Tapa Sardar, also written Tepe Sardar, is a ruined Buddhist monastery and stupa complex southeast of Ghazni. Before Ghazni became famous as an Islamic capital, this area sat within a much older Buddhist world linking Afghanistan to Gandhara, India, and Central Asia.
The site is archaeologically important for its clay sculpture and layered artistic phases, but it is not a developed visitor attraction. Only consider going with current local security advice and someone who knows the area. For travellers interested in Afghanistan's pre-Islamic history, it is one of the strongest reasons to look beyond the city's medieval Islamic monuments.