14-12-06 IsIAO, 50th Anniversary

ROME, Italy -- In order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan, the Italian Institute for Africa and the East (ISIAO), in collaboration with the Embassy of Pakistan in Rome and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has prepared a photographic exhibition, which today will be inaugurated in Rome. Valerio Pietrangelo, will be presented.

The Italian mission was in fact started by the great orientalist prof.giuseppe Tucci in 1956, when Swat was an independent State. Since then, in a sincere and fruitful collaboration with the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan, the Italian mission has worked uninterruptedly, bringing a relevant contribution to the knowledge of the past of the region.

The activity of the Italian mission has been devoted to the study of the Swat valley from the earliest traces of human presence up until the recent past of the last century. This year the Italian Archaeological Mission of the Italian Institute for Africa and the East (IsIAO), which carries out field activities in the Swat valley, NWFP, celebrates its 50th anniversary.

A similar exhibition has been successfully inaugurated in Islamabad on the last 18th Novembre in collaboration whit the Embassy of Italy in Islamabad and the Ministry of Culture and Department of Archaeology, Government of Pakistan.

Many important people will be presented at the inauguration, and because the  Ev-K²-CNR Project Karakorum Trust is envolved in many activities, in Pakistan in collaboration with IsIAO, the project coordinator, Valerio Pietrangelo has been invited for showing the first results of the united working.