Mansehra Rock Edicts, Archaeological inscriptions in Mansehra, Pakistan.
The Mansehra Rock Edicts comprise fourteen texts carved into three large boulders using an ancient script system. The stones sit in a valley surrounded by high mountains and are now sheltered by protective roofs to prevent weather damage.
The texts were ordered into stone during the third century before the common era and are named after their location. They formed part of a larger collection of inscriptions distributed across different regions of an ancient empire.
The carvings show how an ancient ruler chose to preserve his messages directly in stone for future generations to read. This practice was unusual at the time and suggests the texts held meaning for the local population living in the surrounding region.
The site sits in a mountainous area and can be reached by paths running through the valley below. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear since the ground is uneven and reaching the boulders involves some walking across terrain.
The stones hold some of the oldest known written records from the region and show how people preserved their thoughts in that era. Some of the carved characters are now barely readable since weathering has worn at them over thousands of years.
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