Sirkap The main road at Sirkap Sirkap is the name of an archaeological site on the bank opposite to the city of Taxila , Punjab , Pakistan . The city of Sirkap was built by the Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius after he invaded India around 180 BC . Demetrius founded in the northern and northwestern Indian subcontinent an Indo-Greek kingdom that was to last until around 10 BC . Sirkap is also said to have been rebuilt by king Menander I . A Greek city The Greco-Bactrian king Demetrius ( r.c. 200 - 180 BC ) , founder of Sirkap . A Nereid riding a Ketos sea-monster , stone palette , Sirkap , 2nd century BC . . The site of Sirkap was built according to the `` Hippodamian '' grid-plan characteristic of Greek cities ( See : Sky view of Sirkap ) . It is organized around one main avenue and fifteen perpendicular streets , covering a surface of around 1200x400 meters , with a surrounding wall 5-7 meters wide and 4.8 kilometers long . The ruins are Greek in character , similar to those of Olynthus in Macedonia . Numerous Hellenistic artifacts have been found , in particular coins of Greco-Bactrian kings and stone palettes representing Greek mythological scenes . Some of them are purely Hellenistic , others indicate an evolution of the Greco-Bactrian styles found at Ai-Khanoum towards more indianized styles . For example , accessories such as Indian ankle bracelets can be found on some representations of Greek mythological figures such as Artemis . Following its construction by the Greeks , the city was further rebuilt during the incursions of the Indo-Scythians , and later by the Indo-Parthians after an earthquake in 30 CE . Religious buildings Remains of an Ionic column at Jandial . The Greek-style stupa in Sirkap Reconstitution of a Buddhist stupa in Sirkap , Taxila , in perfect Hellenistic style . Buddhist stupas with strong Hellenistic decorative elements can be found throughout the Sirkap site , as well as a Hindu temple , indicating a close interaction of religious cultures . A Greek religious temple of the Ionic order is also visible at the nearby site of Jandial ( 650 meters from Sirkap ) , but there is a possibility that it may have been dedicated to a Zoroastrian cult . The site of Sirkap bears witness to the city-building activity of the Indo-Greeks during their occupation of the Indian territory for close to two centuries , as well as their integration of other faiths , especially Buddhism . Visit by Apollonius of Tyana The Greek philosopher Apollonius of Tyana is related to have visited India , and specifically the city of Taxila in the 1st century CE. He describes constructions of the Greek type , probably referring to Sirkap : `` Taxila , they tell us , is about as big as Nineveh , and was fortified fairly well after the manner of Greek cities '' `` I have already described the way in which the city is walled , but they say that it was divided up into narrow streets in the same irregular manner as in Athens , and that the houses were built in such a way that if you look at them from outside they had only one story , while if you went into one of them , you at once found subterranean chambers extending as far below the level of the earth as did the chambers above . `` Notes ^ ( Life of Apollonius Tyana , II 20 ) ^ ( Life of Apollonius Tyana , II 23 ) See also Greco-Buddhism History of Buddhism Taxila External links The Sirkap archeological site Categories : History of Pakistan | Ancient Greeks in Asia | Ancient Greek sites in Pakistan In other languages : Svenska 