Ahmad Hasan Dani

ProfessorAhmad Hasan Dani (Urdu: دانی حسن (احمدFRAS, SI, HI (20 June 1920 – 26 January 2009),was a Pakistani intellectual, archaeologist, historian, andlinguist. He was among the foremost authorities on Cen-tral Asian and South Asian archaeology and history.[1]He introduced archaeology as a discipline in higher ed-ucation in Pakistan and Bangladesh.[2] Throughout hiscareer, Dani held various academic positions and inter-national fellowships, apart from conducting archaeologi-cal excavations and research. He is particularly knownfor archaeological work on pre-Indus Civilization andGandhara sites in Northern Pakistan. He was also therecipient of various civil awards in Pakistan and abroad.As a prolific linguist, he was able to speak 35 local andinternational languages and dialects.[3]

1 Biography

1.1 Early life

Dani, an ethnic Kashmiri, was born on 20 June 1920 inBasna, Central Provinces, India.[4] He graduated in 1944,with an MA degree, to become the first Muslim graduateof Banaras Hindu University. He scored highest marksin the exams which earned him a Gold Medal. This alsoqualified him for a teaching fellowship from the same uni-versity. Although he was provided with the grant, he wasnot allowed to teach due to his religious beliefs.[3] Hestayed there for six months. In 1945, he started work-ing as a trainee in archaeology under the guidance ofMortimer Wheeler. At this time, he participated in exca-vations at Taxila andMohenjo-daro. Hewas subsequentlyposted at the Department of Archaeology of British In-dia at Taj Mahal, Agra. He received his PhD from theInstitute of Archaeology, University College London.

1.2 Career

After the Partition of India, Dani migrated to East Pak-istan. There, in 1947–49 he worked as Assistant Super-intendent of the Department of Archaeology. At thistime, he renovated the Verandra Museum at Rajshahi.In 1949, he married Safiya Sultana. Together, they hadthree sons (Anis, Navaid and Junaid) and a daughter(Fauzia). In 1950, Dani was promoted to the position ofSuperintendent-in-Charge of Archaeology. In the sameyear, he became General Secretary of the Asiatic Soci-ety of Pakistan in Dhaka. Later on, in 1955, he took the

position of President of the National Committee for Mu-seums in Pakistan. For a period of twelve years (1950–62), Dani remained Associate Professor of History at theUniversity of Dhaka while at the same time working ascurator at the DhakaMuseum. During this period, he car-ried out archaeological research on the Muslim history ofBengal.Dani moved to the University of Peshawar in 1962 asProfessor of Archaeology and remained there until 1971.During this time, he led the resetting and renovationworks for the Lahore and Peshawar Museums. He be-came Chairman of the Research Society at the Universityof Peshawar in 1970. In 1971, he moved to the Universityof Islamabad to become Dean of the Faculty of SocialSciences. He left the post in 1975 to concentrate on re-search as Professor of History. Meanwhile, the univer-sity was renamed Quaid-e-Azam University in 1976. Hecontinued to work in various positions until his retirementin 1980 when he was made Emeritus Professor. Duringthis period, he also served as President of the Archaeo-logical and Historical Association of Pakistan (1979) andCo-Director of the Pak-German Team for Ethnology Re-search in Northern Areas of Pakistan (1980).He received an Honorary Doctorate from Tajikistan Uni-versity, (Dushanbe) in 1993. During the same year, Daniestablished the Islamabad Museum. In 1992, he was ap-pointed Advisor on archaeology to the Ministry of Cul-ture of Pakistan, serving from 1992–96. Between 1994–98, he remained Chairman of the National Fund for Cul-tural Heritage in Islamabad. In 1997, Dani became Hon-orary Director at the Taxila Institute of Asian Civiliza-tions. He held the position until the time of his death.On 22 January 2009, he was admitted to the Pakistan In-stitute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad with heart, kid-ney and diabetes problems. He died on 26 January 2009at the age of 88 years. He is buried in the H-11 Graveyardof Islamabad.

2 Visiting, research and honorarypositions

During his Associate Professorship at Dhaka University,Dani worked as a Research Fellow at the School of Ori-ental and African Studies, University of London (1958–59). Later, in 1969 he became Asian Fellow at theAustralian National University, Canberra. In 1974, hewent to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia as

1

2 5 PUBLICATIONS

a visiting scholar. In 1977, he was Visiting Professor atthe University of Wisconsin–Madison. Over the span ofhis career, Dani was awarded honorary fellowships by theRoyal Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (1969), the GermanArchaeological Institute (1981), the Istituto Italiano perl'Africa e l'Oriente (IsMEO) (1986), and the Royal Asi-atic Society (1991).In 1991, Dani was made an Honorary Citizen of Bukharaand an Honorary Member of the Paivand Society inTajikistan. He was made an Honorary Life Patron of theAl-Shifa Trust, Rawalpindi, in 1993.

