Aziz Dheri; Stair risers; Gandhara Art; Buddhist iconography; Gandhāra
摘要
Aziz Dheri, which is regarded one of the most important ancient Buddhist sites in the region, is located in the Peshawar valley - the primary Gandhāra. More than four-hundred sculptures have, so far, been recovered from this site during excavations, the investigations which continue since 1993. However, complete reports on most of these endeavors are still awaited.1 The finding of sculptures from Aziz Dheri are important discoveries and would add more to our knowledge about the Buddhist iconography and the Buddhist art of Gandhāra since a good number of them were found in stratified deposits. Moreover, some of these are unique in nature but, unfortunately, their contextual analysis is still lacking. The present study is, therefore, focused on the subject, particularly on the historical context of the stair riser relief panels discovered at Aziz Dheri in 1993.