Fazal Ahmad Khan (1910–2009) was a renowned

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

who served as a

Director General A director general, general director or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''general directors'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'') is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer ...

of the Department of Archaeology & Museums (DOAM) from 1958 to 1970. He was a student of esteemed archaeologist

Mortimer Wheeler Sir Robert Eric Mortimer Wheeler Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, CH Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire, CIE Military Cross, MC Territorial Decoration, TD (10 September 1890 – 22 July 1976) was a British archaeolo ...

Early life

Khan was born on 1 October 1910 in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. His father, Hassan Ali Khan, was a distinguished medical professional and one of the first graduates of King Edward Medical College. Hassan Ali Khan served in various locations during the British era, including Baghdad during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, earning him the title "Medalist of the First World War." Khan's mother was Nawab Begum.

Career

Khan received his early education in Punjab, followed by MA degrees in History and Geography from

Aligarh Muslim University Aligarh Muslim University is a Collegiate university, collegiate, Central university (India), central, and Research university, research university located in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Kh ...

in 1935 and 1938, respectively. Khan joined the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

as a Field Scholar for Exploration and Excavation in October 1938. In 1943, he was appointed Custodian of the Archaeological Museum

Mohenjo-Daro Mohenjo-daro (; , ; ) is an archaeological site in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan. Built 2500 BCE, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation, and one of the world's earliest major city, cities, contemp ...

. The Government of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

awarded him a scholarship to study Chinese archaeology at

Beijing University Peking University (PKU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. It i ...

for three years in 1947. Later, the Government of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

awarded him a scholarship to pursue higher education in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1951, where he completed his PhD in a record time of two years and four months under the supervision of

Max Mallowan Sir Max Edgar Lucien Mallowan, (6 May 1904 – 19 August 1978) was a prominent British archaeologist and academic, specializing in the Ancient Near East. Having studied classics at Oxford University, he was trained for archaeology by Leonard W ...

and V. Gordon Childe at the Institute of Archaeology,

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

. His doctoral dissertation, "''An Archaeological Study of the Indus Valley Civilizations and their Relationship to the Early Cultures of Iran''," showcased his expertise in the field. After returning, Khan was appointed Superintendent of the Exploration and Excavation Branch, conducting archaeological excavations at the Arab archaeological site of Banbhore in

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

and the Buddhist archaeological site of Mainmati in

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

). In April 1958, he became Director of the Department of Archaeology, Pakistan, serving until his retirement on September 30, 1970. In 1959, in his capacity as Director of the Department of Archaeology, he wrote the 'Note on a New National Museum of Pakistan' which outlined a plan for the re-organisation of the

National Museum of Pakistan The National Museum of Pakistan () is a public museum located in Karachi, Pakistan. History The National Museum of Pakistan was established in Frere Hall in 1951, replacing the defunct Victoria Museum. Frere Hall itself was built in 1865 as a ...

in Karachi. Post-retirement, he chaired the Antiquities Acquisition Committee of the National Museum for many years. From 1970 to 1977, he served as Professor of Archaeology at the

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

. In 1974, Khan served as a consultant for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

, and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

Death

In 2009, he died at the age of 90 in PECHS colony,

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

Notable Contributions

Khan's work spanned over 25 years, focusing on comparative studies of the Indus Valley civilizations. He also explored archaeological problems of the Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim periods. His notable excavations include: *

Kot Diji Kot Diji (; ) is an ancient site which was part of the Indus Valley Civilization, estimated to have been occupied around 3300 BCE. Located about south of Khairpur in the modern-day province of Sindh, India, it is on the east bank of the Indus R ...

(1955–1957): He excavated this fortified city, dating back to the Indus Valley Civilization. * Banbhore (1957–1965), The excavations carried out by the F. A. Khan revealed important architectural and archaeological remains of a pre-Islamic and Islamic settlement. *

Mainamati Moinamoti () is an isolated low, dimpled range of hills, dotted with more than 50 ancient Buddhist vihara, settlements dating between the 8th and 12th century Common Era, CE. It was part of the ancient Samatata division of Bengal. It extends throug ...

(1962–1963): Khan led extensive excavations at Mainamati (

), uncovering numerous Buddhist viharas,

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, and other structures dating back to the 7th-10th centuries AD.

Awards and honours

Khan received numerous honors, including the ''Tamga-i-Pakistan'' (1961), ''

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially me ...

'' (1965), France's highest honor, and Italy's high honor (1982). He was awarded the ''1996 Dani Gold Medal'' by the Pakistan Society of Archaeology, Archives and Museums on July 31, 1997. The library of the Women's University, Lahore, is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Fazal Ahmad 1910 births 2009 deaths Pakistani scholars of Pakistan studies 20th-century Pakistani archaeologists Archaeologists of Central Asia Archaeological Survey of India people Mohenjo-daro Aligarh Muslim University alumni Alumni of the University of London Peking University alumni Academic staff of the University of Karachi Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of the Legion of Honour