Taxila is about 35 kms. from Islamabad. It is one of subcontinent's most important archaeological treasures, with the remains of three great cities and dozens of Buddhist monasteries dating from 600 BC to 600 AD. Alexander the Great visited Taxila in 326 BC. Taxila was the principal university town of Gandhara, a kingdom of northern Pakistan from the sixth century BC to the 11th century AD.