Heritage preserved

The preservation of the variegated cultural heritage of Pakistan is not something that has received the attention that it should, and the majority of reports relating to cultural heritage are in the negative rather than the positive. This is particularly true of the built environment, which suffers neglect wherever one looks. It was not so long ago that it was being seriously proposed that the ruins of Mohenjo Daro be reburied before they deteriorated any further. Thus it is heartening to see that there has been a major conservation effort carried out in Lahore that achieved the impossible by coming in about 25 per cent under budget.

Conservation work has been finished on the Shahi Hammam in Delhi Gate which has involved the restoration of 900 buildings and 157 shops along what has been dubbed the Royal Trail. The work has been conducted by the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA), which has spent nearly Rs520 million on the job. The money came from a generous donation by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Aga Khan Cultural Services, Pakistan. Work was completed to international standards and included the removal of encroachments that in parts were 138-year-old. Water, sewer, gas and electrical ducts have been laid underground and the site is now restored to a condition that will attract local and international tourism. This has been a complex and difficult operation, and it is a credit to all concerned that it has been brought to such a successful conclusion. We wish it well for the future — we also wish that similar initiatives could be successfully concluded in the Thatta Necropolis, Derawar Fort (which is literally falling apart by the day) and the shrines and structures at Uch Sharif to name but three. Pakistan is a country strewn with ancient structures and artefacts, from the pre-historic rock engravings at Chilas to the Buddha in Gilgit to the stupas in the Swat valley. Cultural tourism is enjoying a global boom and Pakistan has much that could be showcased were it restored and marketed appropriately. This is a welcome beginning in Lahore.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st,  2015.

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