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{{Short description|Pakistani intellectual, archaeologist, historian, and linguist}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=April 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox Scientist
| name = Ahmad Hasan Dani
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1920|06|20}}
| birth_place = [[Basna]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2009|01|26|1920|06|20}}
| death_place = [[Islamabad]], [[Pakistan]]
| nationality = Pakistani
| field = [[Archaeology]], [[History]], [[Linguistics]]
| work_institution = [[Quaid-e-Azam University]]
| alma_mater = [[Banaras Hindu University]]
| known_for = Research on the [[Indus Valley Civilization]]
| prizes = [[Hilal-e-Imtiaz]] (2000)<br>[[Sitara-e-Imtiaz]] (1969)<br>[[Bundesverdienstkreuz]]<br>[[Légion d'honneur]]<br>[[Palmes Academiques]]
}}

'''Ahmad Hassan Dani''' ([[Urdu]]: '''احمد حسن دانی''') [[Fellows of the Royal Asiatic Society|FRAS]], [[Sitara-e-Imtiaz|SI]], [[Hilal-e-Imtiaz|HI]] (20 June 1920 – 26 January 2009) was a Pakistani [[archaeologist]], [[historian]], and [[linguistics|linguist]]. He was among the foremost authorities on [[Central Asia]]n and [[South Asia]]n [[archaeology]] and history.<ref name="joffe">{{cite news|author=Lawrence Joffe |url= https://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/mar/31/ahmad-hasan-dani |title=Ahmad Hasan Dani: Pakistan's foremost archaeologist and author of 30 books|newspaper= The Guardian (newspaper) |date= 30 March 2009|access-date= 29 April 2020}}</ref><ref name=TFT/> He introduced archaeology as a discipline in higher education in Pakistan and [[Bangladesh]].<ref name="times">[[The Times]] (2009). [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article5753682.ece Obituary - Professor A. H. Dani: archaeologist] Published 18 February 2009, Retrieved 29 April 2020</ref> Throughout his career, Dani held various academic positions and international fellowships, apart from conducting archaeological excavations and research. He is particularly known for archaeological work on pre-[[Indus Valley Civilization|Indus Civilization]] and [[Gandhara]] sites in [[Northern Pakistan]].

== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Ahmad Hasan Dani, from an ethnic [[Kashmiri Muslim]] family of traders from the [[Wani (surname)|Wain]] clan,<ref>Anis Dani, "The making of the man" in ''Pakistan Archaeology'', n. 26 (1991), vol. I, p. 3</ref> was born on 20 June 1920 in [[Basna]], [[British India]].<ref name=TFT/><ref name="khan">Khan, M. Nauman [http://www.salaam.co.uk/biographies-directory/ Profile of Ahmad Hasan Dani on Salaam (UK website)] Retrieved 30 April 2020</ref> He graduated in 1944, with an [[Master of Arts (postgraduate)|MA]] degree in Sanskrit, to become the first [[Muslim]] graduate of [[Banaras Hindu University]].<ref name="joffe" /> He scored highest marks in the exams which earned him a gold medal. This also qualified him for a teaching fellowship from the same university. Although he was provided with the grant, he was not allowed to teach owing to his religious beliefs.<ref name="farah">[https://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments&v=9u-MB75eCTs&fromurl=/watch%3Fv%3D9u-MB75eCTs A Morning with Farah], Ahmed Hasan Dani and his wife's live interview on [[Pakistan Television Corporation|Pakistan Television]]. Retrieved 4 September 2009</ref> He stayed there for six months. In 1945, he started working as a trainee in archaeology under the guidance of [[Mortimer Wheeler]].<ref name="joffe" /> At this time, he participated in excavations at [[Taxila]] and [[Mohenjo-daro]].<ref name="joffe" />

