Archaeology, an international magazine, has named the Buddhist Apsidal temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s district Swat among the top 10 best archaeological discoveries of 2022.
The temple is situated in Bazira in Barikot tehsil and was unearthed by the Italian Archaeological Mission in collaboration with the provincial department of archaeology last year.
The excavations of the site, which was named one of the ten most endangered archaeological sites in the world by Archaeology due to militancy in the region, took nearly 40 years to complete.
The director of the Italian Mission, Prof Luca M Olivieri, stated that the entire team was committed to the excavation.
Olivieri also expressed gratitude to the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, archaeologists, workers, Italian and Pakistani embassies and consulates, ISMEO, and Ca’ Foscari University.
Luca M Olivieri, who led the archaeologists, also thanked Swat’s civil society and acknowledged the media’s role in keeping the issue of preserving Barikot’s cultural heritage alive.
“It is an encouraging point for the KP government and will keep its commitment high, which is carrying out a program to acquire the entire archaeological area of Barikot,” he added.
| Name | City | Country |
| Oldest Buddhist Temple | Swat | Pakistan |
| Pharaoh’s Coffin | Cairo | Egypt |
| Aztec Offering | Mexico City | Mexico |
| The Birth of Venus | Willendorf | Austria |
| Neolithic Hunting Shrine | Jibal al-Khashabiyeh | Jordan |
| Earliest Maya Calendar Date | San Bartolo | Guatemala |
| Tomb of the Craftworkers | Huarmey | Peru |
| On the Origin of Cities | Lagash | Iraq |
| Ship at the Bottom of the World | Weddell Sea | Antarctica |
| World’s Oldest Straws | Maikop Russia | Russia |
