Jary

Dr. Abdul Samad is a highly accomplished Presidential Civil Award-Winning professional archaeologist from Pakistan with both academic and professional credentials. He holds a Ph.D. from the Free University Berlin (Freie Universität Berlin), Germany, and had a Fulbright postdoctoral post at the University of Wisconsin, USA. Dr. Samad has over two decades of experience in the field, and completed several successful projects.

Dr. Samad's career includes almost a decade of teaching at Hazara University, after which he assumed the role of Director of the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums for the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. He oversees thirteen museums and the preservation and management of over five thousand archaeological sites.

Dr. Samad's professional journey involves an array of national and international projects, such as directing the conservation of the Gor Khatri Western Gate and Sethi House in Peshawar, funded by the Gerda Henkel Stiftung; he also co-directs the preservation of the World Heritage Site, Takht-i-Bahi, supported by the US State Department. He has also undertaken projects on the Kalash culture, collaborated with institutions such as the British Council and the University of Leicester, and contributed to research on Gandhara Jataka stories in partnership with Wilfrid Laurier University.

Dr. Samad now serves as the Director of General of Archaeology and Museums Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He is dedicated to establishing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a hub for religious tourism and research center, aiming to enhance bilateral relations and boost Pakistan's tourism sector, leading to economic benefits that will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the cultural heritage of the region.