MARDAN, May 28: Mardan division, which has more than 700 archaeological sites of various periods, is facing a number of problems of illegal excavation, ruthless use of coin detectors and climatic threat, while the department concerned has taken an indifferent attitude for protecting them.

Illegal excavation at Kashmir Smast (cave) continues for the last one year where plunderers have recovered a bronze Budhi Satwa statue and White Huns coins. These objects are considered as rare antiquities of Gandhara culture.

Kashmir Smast is situated at Babozai mountains, some 3,000 feet above sea level in Mardan district. A source told Dawn that the statue was sold over Rs 2.8 million to a foreign dealer.

It is said that some officials of the archaeological department visited the site but the plunderers carried out excavation in the presence of these officials.

Legal excavation at Chargul site was started by the directorate of archaeology some four months back but now the work has been stopped due to the non-availability of funds.

Chargul is situated at Rustam Moza at the foot of Doda mountain, some 17km away from Mardan, where an ancient monastery was discovered which includes a hall, meditation cells and worship places.

Some unknown persons tore up the archaeological map, which prepared in 1991. The map was erected near Rashakai on the border of Mardan and Nowshera districts. The map was made of bronze at a cost of Rs 125,000, which showed the monastery of Takhtbai. This map now stands torn up.

For establishing Mardan Museum, the then provincial chief minister of NWFP, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, had purchased 12 kanals land near Sheikh Maltoon Town in 1995 and allocated fund for its construction, but the project was abandoned for some unknown reasons. This has been resented by the people and those interested in the cultural history of the region.

The extremely rare piece of two Ashoka inscription rocks at Shahbaz Gari are vulnerable to the severity of the weather and needs proper attention by the archaeological department. Experts have expressed their apprehension that in the absence of proper maintenance the pillars may vanish for ever.

Ruthless use of coin detectors by plunderers has brought devastation to the sites as they recover coins through these detectors. An expert said that this process is very damaging to the sites, as the plunderers use machines which distorts other historical and archaeological substances.

He said at present a large number of coins are available in the market where local and foreign dealers make a business it.

He deplored that usually rare coins were found in these sites which reach the foreign dealers on nominal prices. He suggested that the only possible way to protect these sites was to ban these coin detectors and introduce severe punishments for plunderers.