Pakistan’s Independence Day Spirit Shines At Gor Khatri As Students Explore Heritage

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st Aug, 2025) Adorned in bright green and white dresses, a group of students made their way through the ancient stone pathways of Gor Khatri, a historic archeological site nestled in the heart of Peshawar where they were appraised about its historical significance.

Among them were 15-year-old Azhar Khan, Rehbar Ali, Naina Bibi and others, who were beaming with pride, clutching miniature national flags in one hand and a smartphone in the other, capturing memories they had long dreamed of.

"Gor Khatri visit was always on my priority list and today my dream came true," said Azhar, a tenth-grade student, his eyes gleaming with joy. "I have read about Gor Khatri in history books, but being here in person, walking through the same ground as Mughal princesses and Buddhist monks it's something amazing."

As part of Pakistan's 78th Independence Day celebrations, educational institutions across Peshawar have been organizing heritage field trips to promote national identity and cultural awareness among the youth. For many like Azhar, this visit was not just an excursion rather it was a journey through time.

Gor Khatri, meaning “Warrior’s Grave,” is more than just bricks and ruins. It is one of South Asia’s oldest continuously inhabited urban settlements, bearing the layered footprints of 13 civilizations over 2,500 years from Indo-Greek traders to British colonial officers.

“This ancient site is a testament to uninterrupted cultural evolution,” said Bakhtzada Muhammad, Assistant Director of Archaeology and Museums. “The earliest layers unearthed here date back to the Indo-Greek period, around the second century BC. The visitors can trace history through the coins, pottery, seals and structures still preserved.”

According to historians, Peshawar’s status as a crossroads of civilizations is reflected nowhere better than in Gor Khatri. Once a caravanserai under the Mughals, the site was a stopping point on trade routes that connected Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent.

The students were informed about square-shaped structure seen today was built in 1641 by Mughal princess Jahan Ara, daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan, and served as a rest house for travelers.

Its grand gateways, resting chambers, and watchtowers still stand weathered, but proud.

Amid the spirited shouts of “Pakistan Zindabad” and selfie-snapping students, the celebration took on a more meaningful dimension. Inside a small on-site museum, students explored glass cases containing ancient Kushan pottery, Roman coins, and Scythian jewelry. Azhar paused at one display, pointing at a rusted but intricate seal. "Imagine how many hands this passed through," he murmured.

His sister, Naina Bibi, marveled at a model of the temple of Goraknath, a Hindu shrine within the complex built during the Sikh era, coexisting with a Mughal-era mosque nearby. The diversity struck her. "It feels like the whole world once lived here," she said.

Indeed, Gor Khatri is a rare site where religions, empires, and eras converge. It is said that the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang visited in the 7th century and described it as the place where “Buddha’s giant bowl” was kept.

Excavations started in the early 1990s, and since then, the site has revealed layer after layer of history, unearthing remains of the White Huns, Ghaznavids, and even the colonial British Raj. One corner of the site still houses the former residence of Paolo Avitabile, the Italian general who governed Peshawar in the 1800s.

“To stand in a place where so many cultures have thrived is humbling,” said Bakhtzada. “The continuity of this site without historical rupture is what makes it globally significant.”

As the day wound down, the students gathered for a group photo, flags in hand and history in their hearts. For Azhar, the visit had awakened something more profound than patriotism. It was a sense of belonging to a larger narrative, a realization that the story of Pakistan doesn’t begin in 1947 rather it stretches back millennia.

“When my friends from other cities come to visit, I bring them here,” he said proudly. “This is the real Peshawar. This is our pride.”

From the ruins of empires to the dreams of schoolchildren, Gor Khatri remains not just an archaeological marvel, but a symbol of resilience, continuity, and cultural coexistence which are perfectly echoing the spirit of Independence Day.