The Taxila Institute of
Asian Civilizations is a
constituent institute of the
Quaid-i-Azam University. It
came into being as a result
of an UNESCO resolution in
Paris in
1997 as a matured form of the Center for Central Asian
Studies. In 2007, the Institute
was merged into
the administrative framework
of the Quaid-i-Azam
University. In its present,
transitional form the
Institute maintains two of
the original functions of
the previous Center, the
first being the sponsorship
and participation in
seminars and conferences on
various aspects of history
and civilization in Pakistan
and, secondly, publication
of its biannual journal, The
Journal of Asian
Civilizations (formerly:
The Journal of Central
Asia), a scholarly journal
that has been published for
more than a quarter of a
century. The third function
of the Institute is its PhD
programme. The first
scholars for the PhD were
enrolled in 1999. In 2008,
the Institute will initiate
its MPhil programme.
The staff of the Taxila
Institute of Asian
Civilizations presently consists
of five full time
academics and one
visiting faculty
members. At present some
students are
being supervised by
faculty from other
departments of the
university. The regular
academic staff of the
Institute are the
director, Dr. M. Ashraf
Khan (Archaeology),
Prof. Dr.
Hugh van Skyhawk
(Comparative Religion),
Dr. Ghani-ur-Rahman (Gandhara
Art), Rafiullah
(History), and Sadeed
Arif (Archaeology).
Other faculty members
are the Senior Research Scholars, Dr.
M. Salim (Archaeology), Prof.
Dr. Fateh Muhammad Malik
(Sufism) and Dr. Riaz Ahmad
(History and Sufism).
The Institute has conducted a regular series of
student's seminars
since 2000 and is continuing with a fortnightly series
of seminars in which
young scholars will present and defend their research
designs. The institute
plans to initiate a series of faculty
seminars and visiting lectures related to
the Asian civilizations that
come within the
research focus of the Institute. For this purpose, scholars from
Asian countries who visit Pakistan will be
involved. In
addition, guest
lecturers will be invited from Central Asia,
the Middle East, the
Far East, South Asia and China
to interact with the
staff and students of the Institute.
The Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations is
intended to function as an institute which promotes research on Asian
Civilizations, past
and present,
and to focus on the interaction of
the countries of Asia in
the various fields of
cultural research. The Institute will support
all such activities that can inspire scholars and academicians to understand the common and diverse features of the
people of Asia, primarily in a historical mold, but
by no means confined to the
study of history.
Awareness of the unity
and diversity of the
human spirit in
the religions, languages,
and cultures of this
vast continent shall
inform all
interdisciplinary
research at the Taxila
Institute. The Institute
hopes to increase both
its permanent and its
visiting or adjunct
faculty in the near future.
Moreover, we hope to involve
well wishers, friends and associates from all
parts of the world in
joint projects to
increase our knowledge
of the past and present
civilizations of Asia.
History of the Taxila Institute of Asian
Civilizations
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