=== Career ===
After the [[Partition of India]], Dani migrated to [[East Pakistan]]. There, between 1947 and 1949, he worked as Assistant Superintendent of the Department of Archaeology. At this time, he rectified the Verandra Museum at [[Rajshahi]]. In 1949, he married Safiya Sultana. Together, they had three sons (Anis, Navaid and Junaid) and a daughter (Fauzia). In 1950, Dani was promoted to the position of Superintendent-in-Charge of Archaeology. In the same year, he became General Secretary of Asiatic Society of Pakistan in Dhaka. Later on, in 1955, he took the position of President, National Committee for Museums in Pakistan. For a period of twelve years (between 1950 and 1962), Dani remained Associate Professor of History at [[University of Dhaka]], while at the same time working as [[curator]] at [[Dhaka]] museum.<ref name="joffe" /> During this period, he carried out archaeological research on the Muslim history of [[Bengal]].<ref name="joffe" />

Dani moved to the [[University of Peshawar]] in 1962, where he created the Department of Archaeology and remained as a Professor until 1971.<ref name="joffe" /> During this time, he led the resetting and renovation works for the [[Lahore Museum|Lahore]] and [[Peshawar Museum]]s. He became Chairman of Research Society in University of Peshawar in 1970. In 1971, he moved to [[University of Islamabad]] to become Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences.<ref name="joffe" /> He left the post in 1975 to concentrate on research as Professor of History. Meanwhile, the university was renamed Quaid-e-Azam University in 1976. He continued to work in various positions until his retirement in 1980 when he was made [[Professor#Professor emeritus|Emeritus Professor]]. During this period, he also served as President of the Archaeological and Historical Association of Pakistan (1979) and Co-Director of the Pak-German Team for [[Ethnological|Ethnology]] Research in Northern Areas of Pakistan (1980).

He received an [[Honorary degree|Honorary Doctorate]] from Tajikistan University, ([[Dushanbe]]) in 1993. During the same year, Dani established the Islamabad Museum. Between 1992 and 1996, he was appointed Advisor to the [[Government of Pakistan#Ministries and divisions|Ministry of Culture]] of Pakistan, on archaeology. Between 1994 and 1998, he remained Chairman of the National Fund for Cultural Heritage in Islamabad. In 1997, Dani became Honorary Director at the Taxila Institute of Asian Civilizations. He held the position until the time of his death.<ref name=TFT/>

On 22 January 2009, he was admitted to [[Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences]] in [[Islamabad]] with heart, kidney and [[diabetes]] problems. He died on 26 January 2009 at the age of 88 years.<ref name=TFT>{{cite news|url=https://www.thefridaytimes.com/the-whos-who-of-archaeology-in-pakistan/ |author=Natasha Shahid |title=The who's-who of archaeology in Pakistan (Ahmad Hasan Dani's profile)|date=7 August 2015|newspaper=The Friday Times (newspaper)|access-date=30 April 2020}}</ref>

== Visiting, research and honorary positions ==
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).<ref name="joffe" /> Later, in 1969 he became Asian Fellow at the [[Australian National University]], [[Canberra]]. In 1974, he went to the [[University of Pennsylvania]] in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] as a visiting scholar. In 1977, he was Visiting Professor at the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]]. Over the span of his career, Dani was awarded honorary fellowships of Royal Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (1969), [[German Archaeological Institute]] (1981), [[Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente]] (IsMEO) (1986) and [[Royal Asiatic Society]] (1991).

In 1991, Dani was made Honorary Citizen of [[Bukhara]] and Honorary Member of Paivand Society in [[Tajikistan]]. He was made Honorary Life Patron of Al-Shifa Trust, [[Rawalpindi]] in 1993.

