DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.36942#0011
KARL JETTMAR
PREFACE
The first volume of our series Ea/dsRm appeared
ten years after the initial discoveries in the Indus valley which happened
between the 23rd of October and the 10th of November, 1979 - in less
than three weeks. The exuberance of rock art and inscriptions had sur-
passed all expectations. In the end, I had seen huge clusters of petro-
glyphs - later on called 'sites': Chilas II, Thalpan Bridge, Hodar, Thor
North, and Shatial Bridge. They were completely unexplored. Only one
site, Chilas I, had been seen, almost forty years ago, by Sir Aurel Stein.
But his posthumous publication had not been taken into notice in Paki-
stan just before partition.
My quick and effective work had only be possible because my friend Mr
Ismail Khan was ready to act as my 'liaison-officer'. In his active days he
had been Deputy Commissioner at Chilas and was still respected by the
population due to his sense of justice and honesty.
Previously, on the 11th of October 1979, I had come across only one
substantial site: Hunza-Haldeikish, together with Professor Dr A.H. Da-
ni. It is quite isolated in the Hunza valley. But now it was evident that
in the Northern Areas of Pakistan there existed a still unknown province
of rock art. Uncommon is the high number of pertinent inscriptions.
Most of them are graffiti mentioning names of visitors sometimes added
by a title, the date, and the intention of the journey. Frequently devo-
tion to the Buddhist faith is declared. A few of them bear an official
character allowing to re-construct the political situation. In the mean-
time we know almost 30.000 images and more than 5.000 inscriptions.
They were made by Indians in KharosthI and Brahml, by Sogdians and
other Iranians, by Chinese and Tibetans.
VII
PREFACE
The first volume of our series Ea/dsRm appeared
ten years after the initial discoveries in the Indus valley which happened
between the 23rd of October and the 10th of November, 1979 - in less
than three weeks. The exuberance of rock art and inscriptions had sur-
passed all expectations. In the end, I had seen huge clusters of petro-
glyphs - later on called 'sites': Chilas II, Thalpan Bridge, Hodar, Thor
North, and Shatial Bridge. They were completely unexplored. Only one
site, Chilas I, had been seen, almost forty years ago, by Sir Aurel Stein.
But his posthumous publication had not been taken into notice in Paki-
stan just before partition.
My quick and effective work had only be possible because my friend Mr
Ismail Khan was ready to act as my 'liaison-officer'. In his active days he
had been Deputy Commissioner at Chilas and was still respected by the
population due to his sense of justice and honesty.
Previously, on the 11th of October 1979, I had come across only one
substantial site: Hunza-Haldeikish, together with Professor Dr A.H. Da-
ni. It is quite isolated in the Hunza valley. But now it was evident that
in the Northern Areas of Pakistan there existed a still unknown province
of rock art. Uncommon is the high number of pertinent inscriptions.
Most of them are graffiti mentioning names of visitors sometimes added
by a title, the date, and the intention of the journey. Frequently devo-
tion to the Buddhist faith is declared. A few of them bear an official
character allowing to re-construct the political situation. In the mean-
time we know almost 30.000 images and more than 5.000 inscriptions.
They were made by Indians in KharosthI and Brahml, by Sogdians and
other Iranians, by Chinese and Tibetans.
VII