The excavation work for this year of the historic site was inaugurated yesterday jointly by Frank Fosdtad, deputy managing director of GrameenPhone, Prof Sufi Mostafizur Rahman of Jahangirnagar University and Habibullah Pathan, a local researcher.

Emad Ul Ameen, director, Human Resources, and Bidyut Kumar Basu, Head of Customer Management Division of GrameenPhone, were present at the ceremony.

Wari-Bateshwar, a promising archaeological site, has been discovered in Narsingdi. Historically important 'Second Urbanisation' emerged at Wari-Bateshwar region during the early historic period (c. 500 BC).

This location was linked to the overseas trade, which touched South-East Asia at one end and the Roman World on the other. In addition, the discovery of Chalcolithic Culture (Pit dwelling, Black-&-Red Ware) last year is the first of its kind in Bangladesh.

Hanif Pathan, a local schoolteacher, first discovered the historical site in the 1930s. A team of the Archaeological Department of Jahangirnagar University started scientific excavation of the site in 2002. The team was lead by Prof Sufi Mostafizur Rahman.

Excavation of this site is expected to unearth a wealth of information about our past glory and emergence of civilization in the world context.