== Research contributions ==
[[File:Indus river.svg|thumb|250px|right|Indus basin]]

Dani remained engaged in excavation works on the pre-[[Indus Valley Civilization|Indus Civilization]] site of [[Rehman Dheri]] in [[Northern Pakistan]].<ref name="khano">Khan, Omar (1998). [https://www.harappa.com/script/danitext.html An interview with Ahmad Hasan Dani on HARAPPA.COM website] in Islamabad, on 6 January 1998, Retrieved 30 April 2020</ref> He also made a number of discoveries of [[Gandhara]] sites in [[Peshawar]] and [[Swat Valley]]s, and worked on Indo-Greek sites in [[Lower Dir|Dir]].<ref>Iqbal, M. (21 May 2002). [https://www.dawn.com/2002/05/21/nat2.htm "Archaeological site discovered in Dir"] Dawn (newspaper), Retrieved 29 April 2020</ref> From 1985, he was 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]].<ref>Shahid, J. (2006). [http://www.dawn.com/2006/12/05/nat11.htm Dam threatens ancient remains] Dawn (newspaper), Published 5 December 2006, Retrieved 29 April 2020</ref> He also led the [[UNESCO]] teams for the Desert Route Expedition of the [[Silk Road]] in [[China]] (1990) and the Steppe Route Expedition of the [[Cities along the Silk Road|Silk Road]] in the [[Soviet Union]](1991).<ref name="joffe" />

From his extensive fieldwork and research experience, Dani refuted any influence of [[South India]]n culture on the Indus Valley Civilization.<ref name="khano" /> Using a geographic perspective of the socio-political systems and cultural distribution of the [[Indus River|Indus Basin]] and surrounding hinterland, he observed that the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]] did not play any significant role in the development of Indus Valley culture.<ref>Dani, A.H. (1975). [https://www.penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/17-2/Dani.pdf Origins of Bronze Age Cultures in the Indus Basin - a geographic perspective] ''Expedition'' Pennsylvania Museum website. Retrieved 30 April 2020</ref> Nor was there any invasion from the seaside during the [[Bronze Age]], although the coastline facilitated maritime trade. The major influence, according to Dani, came from [[Central Asia]] in the west. He asserted that the hilly western borderland that appears as a boundary to the external eye is actually a network of hill plateaus where the local people have always moved freely. He therefore argued that the [[Culture of Pakistan|cultural history of Pakistan]] is more closely related to Central Asia through [[Buddhism|Buddhist]], [[Persia]]n and later [[Sufism]] influences.<ref name="joffe" />

Dani maintained that despite the [[Arabian Sea]] allowing the [[Meluhha]]ns to establish trade relations with [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Ancient Egypt]], the majority of historical movements occurred between Central and South Asia. The geographic location as a link between the two regions has characterised the relationship "between the people of Pakistan and those of Central Asia in the field of culture, language, literature, food, dress, furniture and folklore".<ref>Dani, A.H. [http://www.heritage.gov.pk/html_Pages/history1.html History Through The Centuries] National Fund for Cultural Heritage website, Retrieved 30 April 2020</ref>

== Awards and honours ==
Despite being the first Muslim student of Banaras Hindu University, Dani also scored highest in the graduation exams and received the J. K. Gold Medal from that university in 1944.<ref name=TFT/> Among the national awards, Dani received [[Sitara-e-Imtiaz]] in 1969, Aizaz-e-Kamal in 1992 and [[Hilal-e-Imtiaz]] in 2000 from the [[Government of Pakistan]]. In 2004, he was awarded the title of 'Distinguished National Professor' by the [[Higher Education Commission (Pakistan)|Higher Education Commission]] in recognition of his contributions and achievements.