3 Research contributions

New Delhi

Kabul

Islamabad

Lahore

Amritsar

Srinagar

AFGHANISTAN CHINA

INDIA

PAKISTAN

Indu

s

Indus

Indu

s

Jhelam

Chenab

Ravi

Satluj

Beas

Satluj

Kabul

Swat

Hyderabad

ARABIAN SEA

Panjnad

Chena

b

Jhelam

Gilgit

Kuna

r

Zhob

Shyok

Gumal

Kundar

Shyok

Nubra

KurramKabul

Tochi

KunharKishen Ganga

Sohan

Chenab

NE

PA

L

Zanskar

Indus basin

Dani remained engaged in excavation works on the pre-Indus Civilization site of Rehman Dheri in NorthernPakistan.[5] He also made a number of discoveries ofGandhara sites in the Peshawar and Swat Valleys, andworked on Indo-Greek sites in Dir.[6] From 1980, he wasinvolved in research focusing on the documentation of therock carvings and inscriptions on ancient remains fromtheNeolithic age up to the late Buddhist period in the highmountain region of Northern Pakistan along with KarlJettmar, Volker Thewalt and (much later, since 1989)Harald Hauptmann of the Heidelberg Academy of Sci-ences, University of Heidelberg.[7] In 1990–91, he ledthe UNESCO international scientific teams for the DesertRoute Expedition of the Silk Road in China and theSteppe Route Expedition of the Silk Road in the SovietUnion.From his extensive fieldwork and research experience,Dani refuted any influence of South Indian culture onthe Indus Valley Civilization.[5] Using a geographic per-spective of the socio-political systems and cultural dis-

tribution of the Indus Basin and surrounding hinterland,he observed that the Indo-Gangetic Plain did not playany significant role in the development of Indus Valleyculture.[8] Nor was there any invasion from the seasideduring the Bronze Age, although the coastline facilitatedmaritime trade. The major influence, according to Dani,came from Central Asia in the west. He asserted thatthe hilly western borderland that appears as a boundaryto the external eye is actually a network of hill plateauswhere the local people have always moved freely. Hetherefore argued that the cultural history of Pakistan ismore closely related to Central Asia through Buddhist,Persian and later Sufi influences.[1] He strove to revivethis relationship by promoting organisations such as thePak-Central Asia Friendship Association.Dani maintained that despite the Arabian Sea allow-ing the Meluhhans to establish trade relations withMesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, the majority of his-torical movements occurred between Central and SouthAsia. The geographic location as a link between the tworegions has characterised the relationship “between thepeople of Pakistan and those of Central Asia in the fieldof culture, language, literature, food, dress, furniture andfolklore”.[9]

4 Awards and honours

The first Muslim student of Banaras Hindu University,Dani scored highest in the graduation exams and re-ceived the J. K. Gold Medal from that university in 1944.Among other national awards, he received Sitara-e-Imtiazin 1969, Aizaz-e-Kamal in 1992 and Hilal-e-Imtiaz in2000 from the Government of Pakistan. In 2004, he wasawarded the title of 'Distinguished National Professor' bythe Higher Education Commission in recognition of hiscontributions and achievements.Internationally, his contributions to archaeology, linguis-tics and ancient history were commended through variousprestigious honours and awards such as:

• 1998 Légion d'honneur, President of the French Re-public

• 1997 Aristotle Silver Medal, UNESCO

• 1996 Order of the Merit, Government of Germany

• 1994 Knight Commander, Government of Italy

• 1990 Palmes Academiques, Government of France

• 1986 Gold Medal, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh

5 Publications

Dani had more than 30 published books and numer-ous journal articles to his credit. He spoke 35 lan-

5.2 Co-authored works 3

guages and dialects, and was fluent in Bengali, French,Hindi, Kashmiri, Marathi, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi,Sanskrit, Saraiki, Sindhi, Tamil, Turkish, English andUrdu languages.[4] He also published various texts in mostof these languages.

5.1 Books

• History of Pakistan: Pakistan through ages. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 2007. ISBN 978-969-35-2020-0

• Historic City of Taxila. Sang-e-Meel Publications.2001. ISBN 978-969-35-0947-2

• History of Northern Areas of Pakistan (Up to 2000AD). Sang-e-Meel Publications. 2001. ISBN 978-969-35-1231-1

• Romance of the Khyber Pass. Sang-e-Meel Publica-tions. 1997. ISBN 978-969-35-0719-5

• New Light on Central Asia. Sang-e-Meel Publica-tions. 1996. ISBN 978-969-35-0294-7

• Central Asia Today. Sang-e-Meel Publications.1996. ISBN 978-969-35-0706-5

• Human Records on Karakorum Highway. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 1995. ISBN 978-969-35-0646-4

• Peshawar: Historic City of the Frontier. Sang-e-Meel Publications, (2nd Revised edition). 1995.ISBN 978-969-35-0554-2

