Editing Sirkap

{{short description|Archaeological site near Taxila, Punjab, Pakistan}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name           = Sirkap
{{nq|سرکپ}}
| native_name    =
| alternate_name = 
| image          = Double-Headed Eagle Stupa at Sirkap 06.jpg
| alt   = 
| caption        = Double-Headed Eagle Stupa at Sirkap<br/>{{OSM Location map
| coord = {{coord|33.7561|N|72.8292|E}}   <!-- Map center -->
| float = center
| zoom = 13
| width = 320 <!-- width and height of the frame. numeric input - do not add px -->
| height = 260
| caption = {{center|Taxila archaeological sites}}
<!-- Hathial -->
| mark-coord1 = {{coord|33.75|N|72.825|E}}
| mark1 = Unesco Cultural Heritage logo.svg
| mark-size1 = 20
| label1 = Hathial
| label-size1 = 10
| label-color1 = red
| label-pos1 = right
| mark-title1 = [[Hathial]]
| mark-image1 =
| mark-description1 = Taxila, 1000–400 BCE
<!-- Bhir Mound -->
| mark-coord2 = {{coord|33.7433894|N|72.819614|E}}
| mark2 = Unesco Cultural Heritage logo.svg
| mark-size2 = 20
| label2 = Bhir Mound
| label-size2 = 10
| label-color2 = red
| label-pos2 = left
| mark-title2 = [[Bhir Mound]]
| mark-image2 =
| mark-description2 = Taxila, 400–0 BCE
<!-- Sirkap -->
| mark-coord3 = {{coord|33.757669|N|72.829332|E}}
| mark3 = Unesco Cultural Heritage logo.svg
| mark-size3 = 20
| label3 = Sirkap
| label-size3 = 10
| label-color3 = red
| label-pos3 = right
| mark-title3 = Sirkap
| mark-image3 =
| mark-description3 = Taxila, 180 BCE–
<!-- Sirsukh -->
| mark-coord4 = {{coord|33.772600|N|72.847922|E}} 
| mark4 = Unesco Cultural Heritage logo.svg
| mark-size4 = 20
| label4 = Sirsukh
| label-size4 = 10
| label-color4 = red
| label-pos4 = left
| mark-title4 = [[Sirsukh]]
| mark-image4 =
| mark-description4 = Taxila, 80 CE–
}}
| map_type       = Pakistan#Gandhara
| map_alt        = 
| map_size       = 
| relief         = yes
| coordinates    = {{coord|33.757669|N|72.829332|E|display=inline,title}}
| location       = 
| region         = 
| type           = Settlement
| part_of        = 
| length         = 
| width          = 
| area           = 
| height         = 
| builder        = 
| material       = 
| built          = 
| abandoned      = 
| epochs         = <!-- actually displays as "Periods" -->
| cultures       = [[Gandhara]], [[Indo-Greek]]
| dependency_of  = 
| occupants      = 
| event          = 
| excavations    = 
| archaeologists = [[John Marshall (archaeologist)|Sir John Marshall]]
| condition      = 
| ownership      = 
| management     = 
| public_access  = 
| website        = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| notes          = 
| designation1            = WHS
| designation1_offname    = '''Taxila'''
| designation1_type       = 
| designation1_criteria   = iii, iv
| designation1_date       = 1980
| delisted1_date          =
| designation1_number     =139
| designation1_free1name  = 
| designation1_free1value = 
}}
'''Sirkap''' ([[Urdu]] and {{langx|pnb|{{nq|سرکپ}}}}) is the name of an [[archaeological site]] on the bank opposite to the city of [[Taxila]], [[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]].

The city of Sirkap was built by the [[Greco-Bactrian]] king [[Demetrius I of Bactria|Demetrius]] after he invaded modern-day [[Pakistan]] around 180 BC. Demetrius founded an [[Indo-Greek]] kingdom that was to last until around 10 BC. Sirkap is also said to have been rebuilt by king [[Menander I]]. 

==Archaeological excavations==
[[File:Map of Sirkap excavations 1918.jpg|thumb|Map of Sirkap excavations.]]
The excavation of the old city was carried out under the supervision of [[John Marshall (archaeologist)|Sir John Marshall]] by Hergrew from 1912–1930. In 1944 and 1945 further parts were excavated by [[Mortimer Wheeler]] and his colleagues. Most of the discoveries at Sirkap related to the [[Indo-Scythian]] and [[Indo-Parthian]] periods (1st-2nd century CE). Overall excavations to the Greek levels have been very limited, and probably much remains hidden underground: in Sirkap, only about one eighth of the excavations were made down to the Indo-Greek and early [[Indo-Scythian]] levels, and this only in an area far removed from the center of the ancient city, where few discoveries could be expected.<ref name="JS39">{{cite book |last1=Siudmak |first1=John |title=The Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Ancient Kashmir and its Influences |date=2013 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-24832-8 |pages=39–43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yVft0FqSxc0C&pg=PA39 |language=en}}</ref>

