Kim Bong-ryeol
The author is an architect and former president of Korea National University of Arts.
When Alexander the Great reached the Taxila region of present-day Pakistan in 326 B.C., his forces grew weary of the fierce resistance from local inhabitants and the oppressive heat. He turned back toward Babylon, but many Greeks who had followed the campaign settled in the area. In 180 B.C., Demetrius I of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom founded the city of Sirkap as its major center. The city flourished as an international hub until the Kushan Empire conquered it in the third century.

Archaeological investigations that began in the 1930s revealed only about one-fifth of the site. The fortified city was surrounded by walls stretching 4.8 kilometers (2.98 miles), with an interior laid out in a rigid grid plan following the Hippodamian system, first developed in the Aegean city of Miletus. This Hellenistic urban planning was realized on South Asian soil. The excavated section runs roughly 1.2 kilometers north to south and 400 meters (1,312 feet) east to west, forming the main urban corridor.
Shops were lined along the straight central avenue, interspersed with various temples. A large building at one end of the main road is believed to have been a royal palace. Numerous Buddhist stupas were constructed across the site. An Ionic-style structure near the main gate is thought to have been a Zoroastrian temple. Relics also include a large temple comparable in size to the Parthenon, remains of a Jain temple and a mysterious "Double-Headed Eagle Temple." A massive sundial has led scholars to suggest links to the sun-worshipping Mithraic cult.
Alongside Buddhist and Jain structures stood temples of Greek paganism, Roman Mithraism and Persian Zoroastrianism. These diverse faiths coexisted along the main boulevard, making Sirkap a true cosmopolis of its time.
The architectural base structures were Greek, while the upper elements of stupas showed Indian influence. Excavations uncovered Greek-style furniture alongside Indian ivory carvings, Greek coins with Indian jewelry and household objects blending artistic techniques from multiple civilizations. A dish inscribed in Hebrew, Greek and Sanskrit was also found.
Apollonius of Tyana, a Greek philosopher who visited the site, wrote that the city was "as large as Nineveh," praising its size and cosmopolitan character. Today, the vast ruins of Sirkap stand as living proof of a Hellenistic civilization that stood at the crossroads of the East and West.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

Ver todos los episodios