shahis were found at the site.[6]

Threats

Given the material at the site and the fact that the site is uncovered, it is at significant risk for erosion. The sculpture found at the site are made of "clay overlaid with fabric and covered with stucco."[7]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Hidden Treasures of Narenj Hill: Unveiling Kabul's Ancient Past". TOLOnews. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  2. ^ Brendan, Cassar; Sara, Noshadi. Keeping history alive: safeguarding cultural heritage in post-conflict Afghanistan. UNESCO Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 978-92-3-100064-5.
  3. ^ "Japanese-Afghan team tries to catalog Buddhist ruins". The Japan Times. 27 April 2006. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
  4. ^ "Archive: mission "Tepe Narenj" 2007". Association Internationale pour la Promotion et la Recherche en Archeologie. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
  5. ^ "Afghan Institute of Archaeology". Retrieved June 8, 2011.
  6. ^ ALRAM, MICHAEL (2014). "From the Sasanians to the Huns New Numismatic Evidence from the Hindu Kush". The Numismatic Chronicle. 174: 281. ISSN 0078-2696.
  7. ^ "Tepe Narenj". Kabulpress.org. 10 July 2007. Retrieved June 8, 2011.

References