Tepe Maranjan
Hill in Kabul, Afghanistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maranjan Hill (Pashto: د مرانجان غونډۍ),[1] also known as Nadir Khan Hill,[2] Tapa-e Maranjan (Dari: تپه مرنجان), and Siyah Sang (Dari: سياه سنگ, "Blackstone"), is a large hill in the Kārte Naw area of Kabul, Afghanistan. It is near Chaman-e-Hozori and the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium. As the resting place of former Afghan kings Nadir Shah and Zahir Shah,[3] including a number of their family members,[4][5] Maranjan Hill is one of the city's major tourist attractions. The Sirajuddin Haqqani Mosque was recently built on the northern end of the hill,[6] along with a park.[7]
| Maranjan Hill | |
|---|---|
| تپه مرنجان د مرانجان غونډۍ | |
| Tapa-e Maranjan | |
The Stupa at Maranjan Hill in 1933 | |
  Location within Afghanistan  Location within Hindu-Kush  Location within South Asia  Location within West and Central Asia | |
| 34.517801°N 69.208328°E | |
| Type | Monastery |
Buddhist monastery
Tepe Maranjan was the site of a Buddhist monastery that appears to have been founded in the 4th century,[8] the 6–7th century of Buddhism in Afghanistan.[9] It lies east of the tomb of Nadir Shah and north of the Kabul–Jalalabad Road.
The site was excavated by the French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan under Jean Carl in 1933, again by Gérard Fussman in 1976, and again by Zemaryalai Tarzi of the Afghan Institute of Archaeology more recently.[10] Many Buddhist sculptures were discovered on the site. They are made of clay and represent a style intermediate between the sculptures of Hadda and those of the Fondukistan monastery.[8] Tepe Maranjan can be considered as generally representative of the art of Gandhara of the 5th or 6th century.[8]
A large hoard of Sasanian coins was also discovered at Tepe Maranjan: 367 Sassanian silver drachms from the reigns of kings Shapur II (r. 309–79) and Ardashir II (r. 379–83), which, owing to their uniformity, are thought to have been minted in the vicinity of Kabul.[11] The hoard also contained 12 scyphate gold dinars of the Kidarites, which might have circulated at the same time as the Sassanian coins, or may have been added later.[11]
Mausoleums and graves
The following is a list of people buried on Maranjan Hill.
Gallery
Seated Buddha at Tepe Maranjan
Kneeling Buddhist donors at Tepe Maranjan
Tepe Maranjan Bodhisattva head
Tepe Maranjan seated Bodhisattva
