Takht-i-Bahi

Takht-i-Bhai (also spelled Takht Bahi, Takht Bhai or Takh Bay) is a Parthian archaeological site in Mardan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It was first a Zoroastrian complex which, after the later arrival of Buddhism, was then converted into a Buddhist monastic complex. It is dated to the 1st century BCE. The complex is regarded by archaeologists as being particularly representative of the architecture of Buddhist monastic centers from its era. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

Etymology

The word Takht-i-Bahi (Urdu: تخت بھائی) may have different explanations. Local believes that site got its name from two wells on the hill or the springs nearby. In Persian, Takht means "top" or "throne" while bahi means "spring" or "water". When combined together its meaning is Spring from the Top or High Spring, and there were two springs on the top of mountains. Another meaning suggested is Throne of Origin.<ref name="Khaliq 2015"/

Location

The ruins are located about 15 kilometers from Mardan in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province. A small fortified city, dating from the same era, sits nearby. The ruins also sit near a modern village known by the same name. It is located around 500 feet atop the small hill and around 2 km from village bazar. The surrounding area is famous for sugar cane, wheat, maize, vegetable, and orchard cultivation.