Museums conference: ‘Use 3D models for online publicity of historical sites’
Archaeologist says his research shows people outside of the Punjab are better aware of their regional histories
Archaeologist says his research shows people outside of the Punjab are better aware of their regional histories. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
Online publicity of museums and historical sites using models generated through 3D technology could help make these sites popular across the globe, Attique Hashmi of the Heritage 360 project said on Sunday.
He was speaking at a session on the second of the All Pakistan Museums’ Conference.
He said the project was a joint effort by the Lahore University of Management and Sciences (LUMS) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to create digital models of various historical sites using laser scanning technology. He said the technology was being used all over the world to create 3D replicas of such sites because of its ability to capture precise details in the design and features of the sites. Hashmi said they had already created digital models for the Wazir Khan Masjid and the Derawar Fort in the Punjab, the Khudabad Masjid and the Temple of Shiva Johi in Sindh and Takht Bahi and Stupa at Julian in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“International tourism has declined in the country because of the security situation. By putting these models online, we can show the people in other countries what they’re missing out on and compel them to visit these sites,” he said.
Hashmi said display of these models online could also help increase domestic visitors to these sites.
Apart from their use as a publicity tool, he said 3D models could also aid preservation efforts at historical sites. “The 3D models are very accurate and capture minute details. They can be used to preserve the sites in their present conditions,” he said.
Akhtar Rafi, director of insects section at the Islamabad Museum of Natural Sciences, briefed the audience about the insect collection at the museum. He said studying insects could be helpful in understanding how the region had evolved over time. He stressed the need to preserve several endangered insect species.
Archaeologist Muzzafar Ahmed said his research had shown that people outside of the Punjab were better aware of their regional histories. Citing the example of Jain Mandir’s destruction, he said it appeared most Punjabis were not interested in knowing about their region’s past. He said several people he interviewed in the vicinity of temple had taken pride in the destruction of the building. “Some were simply unaware of the historical significance of these sites,” he said.
“Studying the history of the ancient civilisations in the region can help us better understand our cultural heritage. This heritage has accumulated over centuries,” he said.
Ahmed said houses in most villages were still built on the same pattern as those in the time of the Harrapa civilisation. He said excavations at the site of Harrapa had confirmed this. “There is no contradiction between our religion and our regional history,” he said.
He stressed the need to arrange for displaying artifacts recovered from archeological sites at villages across the country. “This will create a sense of pride and ownership of our history among the residents,” he said. He said efforts should be undertaken to teach children about the history of those artifacts through interactive methods.
Museums’ Association of Pakistan general secretary Mian Attique Ahmed said the need to form an association was felt in the aftermath of the devolution of Archaeology Departments to the provinces. He said this had been seen as an unfavourable move by stakeholders. He said the association was formed for stakeholders to get together and discuss their ideas for museums. The conference, hosted by the COMSATS Institute of Science and Technology and the MAP, is part of events being held at the Pakistan-China Business Forum underway in the city.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2016.
Online publicity of museums and historical sites using models generated through 3D technology could help make these sites popular across the globe, Attique Hashmi of the Heritage 360 project said on Sunday.
He was speaking at a session on the second of the All Pakistan Museums’ Conference.
He said the project was a joint effort by the Lahore University of Management and Sciences (LUMS) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to create digital models of various historical sites using laser scanning technology. He said the technology was being used all over the world to create 3D replicas of such sites because of its ability to capture precise details in the design and features of the sites. Hashmi said they had already created digital models for the Wazir Khan Masjid and the Derawar Fort in the Punjab, the Khudabad Masjid and the Temple of Shiva Johi in Sindh and Takht Bahi and Stupa at Julian in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“International tourism has declined in the country because of the security situation. By putting these models online, we can show the people in other countries what they’re missing out on and compel them to visit these sites,” he said.
Hashmi said display of these models online could also help increase domestic visitors to these sites.
Apart from their use as a publicity tool, he said 3D models could also aid preservation efforts at historical sites. “The 3D models are very accurate and capture minute details. They can be used to preserve the sites in their present conditions,” he said.
Akhtar Rafi, director of insects section at the Islamabad Museum of Natural Sciences, briefed the audience about the insect collection at the museum. He said studying insects could be helpful in understanding how the region had evolved over time. He stressed the need to preserve several endangered insect species.
Archaeologist Muzzafar Ahmed said his research had shown that people outside of the Punjab were better aware of their regional histories. Citing the example of Jain Mandir’s destruction, he said it appeared most Punjabis were not interested in knowing about their region’s past. He said several people he interviewed in the vicinity of temple had taken pride in the destruction of the building. “Some were simply unaware of the historical significance of these sites,” he said.
“Studying the history of the ancient civilisations in the region can help us better understand our cultural heritage. This heritage has accumulated over centuries,” he said.
Ahmed said houses in most villages were still built on the same pattern as those in the time of the Harrapa civilisation. He said excavations at the site of Harrapa had confirmed this. “There is no contradiction between our religion and our regional history,” he said.
He stressed the need to arrange for displaying artifacts recovered from archeological sites at villages across the country. “This will create a sense of pride and ownership of our history among the residents,” he said. He said efforts should be undertaken to teach children about the history of those artifacts through interactive methods.
Museums’ Association of Pakistan general secretary Mian Attique Ahmed said the need to form an association was felt in the aftermath of the devolution of Archaeology Departments to the provinces. He said this had been seen as an unfavourable move by stakeholders. He said the association was formed for stakeholders to get together and discuss their ideas for museums. The conference, hosted by the COMSATS Institute of Science and Technology and the MAP, is part of events being held at the Pakistan-China Business Forum underway in the city.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2016.