PESHAWAR: More than 100 young people from diverse faiths, ethnicities and social backgrounds came together at Unesco World Heritage Site of Takht Bhai in Mardan for a daylong visit, aimed at fostering interfaith understanding and social cohesion through shared experience.

A group of 105 young history buffs on return from a trip to the ancient site held a ceremony in a local hotel here on Tuesday and the group members shared their experience.

Arranged by Peshawar-based Culture, Literature, Arts and Development Organisation (Clado) under its Raah-i-Amn initiative, the tour was co-sponsored by Directorate of Youth Affairs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Amn Rang programme of Channan Development Association.

Perched on a hillside overlooking Mardan plains, the 1st century CE Buddhist monastic complex, with its terraced ruins, monk cells and remnants of Gandhara civilisation, served as a powerful living metaphor for the region’s pluralistic past. The site bears layers of Buddhist, Gandhara and later Islamic civilisation presence.

Tour to heritage site meant to promote interfaith harmony

The participants of the tour braved the intense May sun, climbing steep stone pathways and exploring the ancient ruins together. The shared physical effort appeared to dissolve social barriers more effectively than any formal seminar.

“I had read about Takht Bhai in textbooks, but being here with people from completely different backgrounds changed something inside me. You realise how much we share when you stand in a place that has welcomed so many different civilisations over 2,000 years,” said participant Warda Shehzadi.

Fatima, another participant of the tour, called it a unifying experience. “We arrived as strangers but left sharing food and stories. The ruins made us curious about one another instead of cautious,” she observed.

Joshua Mehboob, a Christian participant from Peshawar, found the visit more impactful than conventional interfaith dialogues. “We were all just people standing in history. No one asked about religion, yet everyone knew we were different and it felt perfectly fine. Actually, it felt good,” he reflected.

Clado chief Abdur Rehman said that the initiative countered rising divisive narratives. “Violent extremism thrives on ignorance born of separation. When young people from different communities do not share physical and emotional spaces, harmful narratives fill the vacuum. Our Gandharan heritage proves this region has always been a crossroads of cultures, not a closed society,” he added.

The group intentionally included Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and youth from various Pakhtun, Hinkowan and other ethnic backgrounds across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Many participants later admitted that it was their first meaningful interaction with someone from a different faith or ethnicity.

Clado plans to replicate and expand the Raah-i-Amn model to other heritage sites across the province. The co-sponsorship by Directorate of Youth Affairs signals growing official support for culture-based peace building in a region long affected by conflict and extremism.

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2026