==Greek city==
[[File:Demetrius I of Bactria.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Greco-Bactrian]] king [[Demetrius I of Bactria|Demetrius]] (r.c. 200–180 BC), founder of Sirkap.]]
[[File:IndoGreekArtifactsDrawings.JPG|thumb|300px|Main archaeological artifacts from the Indo-Greek strata at [[Taxila]]. From top, left:
*Fluted vase with bead and reel design (Bhir Mound, stratum 1)
*Cup with rosace and decorative scroll (Bhir Mound, stratum 1)
*[[Stone palette]] with individual on a couch being crowned by standing woman, and served (Sirkap, stratum 5)
*Handle with double depiction of a philosopher (Sirkap, stratum 5/4)
*Woman with smile (Sirkap, stratum 5)
*Man with moustache (Sirkap, stratum 5)
(Source: [[John Marshall (archaeologist)|John Marshall]] "Taxila, Archaeological excavations").]]
The site of Sirkap was built according to the "[[Hippodamian]]" grid-plan characteristic of Greek cities. It is organized around one main avenue and fifteen perpendicular streets, covering a surface of around {{convert|1200|x|400|m|sp=us}}, with a surrounding wall {{convert|5|-|7|m|sp=us}} wide and {{convert|4.8|km|sp=us}} long. The ruins are Greek in character, similar to those of [[Olynthus]] in [[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]].

Numerous Hellenistic artifacts have been found, in particular coins of Greco-Bactrian kings and stone palettes representing Greek mythological scenes. Some of them are purely Hellenistic, others indicate an evolution of the [[Greco-Bactrian]] styles found at [[Ai-Khanoum]] towards more indianized styles. For example, accessories such as Indian ankle bracelets can be found on some representations of Greek mythological figures such as [[Artemis]].

Following its construction by the Greeks, the city was further rebuilt during the incursions of the [[Indo-Scythians]], and later by the [[Indo-Parthians]] after an earthquake in 30 AD. [[Gondophares]], the first king of the [[Indo-Parthian Kingdom]], built parts of the city including the double headed eagle stupa and the temple of the sun god. The city was overtaken by the [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]] kings who abandoned it and built a new city at [[Sirsukh]], about {{convert|1.5|km|abbr=on}} to the north-east.

<gallery widths="150px" heights="150px" perrow="4">
File:NereidAndKetos.JPG|A [[Nereid]] riding a [[Ketos]] sea-monster, stone palette, Sirkap, 2nd century BC.
File:Sirkap Harpocrates Late Hellenistic.jpg|[[Harpocrates]], Late Hellenistic, Sirkap.
File:Head of Dyonisus Sirkap.jpg|Head of [[Dionysus]], Sirkap
File:Frontal Dionysus Sirkap.jpg|Dionysus, Sirkap.
File:Couple from Taxila IV.jpg|Statue of a [[Hellenistic]] couple, Sirkap.
</gallery>

==Religious buildings==
[[Buddhist]] [[stupa]]s with strong [[Hellenistic]] decorative elements can be found throughout the Sirkap site (Stupa of the two eagles [https://web.archive.org/web/20061021053629/http://www.web.virginia.edu/asianarc/public/taxila/eagle02.jpg] indicating a close interaction of religious cultures. A Greek religious temple of the [[Ionic order]] is also visible at the nearby site of [[Jandial]] ({{convert|650|m|sp=us}} from Sirkap), but there is a possibility that it may have been dedicated to a [[Zoroastrian]] cult. A temple of Buddhist goddess [[Hariti]] with hellenistic decoration was also found.

The site of Sirkap bears witness to the city-building activity of the [[Indo-Greeks]] during their occupation of the Indian territory for close to two centuries, as well as their integration of other faiths, especially Buddhism.

===Round stupa===
One round Stupa is present at Sirkap. It is one of the oldest Stupas in the Indian-Subcontinent. It is assumed that this Stupa was uprooted and thrown to its present location by a strong earthquake in the 1st century AD. When the new city was built later, the Stupa was kept by building a protecting wall around it.
[[File:SirkapRoundStupa.JPG|thumb| The round Stupa at Sirkap.]]

