Essanoor Associates

The Swat Valley, known in early Buddhist sources as Uddiyāna and Orgyan, is shaped by fertile alluvial soil, abundant groundwater, and a climate that has long supported subsistence farming alongside local markets. Systems of both food and healing function here as a living archive: linking timelines, eras, religions, and people through cultivation, cooking, and care.

So excited to share how we experienced this land together as an artist, a chef, an anthropologist, and a photographer through food, memory, and making.

Music: Pashto Folk Song on Rabab by

The Wild Grains and Sacred Herbs Residency is an initiative of Heritage of the Swat Valley - a collaborative project led by Essanoor Associates in partnership with the Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan (ISMEO / Ca’ Foscari University of Venice) , The Heritage Management Organization , and the Directorate General of Archaeology & Museums, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa .

Funded by the Cultural Protection Fund. With special thanks to Serena Hotels for their support of the residency.

Credits:

We’re proud to share the successful digitization of the historic Brahmanical Temple site in Swat, a ground-breaking project that virtually preserves one of Pakistan’s remarkable archaeological treasures using advanced digital technologies.

This multidisciplinary effort brought together experts in architecture, conservation, digitization, heritage management, and photography.
Combining national and international expertise to safeguard our shared cultural legacy.

Recognized by the Archaeological Institute of America’s journal Archaeology as one of the Top 10 Discoveries of 2022, the site stands as a testament to Pakistan’s vibrant heritage and history.

This initiative was carried out under the ALIPH Foundation Project: “Saving the Archaeological Site of Bazira, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan”, operated by ISMEO (Italian Archaeological Mission) and led by Dr. Luca Maria Olivieri and Dr. Elisa Iori, in collaboration with Essanoor Associates (Shoaib Muhammad, Kashif Essa, Maryam Shah, Zobia Tanveer, Shahina Musa (CIQAM), and Shams Uddin).

📸 Together, we’re preserving the past for future generations !

Directorate General of Archaeology & Museums, KP