INN AL LILLAH HE WA INNA ALEHE RAJEOUN
**PROF.AHMAD HASAN DANI EXPIRED IN ISLAMABAD ON 26th JANUARY-2009. **
Professor Ahmad Hasan Dani (Late)
(See clip of last interview of Prof Dani with Anchor Iftikhar Chaudri)
Ahmad Hassan Dani (born 20 June 1920, died 26 January 2009 in Islamabad) was a Pakistani archaeologist, historian, and linguist who was among the foremost authorities on South Asian archaeology and history. He was Emeritus Professor at the Quaid-e-Azam University and the director of Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations. Throughout his career, Dani had held various academic positions and international fellowships, apart from conducting archaeological excavations and research. He was also the recipient of various civil awards in Pakistan and abroad. As a prolific linguist, he was able to speak more than 14 local and international languages and dialects.
Early life
Dani, an ethnic Kashmiri, was born on 20 June 1920 in Basna, British India. He graduated in 1944, with an MA degree, to become the first Muslim graduate of Banaras Hindu University. In 1945, Dani worked as a trainee in archaeology under the guidance of Mortimer Wheeler. At this time, he participated in excavations at Taxila and Mohenjo-daro. He was subsequently posted at the Department of Archaeology of British India at Taj Mahal, Agra.
After the Partition of India, Dani migrated to East Pakistan. There, between 1947-49 he worked as Assistant Superintendent of the Department of Archaeology. At this time, he rectified the Verandra Museum at Rajshahi. Later, in 1950, he was promoted to the position of Superintendent-in-Charge of Archaeology. For a period of twelve years (between 1950-62), Dani remained Associate Professor of History at University of Dhaka, while at the same time working as curator at Dhaka museum. During this period, he carried out archaeological research on the Muslim history of Bengal.
Dani moved to the University of Peshawar in 1962 as Professor of Archaeology and remained there until 1971. During this time, he led the resetting and renovation works for the Lahore and Peshawar Museums. In 1971, he moved to Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad and remained at various positions until his retirement in 1980 when he was made Emeritus Professor.
He received an Honorary Doctorate from Tajikistan University, (Dushanbe) in 1993. During the same year, Dani established the Islamabad Museum. Between 1992–96, he was appointed Advisor to the Ministry of Culture of Pakistan, on Archaeology. Between 1994-98, he remained Chairman of the National Fund for Cultural Heritage in Islamabad. Since 1997, Dani has been the Honorary Director at Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations. He died 26th jan 2009 in islamabad
Visiting, research and honorary fellowships
During his Associate Professorship at Dhaka University, Dani worked as a Research Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1958–59). Later, in 1969 he became Asian Fellow at the Australian National University, Canberra. In 1974, he went to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia as a visiting scholar. In 1977, he was Visiting Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Over the span of his career, Dani has been awarded honorary fellowships of Royal Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (1969), German Archaeological Institute (1981), IsMEO Rome (1986) and Royal Asiatic Society (1991).
Research expeditions
Dani has been extensively engaged in excavation works on the pre-Indus Civilization site of Rehman Dheri in Northern Pakistan. He also made a number of discoveries of Gandhara sites in Peshawar and Swat Valleys, and worked on Indo-Greek sites in Dir. From 1985, he involved in research focusing on the documentation of the rock carvings and inscriptions on ancient remains from the Neolithic age in the high mountain region of Northern Pakistan along with Harald Hauptmann of Heidelberg Academy of Sciences, University of Heidelberg. In 1990–91, he led the UNESCO international scientific teams for the Desert Route Expedition of the Silk Road in China and the Steppe Route Expedition of the Silk Road in the Soviet Union.
**Awards and honours
**Dani was awarded the title of Distinguished National Professor in 2004 by the Higher Education Commission in recognition of his contributions and achievements.
Awards
• 2000 Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Government of Pakistan
• 1998 Légion d’honneur, President of the French Republic
• 1997 Aristotle Silver Medal, UNESCO
• 1996 Order of the Merit, Government of Germany
• 1994 Knight Commander, Government of Italy
• 1992 Aizaz-e-Kamal, Government of Pakistan
• 1990 Palmes Academiques, Government of France
• 1986 Gold Medal, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
• 1969 Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Government of Pakistan
• 1944 Gold Medal, Banaras Hindu University
Publications
Dani has more than 30 published books and numerous journal articles to his credit. He is fluent in Bangla, French, Hindi, Kashmiri, Marathi, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Seraiki, Sindhi, Tamil, Turkish and Urdu languages.[2] He has also published various texts in most of these languages.
Books
• Historic City of Taxila. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 2001.
• History of Northern Areas of Pakistan (Up to 2000 AD). Sang-e-Meel Publications. 2001.
• Romance of the Khyber Pass. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 1997. New Light on Central Asia. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 1996.
• Central Asia Today. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 1996.
• Human Records on Karakorum Highway. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 1995.
• Peshawar: Historic City of the Frontier. Sang-e-Meel Publications, (2nd Revised edition). 1995.
• A Short History of Pakistan, Book One: Pre-Muslim Period. University of Karachi. (3 editions, 1967, 1984, 1992).
• History of Northern Areas of Pakistan (Historical studies). National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research. 1989.
• Perspectives of Pakistan. National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-e-Azam University. 1989. ASIN B0000CQNUB
• The historic city of Taxila. Centre for East Asian Cultural Studies. 1986.
• Chilas: The City of Nanga Parvat (Dyamar). 1983. Thatta: Islamic architecture. Institute of Islamic History, Culture & Civilization. 1982. • Indus Civilization: New Perspectives. Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. 1981
• Indian palaeography. Clarendon P. 1963. ASIN B0000CM0CB
• Dacca: A record of its changing fortunes. S.S. Dani (Publisher). 1962. ASIN B0000CQXMU
• Prehistory and Protohistory of Eastern India: With a Detailed Account of the Neolithic Cultures. K.L. Mukhopadhyay. 1960
• Bibliography of the Muslim Inscriptions of Bengal. 1957
Co-authored works
• With J-P. Mohen (eds.), History of Humanity, Volume III, From the Third Millennium to the Seventh Century BC. New York: Routledge/Paris: UNESCO. 1996. ISBN 0415093066.
• With B.A. Litvinksy, The Kushano-Sassanian Kingdom,