===Apsidal Temple===
The building that is known as the Apsidal Temple is the largest sanctuary of Sirkap, measuring about {{convert|70|by|40|m|sp=us}} (by contrast: the Parthenon in Athens is {{convert|70|by|31|m|sp=us}}). The Apsidal Temple consists of a square nave with several rooms, used by the Buddhist monks, and a circular room, which gives the building its apsidal shape. After the earthquake that destroyed the city in c. 30 AD, the Buddhist shrine was built in a spacious courtyard. The round part was probably in use for a small stupa, but no traces of it remain. Some carvings were probably done by an artist from Greece.
[[File:Round room of Apsidal Temple.jpg|thumb| The round room of the Apsidal Temple.]]

===Double-Headed Eagle Stupa===
A special Stupa at Sirkap is the so-called 'Double-Headed Eagle Stupa'. The pilasters here are of a Greek design, "Corinthian columns". In the middle arch, a Greek temple is shown; in the outer, a shrine of a Hindu design can be seen. On top of these sanctuaries, a [[Double-headed eagle]] is seated from which the name of the Stupa has been derived. This motif is rather odd, to say the least, as it is originally [[Babylonia|Babylonian]]. It seems to have spread to [[Scythia]], and introduced in the [[Punjab]] by the [[Saka]] rulers.

===Dharmarajika Stupa===
The nearby [[Dharmarajika Stupa]], is a large [[stupa]] that dates from the 2nd century CE.<ref name=gounesco>{{cite web|title=Dharmarajika: The Great Stupa of Taxila|url=http://www.gounesco.com/dharmarajika-great-stupa-of-taxila/|website=GoUNESCO|publisher=UNESCO|access-date=22 June 2017|date=1 September 2016|archive-date=20 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420110627/https://www.gounesco.com/dharmarajika-great-stupa-of-taxila/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The stupa was built to house relics of the [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]],<ref name=scarre>{{cite book|last1=Scarre|first1=Geoffrey|last2=Coningham|first2=Robin|title=Appropriating the Past: Philosophical Perspectives on the Practice of Archaeology|date=2013|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521196062|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=djEKducJvNAC&q=dharmarajika+taxila+relics&pg=PA290|access-date=22 June 2017}}</ref> while several monastic buildings were built around the stupa.

==Visit by Apollonius of Tyana==
The Greek philosopher [[Apollonius of Tyana]] is related to have visited ancient India, and specifically the city of [[Taxila]] in the 1st century AD. He describes constructions of the Greek type, probably referring to Sirkap:

:"Taxila, they tell us, is about as big as [[Nineveh]], and was fortified fairly well after the manner of Greek cities".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_2_16.html#§20 |title=(Life of Apollonius Tyana, II 20) |access-date=26 March 2020 |archive-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310044312/https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_2_16.html#§20 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

:"I have already described the way in which the city is walled, but they say that it was divided up into narrow streets in the same irregular manner as in Athens, and that the houses were built in such a way that if you look at them from outside they had only one story, while if you went into one of them, you at once found subterranean chambers extending as far below the level of the earth as did the chambers above."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_2_21.html#§23 |title=(Life of Apollonius Tyana, II 23) |access-date=26 March 2020 |archive-date=10 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310023858/https://www.livius.org/ap-ark/apollonius/life/va_2_21.html#§23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:SirkapWell.JPG|A well at Sirkap.
File:SirkapJainTemple.JPG|A [[Jain Temple]] at Sirkap.
File:Jain Stupa - Sirkap.JPG|A possible Jain Stupa.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bronkhorst |first1=Johannes |title=How the Brahmins Won: From Alexander to the Guptas |date=2016 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9789004315518 |page=466 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=muAzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA466 |language=en}}</ref>
File:SirkapApsidalTemple.JPG|The Apsidal Temple at Sirkap.
File:SirkapCity.JPG|Streets of the Sirkap City.
File:SirkapFirstCenturyBCStupa.JPG|A Stupa from the 1st century BC.
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Bhir Mound]]
* [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sirkap+Remains/@33.7573184,72.825889,1048m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x38dfa46aa5ebff3f:0xd4295cf8d235174c!8m2!3d33.7576731!4d72.8293347?hl=en Google Map images of the site]

==References==
<references/>
* {{citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pNUwBYGYgxsC|title=The Grandeur of Gandhara: The Ancient Buddhist Civilization of the Swat, Peshawar, Kabul and Indus Valleys|first=Rafi U. |last=Samad|publisher=Algora Publishing|date=2011|isbn=9780875868592}}

{{commons category|Sirkap}}

==External links==

{{-}}
{{Gandhara|state=expanded}}
{{Archaeological sites in Taxila |state=expanded}}

[[Category:Bactrian and Indian Hellenistic colonies]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Buddhist sites in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Taxila Tehsil]]
[[Category:1st-century BC Jain temples]]