Swat Museum is a museum located in Saidu Sharif, on the road connecting Mingora and Saidu Sharif in the Swat District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
History The museum was conceived in 1959 under the aegis of the Italian Archaeological Mission to Swat and the Wali of Swat to contain his personal collection of artifacts.Gauhar, Feryal Ali (Nov 10, 2013). Breathing life into history: the new Swat Museum. Dawn. It was later expanded with the assistance of the Japanese government.Shah, Sadia Qasim (Nov 25 2008). Swat Museum can be Taliban`s next target. Dawn. However, it was badly damaged in the Kashmir earthquake in 2005. With the war between the Pakistan government and Taliban in 2007, the museum was closed and its contents were moved to Taxila, this proved lucky as a bomb exploded nearby in February, 2008 that killing many people and damaged the museum severely. The 2,700 objects were returned to the museum in July 2011,Iqbal, Amjad (July 13, 2011). Antiquities to return to Swat Museum. Dawn and a new seismic-resistant museum was opened on December 11, 2014.(December 11, 2014) Swat Museum reopens after seven years. Dawn
Collection
The museum contains Gandharan statuettes and friezes depicting the lives of the Buddha along with seals, small reliquaries and other treasures, mostly from Butkara No 1 and Odigram. Additionally, there are pre-Buddhist artefacts, and an ethnographic gallery with traditional carved Swati furniture, jewelry and embroideries.Swat Museum - Museum in Mingora & Saidu Sharif. LonelyPlanet.com A recent discovery, includes a stone ‘board’ game found at the Buddhist Complex of Amluk-Dara, of a sort still played in the valley today.Khaliq, Fazal (April 27, 2017). Board game in Swat museum becomes focus of attention. Dawn.
References
External links
Swat Museum page on Directorate of Archaeology & Museums Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan