Pakistan is home to the ancient city of Taxila, a major center of Buddhist learning near Islamabad.
Taxila is an archaeological site in Pakistan’s Punjab province, about 30 kilometres northwest of Islamabad. The area contains remains from several successive settlements, including Bhir Mound, Sirkap and Sirsukh.
Its location at the junction of important routes helped Taxila become a center of trade, administration and scholarship. The region was influenced by the Achaemenids, Alexander the Great’s successors, the Mauryan Empire and the Kushan Empire.
Taxila is strongly associated with Buddhist education and Gandharan art. However, the popular claim that it was a single university comparable to a modern campus is an oversimplification; ancient learning was distributed among institutions, teachers and monasteries. The UNESCO World Heritage site includes the city ruins and nearby Buddhist monuments.