Dr. Zubaida Yousaf
Lecturer-cum-Assistant Curator
SSAQ Museum of Archaeology & Ethnolog | University of Peshawar
I serve as Assistant Curator‑cum‑Lecturer at the SSAQ Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Department of Archaeology, University of Peshawar. I hold a PhD in Gandhāra Art, and as custodian of an archaeological museum, the uniqueness of my role lies in engaging in academic and scholarly dialogue with international visitors and researchers who come to explore our collections. Alongside teaching and research, I have presented my work at national and international conferences and workshops, including the South Asian Studies Conference in Wisconsin. I was nominated for the International Visitor Leadership Program of the U.S. State Department, and as a trainee in the project Digitization of Gandhāran Artifacts (DIGA), a collaboration between the Directorate General of Archaeology and Museums and Ruhr University, Germany, I was nominated to attend the final workshop at Ruhr University. My professional focus reflects a deep commitment to safeguarding the region’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. I observe that while institutions remain largely focused on conserving the past, equal attention must be devoted to sustaining the living traditions of the present, which are rapidly fading under the pressures of globalization.
I earned my Master’s degree with distinction from the Department of Archaeology, University of Peshawar, and later completed my PhD in Gandhāra Art from the same department.
In 2024, I was honored to be selected for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) titled Safeguarding Culture and Heritage. I am also a member of the Advisory Board for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Antiquities Act 2025.
I take particular pride in the Department of Archaeology, University of Peshawar, signing an agreement under the Erasmus+ Mobility Program with the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. Through this student exchange initiative, two PhD scholars from the Department of Archaeology have been sent to CERES for a six‑month semester of study and research.
- Tracing The British Legacy in Khyber, A Study of The Ali Masjid Fort, Migration Letters, Vol. 21, issue No. 7 ,May 2024. Link
- Mughal Monuments at Palosi Piran, Peshawar: Report on Its Recent Conservation and Restoration 2021-22 (Co-author), Pakistan Heritage, Vol. 16, 2024. Link
- Feminine Charm and Adornments A Survey of Selected Female Figures (Co-author), Pakistan Heritage, Vol. 15, 2023. Link
- Narrative Relief Panels from Amlukdara (Swat), Excavation 2019 2020: Reidentification and Reinterpretation. Pakistan Heritage, Vol. 14, 2022. Link
- Tracing the Traditions of Sartorial Art in Indo-Pak Sub-Continent, Pakistan Heritage, Vol. 12, 2020. Link
- Tripartite Cape of Buddha, a case study of a stucco bust from shnaisha site, Swat-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gandharan Studies, Vol. 13, 2019. Link