Role of local legends in the protection and preservation of heritage sites: A study based on the recently documented legends from Hazara Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan

Abstract

ABSTRACT Legends - the folk stories of the local community - play a vital role in archaeological investigations. Many times these stories have led to important archaeological discoveries, and some have helped archaeologists to interpret the data. Local legends frequently act to safeguard sites, even though they may also destroy them. After addressing the concept of community archaeology to clarify the meaning of community engagement in archaeological projects, this article focuses on the role of legends in the protection of archaeological sites. A total of four sites all located in Hazara Division of Pakistan were selected for the present study. The legends associated with these sites narrate tragedies (that occurred during illegal digging at these sites. And, having strong belief in these legends, the local community do not dare to damage to these sites. Thus, this article argues that these sites remain in a better state of preservation as compared to other sites due to the influence of local legends.