Tucci and Swāt, Seventy Years Later [revised and enlarged version]

This volume brings together two of Tucci’s seminal works: a revised edition of Tibetan Pilgrims in the Swāt Valley and the first Pakistani edition of his celebrated La Via dello Swat (“The Way of Swat”). In addition, the current Director of the Italian Archaeological Mission, Prof. Luca M. Olivieri, has contributed three important scholarly notes that further illuminate the findings and provide updates based on seven decades of subsequent archaeological research. Particularly noteworthy is the discussion around Barikot, today regarded as a key site in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gandharan archaeology, where collaborative excavations have continued for over forty years, enriching our understanding of Swat’s layered historical past. The inclusion of historic photographs from the 1963 Italian edition alongside contemporary images vividly illustrates how both archaeology and everyday life in Swat have evolved over the past seventy years. (from the Preface)