  taxila () is a town and an important archaeological site in rawalpindi district of the punjab province in pakistan. taxila is situated about  north-west of islamabad and rawalpindi; just off the famous grand trunk road. the town lies  above sea level. it is the headquarters of the taxila tehsil in rawalpindi district. ancient taxila (, meaning "city of cut stone" or "rock of taksha") was situated at the pivotal junction of south asia, western asia and central asia. some of the earliest ruins in this area date to the time of the achaemenid or persian empire in 6th century bc. owing to its strategic location, taxila has changed hands many times over the centuries, with many empires vying for its control. when the great ancient trade routes connecting these regions ceased to be important, the city sank into insignificance and was finally destroyed by the nomadic huns in the 5th century ce. renowned archaeologist sir alexander cunningham rediscovered the ruins of taká¹£aÅilÄ in mid-19th century. in 1980, taxila was declared a unesco world heritage site.unesco world heritage site, 1980. taxila: multiple locations. retrieved 13 january 2007. in 2006 it was ranked as the top tourist destination in pakistan by the guardian newspaper.{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2006/oct/17/pakistan?page=all | wor
Ancient_Greek_sites_in_Pakistan Ancient_universities_of_the_Indian_subcontinent Archaeological_sites_in_Pakistan Buddhism_in_Pakistan Buddhist_sites_in_Pakistan Former_populated_places_in_Pakistan Gandhara History_of_Pakistan Indo-Parthian_kingdom Locations_in_Hindu_mythology Populated_places_along_the_Silk_Road Populated_places_in_Rawalpindi_District Taxila World_Heritage_Sites_in_Pakistan