Professor Gul Rahim Khan has won the prestigious Oriental Numismatic Society Ashoka Prize 2025 in London for the best paper published in the society’s journal during the year.
The award recognises his research paper, Attribution of Coins to the Queens of the Utpala Dynasty of Medieval Kashmir (JONS 260).
Speaking about the honour, Khan said coins provide valuable historical evidence where written records are incomplete. He said his study helps highlight the political and social role of women rulers in medieval Kashmir.
Khan has spent more than three decades in higher education, archaeology and academic research. He served as a senior professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Peshawar and completed doctoral research on ancient coinage.
His work has focused on ancient monetary systems and trade routes across Gandhara and nearby regions. He has also carried out major excavations at the historic Hayatabad site in Peshawar, where researchers uncovered early urban industrial remains.
Khan said Pakistan’s archaeological heritage offers important lessons for the world and urged greater support for young researchers using modern scientific methods.
The award adds to his long academic career and strengthens Pakistan’s presence in international archaeological research.
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