Tepe Skandar monastery, (near) Mir Bachcheh Kowt, Velayat-e Kabol, AF

Raw data

"206. Tepe Skandar
Alternate Names: Tapa Iskander, Qal'a-i Rajput
Kabul Province. 31 kilometers north of Kabul, to the east of the road to Charikar, three kilometers south of Sarai Khuja.
Dates:  Late Sassanian-Turki Shahi, late 6th-early 9th century
           (numismatic, stylistic evidence)
A large mound measuring 440 x 280 meters in area. It consists of two sanctuaries, a fort and several small shrines, one of them containing a fire altar. One of the most important finds is a marble Hindu statue of Uma Maheshvara, which has a Sanskrit inscription on its base. […]
N. Dupree, An Historical Guide to Afghansitan, chapter 5 reports:
“[Just north of the village Qala Murad Beg] Beyond marker 30 the Japanese excavations at Tapa Iskander (Higuchi, 1970 to date) may be seen on a mound in the middle of the plain to the right of the road. From the 7th–9th centuries A.D., this was an important Hindu Shahi complex with both secular and religious buildings. […]
Those with a keen eye may also make out a Buddhist stupa in a draw high above the excavation mound. There are many Buddhist sites scattered throughout the Koh Daman dating from the 2nd to the 4th centuries AD when this valley was on the caravan highway known as the Silk Route along which Buddhism travelled from its homeland in India into Central Asia. Many local princes converted to Buddhism and thousands of pilgrims from Central Asia and China stayed at Buddhist monasteries strategically located along their route."
[…]
Latitude 34.716667° N Longitude 69.116667° E"
DoDLRMP and CEMML (2010:#206 Tepe Skandar)

Input by: tmciolek, Aug 17, 2010

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 20 Jul 2014

Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 2 km from the point defined by the coordinates below.

Location of Tepe Skandar monastery, AF.

General location of the Tepe Skandar monastery, AF.
Lat 34.716667 Long 69.116667
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2010.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=34.716667+69.116667+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Tepe%20Skandar%20monastery,%20AF)&ll=34.716667,69.116667&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en


Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Tepe Skandar monastery - DoDLRMP and CEMML (2010:#206 Tepe Skandar)

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • Afghanistan:Velayat-e Kabol

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names

  • Tapa Iskander - DoDLRMP and CEMML (2010:#206 Tepe Skandar)
  • Qal'a-i Rajput - DoDLRMP and CEMML (2010:#206 Tepe Skandar)

4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates

  • Approx., Lat 34.716667 Long 69.116667 - DoDLRMP and CEMML (2010:#206 Tepe Skandar)

5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries


6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village


7. The settlement's alternative/historical names

  • Mīr Bacheh Kūt, Saray-Khwaja, Mir Bacheh Kowt, Mīrbača Kot, Mir Bachcheh Kut, Saraykhodzha, Sara-ye Khvajeh, Mir Dacha Kote, Sarāi Khwāja, Mirbaca Kot, Sarā-ye Khvājeh, Mīr Bachchen Kūt, Mīr Bacheh Kowt, Saray Khvajah, Sarāy Khvājah, Mir Bacheh Kut, Mirbachakot, Mir Bachchen Kut, Saṟāy-Khwāja, Mīr Bachcheh Kūt, Sarai Khwaja, Mīr Bachcheh Kowt - http://www.fallingrain.com/world/AF/13/Mir_Bachcheh_Kowt.html

8. The settlement's coordinates


9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition

  • [missing data]

10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

  • Late 6th century CE (numismatic, stylistic evidence) - DoDLRMP and CEMML (2010:#206 Tepe Skandar)

MBM chrono-tag 0567-99p - tmciolek 20 Jul 2014 
0567-99p 0600-32c 0633-66c 0667-99c 0700-32c 0733-66c 0767-99c 0800-32p dated-el


12. Date-intermediate

  • [missing data]

13. Date-late

  • early 9th century CE (numismatic, stylistic evidence) - DoDLRMP and CEMML (2010:#206 Tepe Skandar)

MBM chrono-tag 0800-32p - tmciolek 20 Jul 2014 


14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

  • [missing data]

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • Archaeological

16. Additional notes

  • [missing data] (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)

17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by

  • [missing data]

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