• A Short History of Pakistan, Book One: Pre-MuslimPeriod. University of Karachi. (3 editions, 1967,1984, 1992). ISBN 969-404-008-6

• History of Northern Areas of Pakistan (Historicalstudies). National Institute of Historical and Cul-tural Research. 1989. ISBN 978-969-415-016-1

• Perspectives of Pakistan. National Institute of Pak-istan Studies, Quaid-e-Azam University. 1989.ASIN B0000CQNUB

• The historic city of Taxila. Centre for East AsianCultural Studies. 1986. ISBN 978-4-89656-500-3

• Chilas: The City of Nanga Parvat (Dyamar). 1983.ASIN B0000CQDB2

• Thatta: Islamic architecture. Institute of IslamicHistory, Culture & Civilization. 1982. ASINB0000CQD43

• Indus Civilization: New Perspectives. Taxila insti-tute of Asian Civilizations, Quaid-i-Azam Univer-sity, Islamabad. 1981

• Alberuni's Indica: A record of the cultural history ofSouth Asia about A.D. 1030. University of Islam-abad Press, Islamabad. 1973

• Indian palaeography. Clarendon P. 1963. ASINB0000CM0CB

• Dacca: A record of its changing fortunes. S. S. Dani(Publisher). 1962. ASIN B0000CQXMU

• Prehistory and Protohistory of Eastern India: Witha Detailed Account of the Neolithic Cultures. K. L.Mukhopadhyay. 1960

• Bibliography of the Muslim Inscriptions of Bengal.1957

5.2 Co-authored works

• With J-P. Mohen (eds.), History of Humanity, Vol-ume III, From the Third Millennium to the Sev-enth Century BC. New York: Routledge/Paris:UNESCO. 1996. ISBN 0-415-09306-6.

• WithV.M.Masson (eds.),History of Civilizations ofCentral Asia, UNESCO, Paris. 1992– (6 volumes)ISBN 92-3-102719-0 (v.1)

6 See also

• Sindhology

7 Notes[1] Joffe, L (2009). Ahmad Hasan Dani: Pakistan’s foremost

archaeologist and author of 30 books, The Guardian, 31March, p.37. Retrieved on 4 September 2009

[2] The Times (2009). Obituary – Professor A. H. Dani: ar-chaeologist, 18 February. Retrieved on 4 September 2009

[3] AMorning with Farah, Ahmed Hasan Dani and his wife’slive interview on Pakistan Television. Retrieved on 4September 2009

[4] Khan, M.N. Biographical Data. Salaam. Retrieved on 15May 2008.

[5] Khan, O (1998). An interview with Dani in Islamabad,on 6 January. Retrieved on 15 May 2008

[6] Iqbal, M. (2002). Archaeological site discovered in Dir,Dawn, 21 May. Retrieved on 6 March 2007)

[7] Shahid, J. (2006). Dam threatens ancient remains, Dawn,5 December. Retrieved on 6 March 2007)

[8] Dani, A.H. (1975). Origins of Bronze Age Cultures inthe Indus Basin – a geographic perspective. Expedition.Retrieved on 4 November 2009.

4 8 EXTERNAL LINKS

[9] Dani, A.H. History Through The Centuries. NationalFund for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved on 22 September2009.

8 External links• Dani’s Profile at National Fund for Cultural Her-itage, Pakistan.

5

9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

9.1 Text• Ahmad Hasan Dani Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmad_Hasan_Dani?oldid=678074974 Contributors: Amillar, Owen, Tim-rollpickering, Cobaltbluetony, MisfitToys, Rich Farmbrough, Kwamikagami, Matve, Enric Naval, SlaveToTheWage, VivaEmilyDavies,Awais141, Gene Nygaard, Vonaurum, Etacar11, Bratsche, ^demon, Canadian Paul, BD2412, Jivecat, Bhadani, Jlittlet, CambridgeBay-Weather, Tachs, Szhaider, Ms2ger, 99Willys onWheels on the wall, 99Willys onWheels..., Spasage, Chris the speller, Godanov, Runcorn,Ohconfucius, Admn404, Avac, Keithh, Cydebot, Muhammadhani, Barticus88, Islescape, Sulaimandaud, IndianGeneralist, Tilman Berger,Neutron Jack, TreasuryTag, Pahari Sahib, 0goodiegoodie0, Hindutashravi, SieBot, Sitush, ImageRemovalBot, Tripping Nambiar, Bad-wanpk, Muro Bot, Dana boomer, RogDel, Addbot, Lightbot, Luckas-bot, Umbertoumm, AnomieBOT, Arjun G. Menon, Dynamic.leaning,LilHelpa, Juliablahh, FrescoBot, Ironboy11, Full-date unlinking bot, Skepticfall, Mar4d, Mirtanha, Volker-th, VIAFbot, Corinne, ObaidRaza, Isnib, Zaketo, Pietersielie(PC), KasparBot and Anonymous: 26

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