Internationally, his services in archaeology, linguistics and ancient history were commended through various prestigious honours and awards such as:
* 2000 [[Hilal-e-Imtiaz]] (Crescent of Excellence) Award, [[Government of Pakistan]]<ref name=TFT/><ref name=heritage>[http://www.heritage.gov.pk/html_Pages/C.V.%20of%20.Dani.htm Awards List for Ahmad Hasan Dani on heritage.gov.pk website] Retrieved 30 April 2020</ref>
* 1998 [[Légion d'honneur]], [[President of the French Republic]]<ref name="joffe" />
* 1997 Aristotle Silver Medal, [[UNESCO]]<ref name=heritage/>
* 1996 [[Bundesverdienstkreuz|Order of the Merit]], [[Government of Germany]]<ref name=heritage/>
* 1994 Knight Commander, [[Government of Italy]]<ref name=heritage/>
* 1990 [[Palmes Academiques]], [[Government of France]]
* 1986 Gold Medal, [[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]<ref name=heritage/>
* 1969 [[Sitara-i-Imtiaz]] (Star of Excellence) Award by the [[Government of Pakistan]]<ref name=heritage/>

== Publications ==
Ahmad Hasan Dani had more than 30 published books and numerous journal articles to his credit. He spoke 35 languages and dialects, and was fluent in [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[French language|French]], [[Hindi]], [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]], [[Marathi language|Marathi]], [[Pashto language|Pashto]], [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Seraiki language|Seraiki]], [[Sindhi language|Sindhi]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]] and [[Urdu]] languages.<ref name="khan" /><ref name=TFT/> He also published various texts in most of these languages.

=== Books ===
* History of Pakistan: Pakistan through ages. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 2007. {{ISBN|978-9693520200}}
* Historic City of [[Taxila]]. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 2001. {{ISBN|978-9693509472}}
* History of Northern Areas of Pakistan (Up to 2000 AD). Sang-e-Meel Publications. 2001. {{ISBN|978-9693512311}}
* Romance of the [[Khyber Pass]]. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 1997. {{ISBN|978-9693507195}}
* New Light on [[Central Asia]]. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 1996. {{ISBN|978-9693502947}}
* Central Asia Today. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 1996. {{ISBN|978-9693507065}}
* Human Records on [[Karakorum Highway]]. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 1995. {{ISBN|978-9693506464}}
* [[Peshawar]]: Historic City of the Frontier. Sang-e-Meel Publications, (2nd Revised edition). 1995. {{ISBN|978-9693505542}}
* [[A Short History of Pakistan]], Book One: Pre-Muslim Period. [[University of Karachi]]. (3 editions, 1967, 1984, 1992). {{ISBN|969-404-008-6}}
* History of Northern Areas of Pakistan (Historical studies). National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research. 1989. {{ISBN|978-9694150161}}
* 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. {{ISBN|978-4896565003}}
* [[Chilas]]: The City of [[Nanga Parbat|Nanga Parvat]] (Dyamar). 1983. ASIN B0000CQDB2
* [[Thatta]]: [[Islamic architecture]]. Institute of Islamic History, Culture & Civilization. 1982. ASIN B0000CQD43
* Indus Civilization: New Perspectives. Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. 1981
* [[Abu Rayhan Biruni|Alberuni]]'s Indica: A record of the cultural history of South Asia about A.D. 1030. University of Islamabad Press, Islamabad. 1973
* 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 V.M. Masson (eds.), ''History of Civilizations of Central Asia'', [[Unesco]], [[Paris]]. 1992- (6 volumes) {{ISBN|9231027190}} (v.1)

== See also ==
* [[Sindhology]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.heritage.gov.pk/html_Pages/C.V.%20of%20.Dani.htm Dani's Profile] at [http://www.heritage.gov.pk/ National Fund for Cultural Heritage], Pakistan.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dani, Ahmad Hasan}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:2009 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of London]]
[[Category:Banaras Hindu University alumni]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Asiatic Society]]
[[Category:Pakistani archaeologists]]
[[Category:Pakistani people of Kashmiri descent]]
[[Category:Pakistani scholars of Pakistan studies]]
[[Category:Pakistani scientists]]
[[Category:Quaid-i-Azam University faculty]]
[[Category:Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz]]
[[Category:University of Dhaka faculty]]
[[Category:University of Peshawar faculty]]
[[Category:20th-century archaeologists]]

Ahmad Hasan Dani - Revision history

->SdkbBot at 23:29, 2 January 2022