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Barikot
Barikot
बरीकोट بریکوټ | |
|---|---|
 Panoramic View: Barikot | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| District | Swat |
| Tehsil | Barikot |
| Elevation | 808 m (2,651 ft) |
| Population (2023) | |
| • Total | 115,045 |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
Barikot (Hindi: बरीकोट ; Urdu: بریکوٹ ; Pashto: بریکوټ) is a town situated along the middle course of the Swat River in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It lies approximately 20 kilometers from Mingora and the Butkara Stupa, serving as the gateway to the central Swat Valley with an estimated population of around 25,000 residents. This town is historically significant, housing an ancient citadel that was captured by Alexander the Great, along with Chalcolithic remains dating back to approximately 1700 BC and an early historic settlement from around 600 BC. Since 1984, the Italian Archaeological Mission, later known as ISMEO and founded by Giuseppe Tucci, has been excavating the ruins of the ancient town of Bazira located beneath Barikot.
Excavations
While earlier excavations had confirmed the existence of Chalcolithic pit structures from 1700 BC, evidence of urban habitation predating around 150 BC was not uncovered until 2015. Prior to this, it was believed that the city emerged as a fortified center towards the end of the second century BC, built directly upon the remnants of a protohistoric village, with the primary evidence being the substantial defensive wall encircling the city and its acropolis.
Recent findings revealed early Iron Age proto-urban layers dated to the eleventh to eighth centuries BC, indicating that the fortified urban settlement in Barikot, encompassing both the lower area and acropolis, was established around the mid-first millennium BC.
Bronze Age (c. 1700 - 1400 BC)
The earliest signs of human activity in Barikot date from around 1700 to 1400 BC. According to Giorgio Stacul's findings from 1987, these remnants are classified as belonging to Swat Period IV, with pit structures identified since approximately 1700 BC.