From big reptiles to big cats, creatures from years past, and ancient great apes, the museum is one of the few educational retreats in the city. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Museum of National History (PMNH) at Garden Avenue is home to a vast collection of fossils and relics of eons past. A family trip to the museum in Ramazan can be an informative and captivating way to get past the hunger pangs. It presents a great learning experience for children and is enjoyable for adults as well.
PMNH was established in 1976 under the patronage of the Pakistan Science Foundation. It has four principal divisions — botanical sciences, earth sciences, zoological sciences and public services.
The three science divisions are engaged in collection and identification, and research activities pertaining to plants, animals, fossils and mineral resources of Pakistan while the latter is responsible for mass education and popularisation of natural history through various displays, exhibits and dioramas. There are five display galleries — the bio gallery, Tethys gallery, gemstones gallery, eco gallery, and the Palaeo gallery — which provide information about unique eras and subjects of the natural history of the area that is now Pakistan.
These galleries provide information about flora and fauna of Pakistan, from the seashores to alpine heights of Pakistan, salt range, ocean life, minerals and rocks, fossils and skeletons of various animals, precious and semi-precious stones, information about earth sciences, zoological and botanical sciences, and prehistoric wildlife. Dinosaurs, ice-age animals, volcanoes, the solar system, whales, elephants, and giraffes are all on display.
It is a fascinating journey to go back in time to rediscover these prehistoric animals. While the preserved whale shark is a jaw dropping attraction for kids who will be bewildered by its massive size.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2016.
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